Kamala Harris to skip Al Smith dinner, despite decades-old tradition

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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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Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign reportedly told organizers the presidential nominee would skip the traditional Al Smith dinner. (Getty Images)

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.

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.

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.

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President Carter and Ronald Reagan shake hands at the 1980 Al Smith dinner. (Getty Images)

“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.”

“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.'”