According to a report, some Democrats are questioning whether Vice President Kamala Harris has the political chops to carry the party’s mantle after President Biden, citing her low profile in the administration, her well-publicized gaffes with the media, and the tumultuous political environment.
“Every fiber in my body wants her to be president; everything I’ve ever fought for is for someone like her to be president,” a Democratic strategist from South Carolina told the Washington Post.
“I believe she is a good person with a good heart who is capable of leading the country. But I’m not sure the people who have to make that happen are feeling that way right now. “I’m not sure she has what it takes to get over the hump in our current environment,” said the person.
The midpoint of Biden’s first term is a watershed moment for the vice president.
If the 80-year-old commander-in-chief runs for re-election, Harris will likely remain a focal point of his campaign — but if Biden does not, she will be thrust into the spotlight and subjected to intense scrutiny and criticism, according to the outlet.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) emphasized that uncertainty by withdrawing her support for Harris as Biden’s running mate in 2024.
“Yes, he should run again,” Warren said last Friday on Boston radio station WGBH.
“I really want to defer to what makes Biden comfortable on his team,” Warren said when asked if Harris should be on the ticket.
Warren went on to say that she likes Harris, but that “they have to be a team,” quickly adding that she doesn’t see any issues between the two.
In a statement issued on Sunday, she clarified her remarks.
“I fully support both the president and the vice president’s re-election, and never intended to imply otherwise,” Warren said.
Harris, 58, made history when she became the first black woman to be elected vice president, but that distinction may work against her.
Some Democrats are concerned that Americans are not prepared to elect a black woman president.
“There is a segment of the population that simply will not vote for a woman for president, and another segment that will not vote for an African American. “Having two of those checkboxes will just result in a higher threshold,” Erick Allen, chair of the Cobb County (Ga.) Democrats, told the Washington Post.
“Hillary had only one of those checks, and she was vilified and beaten up to the point where she couldn’t recover,” he said, referring to Hillary Clinton’s failed presidential campaigns in 2008 and 2016.
“There are some in our party who say, ‘We already have hurdles. ‘Let’s not make any more,’ Allen said.
