After Biden exit, Democrats throw support behind Kamala Harris – Technologist

If all goes as she hopes, the most important 107 days of Kamala Harris’s life have just begun. Joe Biden’s vice president, long in his shadow, struggling to make her mark and find her voice, has been given a historic opportunity: To become the first Black woman elected to the White House. By stepping down and giving her his personal support on Sunday, July 21, Biden hopes to make the handover inevitable.

Any other candidate stepping forward to challenge her before the Democratic convention in Chicago, which kicks off on August 19, would give life to internal pluralism. But it would multiply the party’s setbacks. It would risk aggravating dissension within a party at the end of its tether. Democracy practiced above a vacuum, less than four months before the presidential election, would be a captivating televised spectacle but an excessive political risk for many of the Democratic party’s members.

Given the urgency of the situation, it was hardly surprising to see an outpouring of support for Harris, even from potential rivals such as Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and California Governor Gavin Newsom. On the other hand, governors Gretchen Whitmer (Michigan) and J. B. Pritzker (Illinois), also perceived as presidential candidates, remained silent.

First vote against Trump

Calling the president’s withdrawal a “selfless and patriotic act,” Harris paid glowing tribute to Biden, both for their shared record over nearly four years and for his character: “His honesty and integrity. His big heart and commitment to his faith and his family. And his love of our country and the American people.” While she declared herself “honored” by the president’s support, she deftly refused to take a nomination for granted, declaring that she intended to “earn it and win it,” to unite her party and the entire country.

Former California Attorney General and Senator, Harris ran in the 2019 Democratic primary. The experience was short-lived, raising doubts about her ability to run a disciplined campaign. She also knows that there’s nothing automatic about a vice-presidential candidacy. In 2015, Biden, after eight years with Barack Obama, had given up running in the primaries because the Democratic Party had lined up behind Hillary Clinton.

Since October 2023, Harris has never exceeded 40% support in the aggregate of polls published by FiveThirtyEight.com. But her main argument is the general relief caused by Biden’s withdrawal, and the belief that huge numbers of voters will vote against Trump first, even if there is no unanimous Democratic candidate.

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