Is there no way around Kamala Harris?
If Joe Biden were to step down from his presidential candidacy, the US Democrats would need a new candidate. Or a woman? Challenger Donald Trump apparently already has Vice President Kamala Harris in mind for the presidential duel.
Donald Trump is already training his sights on the possible new rival in the presidential race. "She is so bad, she is so embarrassing," he sneers over US Vice President Kamala Harris, assuming that she will replace Biden as the presidential candidate. Trump's hasty and vehement attack shows that he is counting on Harris should Biden, despite his dementia, step down from the US presidential race.
In the panic-stricken debate of the US Democrats about Biden following his disastrous and chaotic performance in the TV duel against Trump, Harris showed no cracks in her loyalty to the President. "Biden is our candidate," she told CBS News. "We beat Trump once, and we will beat him again, period."
Should Biden, confronted with massive doubts about his mental fitness for the presidency, step down, Harris would have good chances of moving up to the top spot on the ballot ticket.
No Automatic Succession
There is no automatic succession. As Vice President, Harris is designated to replace Biden as President should he fall through death or illness - but she is not his automatic successor in the presidential campaign. Compared to other potential replacement candidates like Governor Gavin Newsom of California or Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Harris has several advantages to offer - not least financially.
Since she is conducting a joint campaign with Biden for the presidency, all previously donated funds to the Biden-Harris team would fall to her should Biden step down - a significant advantage. In addition, she has already intensively campaigned for the presidency in the past months - especially in the context of a campaign for abortion rights, which she has led across the country. With this, she has already gained a profile in one of the central election issues.
Columnist Paul Waldman called Harris the "obvious heir" to Biden on MSNBC. Passing over the daughter of a Jamaican and an Indian, he argued, would also be perceived as an insult to black women, one of the most important voter groups in the party.
History Already Written
The former Attorney General of California and US Senator became Vice President with great expectations in January 2021: as the first woman and the first Black person in the position, she wrote history, and the post was already seen then as a stepping stone for a later presidential campaign of her own.
However, Harris remained relatively low-key as Vice President for wide stretches. This was partly due to the office itself: Vice Presidents have a hard time emerging from the large shadow of the President in the US.
Biden handed over some rather unpleasant and complicated tasks to his deputy, Harris was responsible for handling the migration crisis at the border with Mexico at one point. However, she also put herself in her own way at times. In interviews and other public appearances, she made several gaffes and did not always come across as confident.
Difficult, but not hopeless
The Democrats cannot necessarily expect to overtake Trump quickly and clearly with Harris. In a CNN survey four days after the Biden-Trump debate, she performed better against the expected Republican presidential candidate than Biden, but still lagged behind Trump: With 45 percent, she was two points behind the Republican, while Biden was six points behind with 43 percent.
However, Harris, as Biden's running mate, still had enough time to gain points among voters - especially with the abortion issue, whose nationwide abolition by the conservative-dominated Supreme Court two years ago caused widespread frustration and indignation.
And in her confrontation with the right-wing populist, Harris could also play her entire experience as a former Attorney General: Trump, the first ex-US President to be criminally prosecuted in the New York hush money trial and also facing three other criminal charges, was therefore a suitable opponent for Harris.
If Donald Trump believes Joe Biden might step down from the 2024 US presidential election, he sees Kamala Harris as a potential replacement. Although there's no automatic succession for Harris as Vice President, she could benefit from her existing partnership with Biden, as donated funds would transfer to her should he step down.
Despite facing criticism for her performance during interviews and public appearances, Kamala Harris, as the first woman and Black person in the Vice President position, has a significant role in the Democratic party and a strong stance on key issues like abortion rights.
In a survey following the Biden-Trump debate, Kamala Harris performed slightly better against Trump, but still lagged behind him. However, with time and a strong focus on important topics such as abortion, Harris could gain support and pose a significant challenge for Trump in the 2024 US presidential election.
