A new commentary in The Atlantic is shining light on Kamala Harris becoming the most likely Democratic nominee should President Biden bow out of the race.
On MSNBC, Rep James Clyburn of (D-SC) said that “this party should not in any way do anything to work around Ms. Harris. We should do everything we can to bolster her whether she’s in second place or at the top of the ticket.”
But the article’s author thinks otherwise.
“An automatic coronation of Harris would be a grave mistake,” penned Jerusalem Demsas. “The No. 2 spot has never been a guarantee of a promotion to the top job. Only six vice presidents have been elevated to the presidency via an election; 12 have run and lost. Five have even failed to get their party’s endorsement. Yet some are arguing that Harris’s nomination should be a fait accompli if Biden steps aside.”
He continued: “I worked for Harris’s 2020 presidential campaign. Getting hired as her South Carolina communications director at age 23 was a dream—it was just my second job out of college. When Harris announced her candidacy in Oakland, California, I had just joined the campaign, and felt the pull of history as 20,000 people clamored to see her in person. Here was a young, fresh face—and, like me, she was Black. Finally, here was someone who represented the future, represented me. It was exhilarating, until it wasn’t.”
She further argued that primary campaigns serve as a crucial test for candidates, and Harris, who withdrew before the Iowa caucus, did not pass hers. However, this does not mean she can never be president. Many candidates who initially failed have performed better in subsequent campaigns, but they had to surpass other contenders. The country saw the importance of witnessing a candidate in an unscripted format during the Trump-Biden debate, where the incumbent’s rambling statements and confused demeanor surprised many within his own party. The Democratic nominee should not face their first rigorous challenge only when confronting Donald Trump in the general election.
“One common argument for why the party should coronate Harris in Biden’s absence is that skipping over her would be racist—or be perceived as such by Black Democratic voters,” she writes. “Yet Black voters have shown time and again that their interests are practical and that their demands are strategic: Give us a candidate who will win. Many were initially cool to Barack Obama in 2008. Obama volunteers in South Carolina tried to convince Black voters of his national viability by touting his strong showings in overwhelmingly white Iowa.”
She emphasized that During her 2019 presidential campaign, Harris was resolute about the need to prove herself and drew inspiration from Obama’s Iowa success. In South Carolina, where Black voters constituted half of the Democratic primary electorate, Harris’s campaign courted Black activists and leaders by highlighting her vigorous efforts in Iowa, aiming for a top-three finish. However, as the shortcomings of her Iowa strategy became evident — with a mid-November poll showing only 3 percent selecting her as their top choice — she chose to withdraw. Repeatedly in South Carolina, voters expressed admiration for Harris but favored Biden, believing he had a better chance of winning — a belief that proved correct.
She concluded: “To be frank, I don’t think Harris is the strongest choice to defeat Trump. She displays vulnerabilities in recent polling. She’s in the unfortunate position of either having helped conceal Biden’s current condition or having been too far from the action to observe it up close. But perhaps the biggest concern is that, according to multiple accounts, the Biden administration has not entrusted her with opportunities to lead. Of course, she could still come out as the nominee. She has many strengths, including a national profile, the ability to draw a strong contrast with Trump, and the likely support of many Democratic insiders. But if that’s enough, then let her compete.”
