“My mother would look at me and she’d say, ‘Kamala, you may be the first to do many things, but make sure you are not the last. That’s why breaking those barriers is worth it. As much as anything else, it is also to create that path for those who will come after us,” said Vice-President Kamala Harris as she addressed students at Spelman College.
Harris has been the “first” to hold many political positions in her life; she was the nation’s first Indian American senator and California’s first female and South Asian attorney general. She is the highest-ranking female official in U.S. history, and the first female, African-American and Asian-American vice president. Now, Harris continues to make history, as she vies to become the first female president of the United States of America.
After a worrying debate performance, where incumbent President Joe Biden, 81, stumbled over words, hardly looked at the cameras and couldn’t coherently refute the over thirty false claims made by former President Donald Trump, 78, Democrats reacted with fear and anger. 32 Democratic members of Congress and 5 Democratic Senators called for the incumbent to step down from the upcoming election. “For the good of our country, for my two young kids, I’m asking Joe Biden to step aside in the upcoming election and deliver on the promise to be a bridge to a new generation of leaders,” said Pat Ryan, a congressman from New York. A few weeks later, Nancy Pelosi, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, and a very influential member of the Democratic party, urged Biden to step down.
After increasing pressure from his party and concerning polls in battleground states, Biden announced on July 21, through the social media platform X that he was dropping out of the election. He quickly endorsed Kamala Harris, who was then supported by 262 powerful political figures including 23 governors, 45 senators and 194 representatives. On her first full day of campaigning, she won enough delegate support to win the Democratic nomination.
Some Democrats called for an open convention before Biden stepped down. Recent support and traction for Harris has silenced these requests. All of the potential rivals for the nomination such as governors Gavin Newsom and Josh Shapiro have endorsed Harris, further securing her status as the new candidate for the Democratic Party.
Now, Kamala Harris has the potential to pull off an historic upset and change the course of American history. She is 59 years old, and one of the major topics of this election has been age. Even Nikki Haley, a Republican governor from South Carolina declared in January of 2024, “The first party to retire its 80-year-old candidate is going to be the party that wins this election.” Harris is 19 years younger than Trump, bringing newfound energy and passion to the presidential race. She even began a recent rally with the song “Freedom” by Beyoncé as she addressed swing state Wisconsin.
Additionally, Harris polls strongly with Gen Z/Millennial voters, which will help her significantly as these generations make up 48.50% of eligible voters. Among younger voters, summer 2024 has been deemed “brat summer,” which is a term for being confident and following one’s heart. Charli XCX, a famous pop star, created this phrase with her album, “brat.” She recently tweeted, “kamala IS brat.” Memes and gifs of Harris’ speeches have also gone viral, and videos of her take over social media. This publicity has helped her continue to gain traction with the younger generations that neither Donald Trump and Joe Biden could not.
Harris also polls well with nonwhite voters, and she is energizing many dispirited Black and Asian American voters, especially black women. As Harris said in a speech to sorority members from her alma mater, Howard University, “‘When we mobilize, nations change. And when we vote, we make history.” Last Sunday night, on the first night of Harris’ campaign, 90,000 Black women and supporters logged onto Zoom to support her new presidential campaign. Additionally, Harris has a long history of appealing to Latino voters, giving her a greater chance to win urban centers in crucial swing states such as Phoenix, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Las Vegas and Detroit.
Harris and Trump are statistically tied. In head-to-head matchup, Trump polls at 46% while Harris is at 45% and 9% of voters are undecided. Already, 87% of Democrats and Republicans and 90% of independents believe that it was the right choice for Biden to step down. In the seven swing states that will most likely determine results of the election – Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina – Harris polls above Biden in a majority of these states. The election has continued to grow tighter each day since her campaign began. As of July 25, Harris is polling at a 47% chance of election, while Trump sits at 48%.
To win these states, Harris may need to choose a Vice President with significant political power in one of these places. Trump chose JD Vance, a 39 year old senator from Ohio. Vance doesn’t hail from a swing state, isn’t a moderate and doesn’t add diversity to Trump’s campaign. Trump made his choice when he still believed he would win in a landslide against incumbent Biden.
Now, Harris has the opportunity to strategically choose her Vice President to get ahead of Trump and take the lead in a battle-ground state. A few names on the table are Josh Shapiro, a popular governor from Pennsylvania; Mark Kelly, a senator from Arizona; Andy Beshear, a Democratic governor of Kentucky, to name a few. These governors and political representatives have significant influence over their home states, and would bring out many previously apathetic voters.
The next two months will be crucial in Harris’ campaign. As she decides her running-mate, attends the Democratic Convention in August and (most likely) debates Trump in September, the polls will continue to evolve. However, one thing is clear, Kamala Harris has a solid chance of beating Donald Trump in September. She raised over $81 million in the first 24 hours of her campaign and secured $150 million in commitments from donors who were “previously stalled, uncertain or uncommitted.” The internet is buzzing with excitement for Harrris’ campaign, and she has already made a significant impact on polls.
Harris is already known for making history. She has the opportunity to save democracy and win an election in 105 days, and with the way the polls and endorsements are going, she may just pull off this phenomenal feat. In the words of Harris herself, “We will continue to fight, and we will continue to organize. And in November, we will win. We will win, because we know what’s at stake.”
