Senator-elect Adam Schiff blames himself, Dems for Kamala loss

In an interview on NBC News’ "Meet the Press" Sunday, host Kristen Welker reminded Schiff that he had just recently predicted that Harris would beat Trump “overwhelmingly” and asked the former House representative remembered for leading the first impeachment against Trump if President Joe Biden should accept responsibility for the loss for “staying in too long.”

“Look, I think the entire Democratic Party bears the responsibility, myself included, and the former president mounted an effective campaign and you have to give credit for that,” Schiff said. “But the challenge that we have is we need to put forward a bold vision for how we're going to move the economy forward. Make the economy work for every American. To me the existential question is if you're working hard in America, can you still earn a good living?”

Schiff said the party would not have done any better if Biden had stayed as the Democratic presidential nominee and choosing “to step aside and pass the torch was the right decision that gave us a chance to win. It didn't give us a guarantee. And I thought she could win, and I thought she could win in all the battleground states,” he said. “But ultimately, what we saw, both in this country and around the world, was a very strong anti-incumbent wave that took out both progressives and conservatives, and our party became associated with the status quo, and that was too much to overcome,” Schiff continued, adding that he believes “the principal issue is the economy, and over years and even decades, it's gotten more and more difficult for people working full time to make a living, and until we resolve that challenge, the economy, we may find the presidency is easier to get than it is to keep.”

Welker asked him if he agreed with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) who said Biden should have stepped aside sooner than he did – even though he only did so after being forced by Pelosi and other Democratic bosses.

“Well, she has far better political instincts than I do,” Schiff said, noting that “a competitive primary” could have been “ugly and divisive and chaotic.” He recommended that “the Democratic Party has to recognize the challenge we have, which is for too many millions of battleground voters, working people, they don't think we represent them, and we have to make that case anew.”