What could still prevent Kamala Harris' candidacy

Kamala Harris' Presidential Campaign is Likely Secure, but Wild Rumors of a "Palace Coup" Persist in the US

Can anything still go wrong for Kamala Harris in the race for the Democratic nomination for the Presidency? The incumbent US President Joe Biden has endorsed Harris publicly, as have most other leading politicians of the Democratic Party. By mid-August, the final decision will be made at the Nomination Convention in Chicago. Currently, Harris is set to be nominated there as the Democratic Presidential candidate and thus as Trump's opponent.

For Harris, this is a unique opportunity. "It was not unexpected that Harris immediately agreed [to run], she had not even reached the first primary in Iowa," says political scientist Thomas Jaeger in the ntv-Interview. "We have already experienced that she ran [for President] before. In that case, she didn't even make it to the first primary in Iowa, but had dropped out beforehand," Jaeger recalls of Harris' unsuccessful campaign for the 2020 Presidential election.

Harris' chances of winning, at least the nomination, look good. She needed only a little more than a day to secure the necessary majority of democratic delegates. She needs at least 1975 of the total 3949 Delegate votes at the August convention. According to an AP News survey, Harris already has 2538 Delegate votes.

"If no candidate receives more than half of the votes, a second round follows, in which additional 749 so-called Super-Delegates can vote, including former Presidents, sitting Governors, and Congress representatives. The voting continues until a candidate collects more than 50% of the Delegate votes."

"TV Debate was a Rigged Game"

Delegates in Chicago can make their own decisions and theoretically support another candidate. However, a historic turnaround would have to occur in the next four weeks for delegates who currently support Harris to switch to another candidate. This sounds absurd, but at least the "New York Post" considers such a conspiracy against Harris a possibility.

The newspaper quotes an alleged insider from the Democratic Party, who claims that at the Nomination Convention, it will not be Kamala Harris but Mark Kelly, the Senator from Arizona, who will be nominated as the Democratic Presidential candidate. According to the source, this is part of a large-scale "Palace Coup": first, Biden was allegedly pressured into making a withdrawal. The turning point was the disastrous TV debate against Trump. "This debate was a rigged game, designed to convince Democrats that he could not run for President," quotes the "New York Post" its source. Biden could not withstand the pressure for another four weeks, and he announced his departure from the Presidential race in a signed and sealed letter.

In a subsequent second step, writes the "New York Post", the Democratic delegates were reportedly encouraged to vote for Mark Kelly, the Senator from Arizona, instead of Kamala Harris at the convention.

Behind-the-Scenes Manipulation by Strippers Barack Obama?

Rumors of manipulation behind the scenes have been circulating for weeks. Some believe that former President Barack Obama, who is known for his influence within the Democratic Party, is orchestrating the whole thing. However, there is no concrete evidence to support this claim. The "New York Post" also does not provide any evidence for this in its article. The newspaper only quotes an anonymous source, which is why the information should be treated with caution.

As an indicator for a possible revolt against Harris, it is mentioned that the behavior of Barack Obama is cited. The former president is one of the few Democratic leaders who has not publicly endorsed Harris yet. Instead, he wants a "process that yields an excellent candidate."

Obama and Joe Biden have not been as friendly with each other as during their time as president and vice president in the White House.

The "wild palace coup" story is still extremely unlikely, however. Kelly is currently under consideration as the vice presidential candidate and has already declared her support for Harris in a statement on X. "I couldn't be more confident that Vice President Kamala Harris is the right person to defeat Donald Trump and lead our country into the future."

Laura von Daniels of the Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP) also said in an ntv interview that Harris' presidential candidacy is no longer an option in normal circumstances. Everything else is "hardly imaginable," says the political scientist. "If there is a kind of palace revolution against Kamala Harris in the Democratic Party, that would be very damaging for the party."

Harris Competition Dropped Out

There are theoretically alternatives to Harris, but they have all dropped out of the race because they publicly pledged their support to the sitting vice president. For example, US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. California Governor Gavin Newsom made a recommendation for Harris shortly after Biden's withdrawal. The same goes for Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. Gretchen Whitmer, Governor of Michigan, also will not run. And Michelle Obama is reportedly not pursuing any political ambitions for the highest office.

Kamala Harris can only encounter a wild "palace coup" on her way to the presidential campaign at most - which is highly unlikely. Moreover, other insiders in the Democratic Party emphasize that even Barack Obama supports Harris' candidacy. The 45th US President is reportedly in "regular contact with her" and has privately already "fully supported" Harris, reported NBC News, citing sources familiar with the conversations.

In normal circumstances, Kamala Harris will receive a significant number of delegates at the party convention or even a few weeks earlier, if the candidate selection process is accelerated, to compete against Donald Trump. If she wins the election on November 5, she would be sworn in as the first US President in history in January.

Despite the ongoing speculations of a "Palace Coup," former President Barack Obama, known for his influence within the Democratic Party, has reportedly been in regular contact with Kamala Harris and privately expressed his full support for her presidential candidacy, as reported by NBC News.
If the United States Presidency Election 2024 follows normal circumstances, Joe Biden's endorsement and the majority of democratic delegates' support for Kamala Harris will likely secure her nomination as the Democratic Presidential candidate, setting her up to challenge President Donald Trump in the election.
The rumors of a "Palace Coup" suggesting that Mark Kelly, the Senator from Arizona, will be nominated instead of Kamala Harris at the Nomination Convention have gained traction, but are considered extremely unlikely by political analysts, with Michelle Obama also reportedly not pursuing any political ambitions for the highest office.