Biden endorses Harris to be the next Democratic presidential nominee
Should Harris officially become the party’s standard-bearer, she would be the first Black woman and first Asian American to lead the ticket of a major political party.
The historic endorsement comes after weeks of disarray within the Democratic Party, following a disastrous debate performance by Biden that called into question his ability to win a second term and govern for another four years. Biden ended his campaign Sunday amid growing calls from members of his party to step aside.
Logistically, Harris is the natural heir to the ticket as Biden’s running mate. She would inherit the Biden campaign’s massive political operation and war chest. Recent polling has also shown her performing better against former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, than Biden and other potential Democratic contenders.
Should there be efforts to pass over Harris in favor of Democrats seen as likely to run in 2028, there may be backlash from the vice president’s supporters and prominent Black Democrats. But Harris has also experienced something of a renaissance within her party, as Democrats showered her with praise in the days following the debate.
Throughout her vice presidency, Harris has struggled to define herself while juggling an issue portfolio that has included difficult topics such as voting rights and stemming the tide of migrants coming from Central America. On the former, an effort to bolster the Voting Rights Act failed in Congress. On migration, Harris was criticized on the right for not spending enough time on the border and on the left for telling migrants in a speech, “Do not come.”
As recently as last year, some Democrats were worried that negative views of Harris could hurt the ticket, prompting prominent Democrats to urge the party to stop undermining her.
But in the weeks since Biden’s June debate performance, Harris has settled into a groove, becoming a key surrogate for Biden’s reelection campaign on reproductive health as the campaign put it, the threat Trump poses to democracy.
Harris allies have argued that much of the criticism is a result of racism and sexism against the country’s first woman of color in such a position. Now, they say, the country is seeing in Harris what her allies have seen for years.
“Oftentimes Black women are not seen until they’re needed,” said LaTosha Brown, a co-founder of Black Voters Matter, a progressive group that works to boost Black voter turnout. “We’ve seen her constantly berated, marginalized, questioned. I think that the shift is because there’s a need.”
If Harris becomes the Democratic Party's standard-bearer, she would navigate politics as the first Black woman and Asian American to lead a major party's ticket. The recent political climate, marked by Biden's stepping down and Harris' improved debate performance, has highlighted the importance of politics in shaping the party's future.
