Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a political event at the Aerospace and Science Experience Center at the Air Zoo in Portage, Michigan, on July 17, 2024.
Jeff Kowalski | AFP | Getty Images
Pressure is on the Vice President Kamala Harris Analysts say she will turn around political fortunes and win Democratic nomination after US President Joe Biden loses election Dropping out of the presidential race.
With just over 100 days left until November’s presidential election, Harris now must win over not only Democratic delegates, donors and the party’s official nomination, but most importantly her critics and undecideds voters’ support.
“It’s not been a smooth road for the Democratic Party. Donald Trump and (running mate, Sen.) J.D. Vance are a very strong ticket that obviously appeals to a large portion of America. force, but I think Kamala Harris can give them a strong campaign.
“I’m not saying it’s going to be easy for Kamala Harris … but I do think we have to give her a chance to be the candidate,” he noted.
“The role of the vice president, by its very definition, is to be behind the scenes, playing a secondary role to the president. Now she’s suddenly thrust into the spotlight[as the most likely candidate to be the (Democratic) nominee]so It’s a very new role for her and we’ll have to see if she can adapt to it,” Lukens told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe.”
Harris is the first woman and first Black and Asian American to serve as U.S. vice president, and her background boosts her appeal among some voters.
Still, the similarities between Harris’ and Biden’s poll numbers suggest that even if she wins the Democratic presidential nomination, she will need to convince voters that she offers something different than Biden.
“Being a woman, an African-American woman and an Asian woman, she has qualities that apply to a variety of constituencies, and she’s younger, and they hope that will have an impact. But there are also very, very deep factors. International Politics, City University London Professor Inderjeet Parmar told CNBC on Monday: “These are issues that alienate a lot of Democratic voters… and a lot of people are not committed. “
Palma added that if nominated, Harris would have to convince voters that she could offer something “significantly different” than what Biden proposed during the campaign.
Harris’ performance as vice president is widely viewed as underwhelming, although analysts acknowledge the 59-year-old former senator from California was handed a poisoned chalice early in her term when she received a blow A tough briefing on illegal immigration.
Her prominence in the public sphere appeared to decline in the early days of Biden’s presidency, as she was frequently targeted by Republicans and right-wing media. While Harris’ stance on issues such as racial equality, gun crime and women’s reproductive rights has won over young voters, women and minorities, her approval ratings remain low.
On March 24, 2021, President Joe Biden, accompanied by Vice President Kamala, met with U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra and immigration advisers in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, USA.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
recent voter pollsSurveys conducted before Biden announced he would not run for re-election showed Harris roughly tied or slightly ahead of Biden but behind Republican nominee Donald Trump.
Newest NBC News PollInvestigation conducted before July 13 assassination attempt on Trump revealed Biden and Harris both trail Trump by 2 percentage points among registered voterssimilar results have been seen in other recent voter surveys.
The nation’s attention is now focused on how much political and financial support Harris can muster before the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August. The vice president’s newly launched campaign raised $49.6 million in grassroots donations in less than a day, according to comments from a Biden campaign spokesperson reported by Reuters on Monday.
Harris must now formally secure the nomination from some 4,000 Democratic National Convention delegates who previously supported Biden. While she has Biden’s backing and is the frontrunner to win the party’s nomination, that’s not guaranteed as a challenger could emerge.
In the past 24 hours, prominent Democrats, including former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, have expressed support for Harris’ nomination.
Still, people noticed Former President Barack Obama and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi did not immediately support the vice presidentsuggesting some prominent Democrats may need to convince Harris is the right candidate to defeat Trump.
Signum Global Advisors’ Lukens said Harris’ support within the Democratic Party remains high at around 85 percent, but her main challenge is conveying that support to the broader electorate.
“The question for a Democrat like Kamala Harris is whether she can translate Democratic popularity into broader popularity that appeals to independents and swing voters across the country,” he said. “
Is there any alternative but unity?
Political analysts say Democrats face huge risks in considering other presidential candidates in the final stages of the electoral process.
Presidential historian Allan Lichtman, a distinguished professor of history at American University, told CNBC on Monday: “If the Democrats had a massive intraparty fight and found someone better than Kamala Harris, For someone who is easier to get elected, that would be suicide.
“If Democrats get tough and get smart, they will unite behind Harris,” said Lichtman, one of the creators of the “Key to the White House” prediction model that determined the outcome of the presidential election.
“If the Democratic Party engages in open partisanship and intraparty fighting, it will be a disaster. It will be an exact replica of the situation that led to Trump’s election in 2016,” he said.
“If the Democrats still have any hope of winning, then unite behind Harris and don’t think you can find another elected candidate who is more consistent in her rhetoric,” he told CNBC’s “Capital Connection.”
“Biden for President” campaign committee has Official name change The “Harris Presidential Campaign” committee provides Harris with access to the Biden team’s infrastructure, staff and its $98 million cash reserve.
Political analysts said it was too early to tell the extent of party unity around Harris’ nomination and warned that divisions could cost Democrats the election.
“If Democrats can come together and come out of the convention speaking with one voice and with energy and excitement, they have a good chance of winning in November,” Steven Okun, senior adviser at McLarty Associates, told CNBC on Monday.
“If there’s disunity in this convention, if there’s fighting between moderates and liberals and progressives and there’s bad feelings and people don’t have the energy to stay home, then the Democratic Party is going to lose.”
