Following the President’s decision Joe Biden to withdraw his candidacy for re-election in the November elections, The political landscape in the United States has taken a turn. In a message posted on social media, Biden offered his “support and endorsement” to Vice President Kamala Harris, to be the nominee to face Republican Donald Trump at the polls.
Harris could be the natural successor, but it remains to be seen whether this will ultimately be the case. The reason is that from now on the door is open for other Democrats to also present their candidacies and thus aspire to her nomination at the next Democratic National Convention, which will take place from August 19 to 22 in the city of Chicago.
These are the names that are most heard in Democratic circles:
Kamala Harris:
The current Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris, is the name that is most strongly mentioned to succeed Joe Biden as the candidate in the November elections. In recent days, Harris has been frequently seen at various campaign events.
She is the most reliable official option because Kamala Harris is the current vice president and because Biden himself would promote her as his alternative. But the card of popularity is on the table since there are many doubts about it.
A new survey from the Center for Public Affairs Research AP-NORC The poll released Friday, July 19, found that about 6 in 10 Democrats think Kamala Harris would do a good job leading the White House. About 2 in 10 Democrats don’t think she would, and another 2 in 10 say they don’t know enough to say.
Since the June 27 presidential debate, many Democrats have privately and even openly looked to Harris to step in and succeed Biden as the party’s presidential nominee, believing she has a better chance against Republican nominee Donald Trump.
In contrast, another poll from a month ago by POLITICO/Morning Consult indicates that only a third of voters believe that Kamala Harris would have a chance of winning an election if she became the official candidate of the Democratic Party.
The study is in line with the previous one, as within her own party, three in five Democrats think she could win. Among independent voters, only a quarter think Harris would emerge victorious.
This skepticism is also reflected in how voters perceive her ability to lead her party in the future. Forty-two percent of voters consider her a strong leader, which includes three-quarters of Democrats but only a third of independents.
The poll also shows Harris has similar negative ratings to Biden. Both have more unfavorable views than favorable ones: Biden has 43 percent favorable views and 54 percent unfavorable views, while Harris has 42 percent favorable views and 52 percent unfavorable views.
In more than two centuries of democracy, American voters have elected only one African-American president and never a woman, leaving even some African-American voters to wonder whether Harris can break the toughest barrier in American politics.
Harris would face other big challenges: If she were promoted as the front-runner, she would have just three months to campaign and unify the party and donors around her. But many Democrats are excited about her chances.
Harris, 59, is two decades younger than Trump and a leading figure in the party on abortion rights, an issue that resonates with younger voters and the Democrats’ progressive base. Her supporters argue she would motivate those voters, consolidate African American support and bring forceful debating skills to argue against the former president.
Support Harris
Many Democrats on Sunday backed Vice President Kamala Harris to be their party’s nominee in the election against Donald Trump.
However, some prominent members of the party, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, remained silent. With just over 100 days until the election, Harris needs to consolidate support within the party.
Following Biden’s announcement and endorsement of Harris’ candidacy, he was quickly followed by the powerful Congressional Black Caucus, several key donors, lawmakers like Sen. Patty Murray and campaign funds like Priorities USA and Unite the Country.
Former Democratic President Bill Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, also endorsed Kamala Harris as their party’s nominee for the November presidential election.
Dmitri Mehlhorn, an adviser to LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman and a top Democratic donor, called Harris “the American dream personified,” noting that she was the daughter of immigrants.
Others, including Pelosi, thanked Biden for his patriotism but have not yet endorsed Harris or another candidate.
Below are some other key names within the Democratic Party:
Gavin Newsom:
California Governor Garvin Newsom has been establishing a national profile.
Newsom, who took office as governor in 2019, has had an extensive political career in California, which could serve him well if he decides to run for president.
Newsom’s political career began in 1996 when he was appointed to the Parking and Traffic Commission. Then, in 1997, he joined the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, a position he held until he decided to run for mayor.
In 2003, he was elected mayor of San Francisco at age thirty-six, becoming the city’s youngest mayor in more than a century. He was re-elected in 2007.
In 2010, he won the election for lieutenant governor and was re-elected in 2014. He later ran for governor of California and won the 2018 election.
In September 2021, Gavin Newsom faced a recall election, a constitutional process that allows residents of a state to remove a sitting governor if they so choose. Newsom survived this election and remained in office. In November 2022, he was re-elected as governor, albeit with less support than in the recall election the previous year.
Newsom is known for his climate change policies in California. He signed a $15 billion package to fund programs to address drought and climate change following a devastating wildfire season. He also passed 24 pieces of legislation focused on climate and energy efforts, drought and wildfire preparedness, representing the largest climate package in California history.
Last year, he traveled to China to strengthen his state’s role as a world leader in the fight against climate change.
In the past, Newsom has stated that he would not compete with Kamala Harris for a nomination.
Gretchen Whitmer:
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer is a figure who has emerged among the more progressive sector of the Democratic Party.
Some sectors of the party consider her a “rising star” because she has achieved two consecutive victories in her state and her protection of the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community can boost her.
He has passed more than 1,250 bipartisan bills and managed five budgets during his term. His office highlights include “tax cuts for retirees and working families” and investment projects in education.
The Democratic Party advocates “an open process”
Sen. Peter Welch, the first Democratic senator to call on Biden to drop his reelection bid, called for an open process to nominate Harris.
Democrats should have “an open process so that whoever our nominee is, including Kamala, has the strength to have a process that shows the consensus position of the party,” he said. “The debate in the Democratic Party is who can continue President Biden’s legacy and defeat Trump.”
[Con información de Reuters y The Associated Press]
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