Harris' quick secure nomination brings Trump under the spotlight
Less than two days after Joe Biden's withdrawal from the US Presidency race, everything is shifting towards Kamala Harris. Trump sees this rapid Democratic unity as "a danger for democracy." Harris is being criticized.
She is the logical candidate, but not everyone's favorite. Vice President Kamala Harris is supposed to prevent another Presidency of Donald Trump for the Democrats instead of Joe Biden. She is not an automatic candidate just because she was his Vice President, but must convince the released delegates to nominate her. In less than 36 hours after Biden's withdrawal, she already has a majority behind her, according to US media.
This makes her vulnerable to attacks from Republicans and Trump, as well as from those in her own party who would have preferred an open process or even a contested convention. With the Democratic convention in Chicago now almost certainly not coming close to that, the Democrats must pull off a tightrope act to avoid being labeled hypocrites. And to keep Harris from getting too defensive.
The party wants to demonstrate unity after Biden's disastrous TV debate and public squabbles over his candidacy, which fueled support for Harris. At the same time, it should not look like a top-down appointment of his Vice President. Biden had won the primary race for months. Harris did not, even though she was his representative. Yet she entered Biden's campaign headquarters gleamingly on the day he withdrew, and Biden called to assure his support.
A large majority of supporters is already rallying behind the former prosecutor and senator, not just anyone. In a party that often presents itself as the last bastion of democracy, it smells a bit of elitism and lack of consensus-building. The now independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy has been complaining for a long time that the party didn't give him a chance to run for the nomination.
The Democrats announced on Sunday that there would be a "orderly and transparent" process until the candidate selection. They informed about the plan on Monday evening. Two weeks before the convention, there should already be a virtual delegates' vote on August 7, and the nomination should be settled then. The convention would be as usual for show. A contested convention, which would silence critics by taking the ground from under their feet, would be off the table. The plan is to be decided on Wednesday.
"As stupid as a rock"
The Democrats have made the race between Biden and Trump in November into a heroic battle for democracy against would-be autocrats. The Republicans are now using this against their political opponents. "The Democrats stole the race from Biden, who had won it in the primaries," Trump posted on "Truth Social": "These people are the real danger for democracy!" Harris, the Republican candidate, called Trump "failed and incompetent" as well as "as stupid as a rock." Harris can feel grandiose: Trump attacks his particularly dangerous rivals especially intensely.
Contentwise, Harris may not be a safe bet for the Democrats, but she is more unpredictable for Trump than an aging Biden. As vice president, she should have control over immigration at the southern border, but in the end, only a decree from the White House pressured the record numbers of border crossings. It was always said that she should combat the causes of migration in South and especially Central America. She failed to do so. Harris, as the incumbent vice president, is also easily criticized regarding inflation, which the Republicans call a "affordability crisis." The conservatives promise tax cuts and protectionist trade policies to lower consumer prices.
On the topic of abortions, Harris is significantly more credible as a woman. A Democratic delegate tweeted a video of her on Sunday, in which she sarcastically asks Brett Kavanaugh, before his confirmation as a Supreme Court Justice, "Do laws not apply to you, Mr. Government, to make decisions about men's bodies?" The conservative Kavanaugh later voted for the abolition of the general abortion law. The video clip was viewed more than 7 million times within a day. Abortions may be the most important issue for motivating Democrats.
Harris is indeed 59 years old and thus older than many other potential candidates, but she is still 19 years younger than Trump. Surveys from California suggest that Harris can score more points among younger and independent voters in contested districts than Biden. So the hope may be fulfilled that the vice president can motivate voters who no longer support Biden and might have stayed home in November.
According to the party's plan, other candidates can also participate in the virtual primary if they can present a minimum number of delegates. Harris already has a majority, and it would almost be a political heavenly ascent to challenge her now. If someone seriously intended to challenge Harris within the Democrats, they would have had to prepare well and have their legs under them by Sunday: a team on the ground, fundraising everywhere, and handling the approximately 4,000 delegates. All that costs a lot of money. Harris has access to Biden's campaign war chest, and his team works for her.
Nancy Pelosi, the Grande Dame of the Democrats, had advocated for an open process but enthusiastically endorsed Harris the day after Biden's withdrawal. Party leaders in the states have also rallied behind Harris, as well as several well-known faces, some of whom were rumored to have chances or ambitions for the highest office: California Governor Gavin Newsom, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and others. They and others are also being discussed as potential vice presidential candidates.
Notable absentees from the list of supporters so far are former President Barack Obama and the party leaders in the House and Senate. They let it be known that they are waiting for a candidate to be nominated. Harris raised $81 million (around 74 million Euro) in campaign donations from 888,000 people in the first 24 hours, her team reported, which is a historical record. 60% of this was reportedly new donors. Harris' nomination may become a wire act - but apparently many voters find that a less than terrible idea.
Despite Trump's criticism of Democratic unity as a threat to democracy, Harris faces scrutiny within her party as well. Some delegates had preferred an open process or a contested convention, believing it would appear less elitist.
In the 2024 United States Presidential Election, if Donald Trump decides to run again, Harris may pose a more unpredictable challenge than Biden due to her more progressive stance on certain issues.
