Vice President Kamala Harris’ Strengths and Weaknesses

There are many reasons to make Vice President Kamala Harris He would be his obvious successor if President Biden decides not to run this year.

Whether he would actually do so has remained an open question ever since. Biden performed poorly in the June 27 debate. He stumbled in his answers, gave incoherent conclusions on different topics and failed to communicate key achievements. The missteps came amid heightened scrutiny of his age and followed confusion in his recent media appearances. Names of important peopleand Gave an answer that was difficult to understand.

All of this has sparked a debate among experts and grassroots Democrats over the following questions: Who will succeed Biden? With less than four months to go until Election Day, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and California Governor Gavin Newsom are both top contenders.

But perhaps no one makes more sense than Harris, who has assumed the role of replacing a president who is unable to continue to perform his duties.

As vice president, she has a deep understanding of the policy work of the administration and a wealth of experience in the White House that could help in the job. As the first black and South Asian woman to win the Democratic presidential nomination, and as a youthful, attractive alternative to 78-year-old Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump, she is likely to be a positive candidate for many Democratic voters. Logically, she could also easily Transferring $91 million of Biden’s campaign funds to Harris (And it’s even harder to give that money to someone else).

Still, Harris does have weaknesses — evident during her time as vice president and as a 2020 presidential candidate — that could get her into trouble. Her approval ratings have sometimes lagged behind Biden’s A common criticism she faced during her tenure as vice president was that she failed to Carve out a unique path for yourselfWhen she entered the 2020 presidential race, she raised similar questions, leaving people confused about where she stood.

Taken together, if Biden withdraws from the race, Harris still has a good reason to take over his position. However, it is worth noting that she still has to overcome some key challenges.

If Harris succeeds Biden, she will have some incumbent advantages as the current vice president. My colleague Andrew Prokopabout two-thirds of incumbent lawmakers won re-election.

As part of that advantage, Harris will be able to tout her role in victories under the Biden administration — like the Inflation Reduction Act, which will help lower prescription drug costs and invest in climate initiatives, and the bipartisan infrastructure bill, which includes historic funding for bridges and roads. She can also point to the experience she gained as vice president and how it prepared her to become commander in chief.

Biden himself used this strategy successfully in 2020, when he Linking oneself to the achievements of the Obama administration — and emphasized He is often “the last person to leave the room” When making critical decisions.

“When you think about all of this legislation that has come through Congress, the vice president has been involved in conversations with the president, with the cabinet, whether it’s the infrastructure bill, whether it’s the IRA, whether it’s the CHIPS bill,” Marty Walsh, a former labor secretary who worked with Harris, previously told Vox. This experience itself is meaningful and invaluable.

since roe, Harris has also taken on abortion rights, meeting with advocates and voters across the country and calling attention to it in states including Wisconsin, Arizona and Florida.

In recent elections, the topic has particularly sparked interest among Democratic voters and women voters, with several ballot initiatives – e.g. Vermont and Michigan — passed with overwhelming support. Protecting reproductive rights is a core policy for many voters and a decisive policy that helped Democrats gain support in the 2022 midterm elections. Harris’ defense of abortion rights is a point of sharp contrast between her and Trump, who has long taken credit for abortion rights. roedeaths and argued that abortion should be a state-by-state decision.

In addition to her experience in the White House, Harris brings legislative expertise from her four years in the Senate and her background in criminal justice reform from her time as California’s attorney general. Although she has had her share of communication missteps during her time as vice president, she has previously gone viral for questioning Trump appointees while a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and caused a stir in 2019 when she debated Biden over his past stance on school busing.

Harris could also breathe new life into the race. Many polls have found that most Americans don’t want Biden to run, including July 2024 PBS News/NPR/Marist The survey showed that the figure was 56%, and they would like to see Alternatives to Biden or Trump.

Harris could be that alternative. At 59, she is decades younger than both current candidates. And she is also a symbol of an increasingly diverse Democratic Party and country, making her a candidate who could particularly energize key voters, including black women.In a July 2024 YouGov poll, Harris’s approval rating is 41% among adults and 69% among black respondents.) This could portend better turnout and increased enthusiasm.

“She’s the second black woman elected to the Senate, which is no easy feat in a state like California,” said the University of Maryland public policy professor. Tell me Carter“So she’s proven that she can get white, black, Latino and other voters to come to the polls.”

Experts also note that bypassing Harris and having another candidate, especially a white one, as president could lose support among black voters and other key Democratic constituencies. Laksha JainCEO of election analysis website Split Ticket.

“I think there will be a backlash from voters,” Jain told Vox. “It will cause division within the party and create a negative news cycle for quite some time, and the eventual nominee will be very hurt and will need to win over a huge base of support among black voters.”

Finally, logistically, Harris will be able to transition more seamlessly because she can inherit Biden’s fundraising apparatus and campaign team, as a former White House press secretary. Jen Psaki explained in a TikTok post“Structurally, she can mobilize her campaign staff, mobilize all of their resources,” Psaki noted.

While Harris has many strengths as a candidate, she has also faced problems during her time as vice president and as a 2020 presidential candidate. These problems could haunt her if she becomes the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee.

It’s worth noting that while she’s still well-liked by many Democratic voters, her overall approval ratings and approval ratings aren’t the highest. FiveThirtyEight Aggregation The survey shows that Biden’s support rate among American voters is 37%, while Harris 38%She will be seen as a continuation of the Biden administration, which means voters who are unhappy with the policies or positions she represents may simply view her as “same old.” According to last year’s survey, voters Interested in change And expressed dissatisfaction with the current situation.

Harris also doesn’t always clearly define himself and what he stands for.

That was evident in her attempts to take progressive and moderate policy positions in 2020, which appeared to lose members of both districts. She has particularly struggled with the left and its often younger voters: Despite her self-described role as a progressive prosecutor, she was rebuked by grassroots progressives during her 2019 campaign for her actions on truancy and wrongful convictions.

The same problem arose during her tenure as vice president, with some critics arguing that she failed to identify her own issues or clearly define what she could accomplish.

White House officials have previously highlighted her extensive work on foreign policy, immigration, voting rights and reproductive rights. It’s a broad range of responsibilities, and staffers who work with her describe a dilemma Harris faces: If she chooses to work on just one issue, for example, she risks being pigeonholed. If she works more broadly, as she has chosen to do, she risks being criticized for not focusing on one area.

Although she has demonstrated effective communication skills in a range of high-profile cases, from the questioning of former Trump Attorney General Jeff Sessions to her major speech at the 50th anniversary of the roeShe also has some issues that are widely ridiculed as “Word Salad” The comments have led some to question whether she can be a strong messenger for the Democratic Party at this critical moment.

As she held positions that saw turnover, her relationships with employees came under scrutiny from reporters, raising questions about her management style. Attorney General Office and Her Vice President’s Office Such reports have raised concerns about Harris’ leadership in the White House, though her office is far from the only one. Sales In these roles.

Potential sexism and racism among voters are major concerns raised by some Democrats. “I don’t know that a lot of people want to admit it, (but) I think a lot of people are uncomfortable with a black woman being president,” Carter said. People of color and female candidates, including former President Barack Obama, have long had to deal with this kind of bias — and election concerns ——Despite this, he finally won.

Taken together, these dynamics suggest that Harris’ nomination, like any other, has its pros and cons. In the difficult circumstances facing the Democratic Party, Harris’ strengths could far outweigh her weaknesses — if she can address them.