Cardinal Dolan Pushes Kamala To Attend Charity Dinner: Last Nominee Who Skipped ‘Lost 49’ States

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York, urged Vice President Kamala Harris to attend the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner on October 17, warning her that the last presidential nominee who did not attend got blown out in the election.

Dolan made the remarks after Harris’ team said that she would not attend the annual Catholic charity dinner.

“We’re disappointed, we were looking forward to giving the vice president an enthusiastic welcome,” said Dolan. “And we are confident the vice president would find this — you know, she speaks so much about the high ideals and how it is good to get away from division and come together in unity, and that’s something else this dinner is all about.”

“We haven’t given up yet. We’re not used to this,” he continued. “This hasn’t happened in 40 years, since Walter Mondale turned down the invitation. And remember, he lost 49 out of 50 states. I don’t want to say there’s a direct connection there, but we’re not used to this and we’re not giving up. You know who’s been a help to us? Sen. Schumer and Gov. Hochul have both been working hard to convince her to come.”

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Dolan said that Schumer claimed that it was not Harris’ decision and that her team said that it was a scheduling issue.

WATCH:

Cardinal Dolan on Kamala Harris snubbing the Catholic community by skipping the Al Smith charity dinner: “This hasn’t happened in 40 years since Walter Mondale turned down the invitation. And remember, he lost 49 out of 50 states.”pic.twitter.com/XjOubeFwhY

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At the dinner, the presidential nominees engage in some self-deprecating humor and light roasting of their opponent.

“It’s sad, but not surprising, that Kamala has decided not to attend,” Trump wrote on social media on Monday night. “I don’t know what she has against our Catholic friends, but it must be a lot, because she certainly hasn’t been very nice to them, in fact, Catholics are literally being persecuted by this Administration.”

“Any Catholic that votes for Comrade Kamala Harris should have their head examined,” he continued. “In addition to the Democrats’ Cruel War on The Little Sisters of the Poor, Kamala led the way on the UNCONSCIONABLE and UNCONSTITUTIONAL ATTACKS on The Knights of Columbus that amounted to a RELIGIOUS TEST (Very anti-Catholic!) for Justices on the Supreme Court. Also, who can forget the flagrant, in-your-face ‘TRANSGENDER DAY OF VISIBILITY’ Kamala and Biden hosted at the White House on Easter Sunday (of all days!). Regardless, I will see everyone on October 17th, and we will have a GREAT night for Catholic Charities. It’s sad that Kamala doesn’t care about these good works, but with her History of anti-Catholic actions, she would have a hard time anyway!”

Former Clinton strategist and pollster Mark Penn said Monday evening that Harris’s refusal to attend the charity event was a bad look for her.

“I think her positioning that Donald Trump is unacceptable and a threat to democracy means it’s very hard for her to go to a forum and just joke with him, because I think that gives him kind of the respect of a colleague running for president that she doesn’t want to give him,” Penn said. “I think it’s a bad thing that she’s not going.”