Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign reportedly announced Harris will skip the historic Al Smith dinner, eschewing a decades-old campaign tradition.
The decision was first reported by CNN Saturday afternoon, citing Harris campaign officials. The campaign reportedly told event organizers Harris was instead planning to campaign in a battleground state, but the report did not specify which state Harris will be campaigning in.
The annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner is traditionally held in New York City to benefit Catholic Charities and is hosted by the archbishop of New York.
Every presidential election year, the Republican and Democratic candidates will typically come together to give humorous speeches at the dinner. The tradition began when John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon spoke at the event in 1960.
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There have been exceptions to the tradition. The Al Smith dinner opted not to invite …