Vice President Kamala Harris waves during a Martin Luther King Jr. day of service project at George Washington University, Monday, Jan. 16, 2023, in Washington.
Charles Rex Arbogast/AP Photo

Harris world has lamented that those speeches don’t always get coverage or translate well in Washington. They’ve been frustrated, in particular, by what they believe have been consistently negative and strictly political headlines in the Beltway in her first year and a half in office — such as when she held events in swing states only to find the resulting stories focused solely on how those events could affect a Harris 2024 presidential race.

“You were dealing with events that were impacting people, whether it’s Covid or [whatever], but the coverage is, ‘Yeah … but she just made a misstep here that could hurt her chances in [2024],'” another former aide said.

With the midterm campaigning behind her, and a future schedule no longer restrained by the Senate calendar, Harris’ current aides said they envision a wider lane for the vice president, even as she continues focusing on her issues and promoting the administration’s accomplishments.

“People have a hard time figuring her out because too often they’re looking at an old model and they’re not willing to take her for who she is and what her style is,” Finney said.