Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential campaign has announced that she will not attend the annual Al Smith dinner, becoming the first Democratic nominee to skip the event while a Republican nominee was present since 1984.
Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential campaign has reportedly announced that she 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.
Harris Skips Historic Al Smith Dinner, Breaking Decades-Long Campaign Tradition
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.
There have been exceptions to the tradition. The Al Smith dinner opted not to invite the two major presidential candidates during the 1996, 2000 and 2004 election cycles.
Harris Skips Historic Al Smith Dinner, Breaking Decades-Long Campaign Tradition
Fox News Digital asked the Trump campaign if the Republican candidate plans on attending the dinner but did not immediately hear back.
The last time a Democratic candidate opted out of the event while a Republican nominee attended was in 1984, when President Ronald Reagan gave a speech without Walter Mondale in the audience.
Harris Skips Historic Al Smith Dinner, Breaking Decades-Long Campaign Tradition
In 2020, both President Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden appeared at the dinner. Neither candidate took shots at the other despite the intensity of the race.
"Throughout my life of public service I’ve been guided by the tenets of Catholic social doctrine," Biden said in his speech. "What you do to the least among us, you do to me."
Harris Skips Historic Al Smith Dinner, Breaking Decades-Long Campaign Tradition
"Catholics have enriched our nation beyond measure," Trump said at the dinner. "The essence of the Catholic faith, as Jesus Christ said in the gospel, ‘Everyone will know you are my disciples.’"
Vice President Kamala Harris waves during a campaign event in Madison, Wis. (Alex Wroblewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris campaign for comment but did not immediately hear back.
The Associated Press and Fox News Digital's Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.
The decision by Harris to skip the Al Smith dinner has been met with mixed reactions. Some have praised Harris for breaking with tradition and focusing on campaigning, while others have criticized her for not attending an event that has become a staple of the presidential campaign cycle.
It remains to be seen whether Harris' decision to skip the dinner will have any impact on her campaign. However, it is clear that she is willing to break with tradition in order to focus on what she believes is most important: winning the presidency.
In addition to Harris' decision to skip the Al Smith dinner, there have been a number of other changes to the event in recent years. In 2020, the dinner was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, the dinner was moved from its traditional venue at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel to the Javits Center in order to accommodate a larger crowd.
These changes reflect the evolving nature of the presidential campaign landscape. As the media landscape becomes more fragmented and voters become more polarized, candidates are increasingly looking for new ways to connect with voters. The Al Smith dinner remains a popular event, but it is no longer the only way for candidates to reach a large audience.
