Listed here are the info. Kamala Harris is the daughter of an Indian and Jamaican immigrant to the US. Her dad and mom break up early. She didn’t go to any Ivy League establishment. But, she rose up from being a district legal professional to legal professional basic (AG) in California. She turned the primary Indian-American, and solely the second Black girl, to be elected to the US Senate. She turned the primary girl, and the primary particular person of her biracial background, to turn into America’s vice-president. She is now the presumptive presidential nominee of the Democratic Occasion. And he or she is simply 59.
Right here is the favored caricature about her, fuelled by the Republican machine. Kamala Harris is weak, her character is awkward, her chortle is cringeworthy, she has no achievements, she is “dangerously liberal”, and he or she is product of solely “id politics”. Aided sometimes by Harris’s political missteps, public gaffes, a presidential marketing campaign that collapsed earlier than it took off, and the very nature of the vice presidency that leaves the incumbent wanting unemployed, this caricature gained floor prior to now 4 years.
Now, right here is the brand new narrative on Harris, propelled by her supporters. She is powerful, good, expert and protracted. Nobody along with her background has ever made it thus far in American politics. Nobody else has her form of expertise on the apex of the felony justice system (as AG), of lawmaking (as senator), and government (as VP). Nobody has straddled the completely different worlds that she belongs to — as an Indian-American, an Asian-American, an African-American, the spouse of a Jewish-American, and a girl who hasn’t shied away from talking up on ladies’s rights, together with abortion rights.
The 2024 election is now as a lot concerning the info of Harris’s life, the evolving Republican caricature of her, and the Democratic narrative round her, as it’s about Donald Trump. And within the very first week of saying her intent to compete for president, Harris’s story is successful.
Simply hint what’s occurred prior to now month. The controversy uncovered Joe Biden’s age-related deficits. The assassination bid made Trump a hero and sufferer determine. The Republican Nationwide Conference showcased his full dominance over the celebration. The morale amongst Democrats was low as they resigned themselves to a second, extra radical Trump presidency. After which, final Sunday, Biden withdrew and supplied one last present to his celebration. By endorsing Harris, he prevented an unpleasant inner race.
Harris ran with that endorsement. She made 100 calls in 10 hours that Sunday, and received the endorsements of the important thing progressive, Black and centre-left legislators. Her potential rivals for presidential nomination quickly endorsed her, as did different Democratic elders. By Monday night time, she had raised $100 million, with a report $81 million haul over 24 hours. By Tuesday, Harris had secured the assist of a majority of delegates to the Democratic Nationwide Conference. She travelled to her marketing campaign headquarters in Delaware the place Biden informed the staff to embrace her, addressed a giant public rally in Wisconsin, and went to Texas and Indiana. And on the one overseas coverage difficulty that has divided up the Democratic base, she straddled a high quality line. Harris refused to chair visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s deal with to the Congress, and within the assembly with him, she made it clear she received’t keep silent on Palestinian struggling. However by assembly him, reiterating her assist for Israel’s safety and condemning protesters who waved Hamas flags, she made it clear that she received’t tolerate terror and excuses for it.
Harris’s candidacy has unified the Democratic base. For them, what’s at stake — stopping Trump from returning — has made gender and race maybe much less salient than it might be in any other case. As a substitute, Harris’s id has been an asset thus far. Among the many completely different teams who have gotten on to separate calls simply this week to commit their assist are, in tens of hundreds, Black ladies who see Harris as certainly one of their very own; Black males who see her as a sister on the cusp of constructing historical past; South Asian ladies, South Asian males, and Indian-Individuals extra broadly, all of whom take pleasure in her Indian heritage; White ladies, who laud her place on abortion; and the Democratic-leaning Asian-American, Hispanic and Black political motion committees that fund candidates of marginalised backgrounds.
Harris has turn into a GenZ star. She has managed to energise Silicon Valley that was witnessing a rising exodus to Trump’s camp in addition to Hollywood. And the momentum is getting mirrored within the polls, with the New York Occasions/Siena ballot displaying Harris trailing Trump by only one proportion level. For context, Trump was main Biden by six proportion factors.
However whereas Harris has unified the bottom and made this a aggressive election by throwing the fastidiously laid Republican plans that revolved round attacking Biden’s age into disarray, that is solely the start of a 100-day dash. This election will boil right down to which of the 2 candidates succeeds in guaranteeing that their celebration base turns up, and successful over the vote in swing states. To take action, Harris has to beat a minimum of 4 challenges, a few of which stem from misogyny and racism. One, most American voters might know Harris’s title however don’t know her, and he or she has simply the following few weeks to introduce herself to the nation earlier than the Republicans find yourself defining her. This may also imply capitalising on Biden’s report, whereas fastidiously distancing herself from his failures, together with inflation.
Two, she has to fastidiously outline her place on the border, for Republicans have solid as her the “border czar” who didn’t stem unlawful immigration. Dispelling this impression and proving her dedication to American sovereignty is especially necessary for a Black girl who’s the youngsters of immigrants to attraction to the White working class and aged voters, the one two teams the place she has much less assist than Biden.
Three, the Republicans are framing this election as a battle between Trump, the strongman who stood up defiantly after being shot, versus a weak girl who the world will mock. How Harris tasks her genuine self, guarantees to care, whereas showcasing energy (together with by leaning into her previous as a tricky prosecutor as she is doing) shall be key within the marketing campaign.
4, Harris’s stance on abortion is her greatest energy, and Trump is conscious that abortion is the one difficulty that may price him this election. That’s the reason Republicans will search to recast the gender debate away from abortion and in the direction of sexuality, significantly trans rights, and painting Harris as “woke”. She should discover a strategy to retain her dedication to each abortion and the rights of sexual minorities, with out feeding into the Republican-manufactured paranoia that America’s youngsters are beneath menace.
Trump vs Harris is probably the most sincere expression of America’s political divide and the robustness of each its conservative and liberal political worlds, each nearly equally sturdy. Each events aren’t being apologetic about who they’re. Because the New York White actual property baron and the Black desi lawyer from California tackle one another and battle for his or her imaginative and prescient of America, the world’s oldest democracy has regained its vitality.
The views expressed are private
