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In the eyes of Democratic voters, Vice President Kamala Harris may very well be the best candidate to take on Donald Trump in November. She has some built-in advantages over potential challengers. First and foremost, since she was on the same ticket as the president, Harris is the only Democrat who should easily be able to tap into Joe Biden’s $100-million war chest.
However, it would be good for the party if she earned that nomination instead of being given it. After all, one of the reasons the Democrats found themselves in this mess is that they often lack creativity when it comes to selecting their nominees.
Harris seems to realize that. In her first statement after getting Biden’s endorsement, she indicated that she wants to compete for the nomination.
“On behalf of the American people, I thank Joe Biden for his extraordinary leadership as President of the United States and for his decades of service to our country,” she said. “I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination.”
It is unclear if “earn and win” means that she supports the idea of some sort of mini-primary or that she simply wants to win Biden’s pledged delegates, who can now vote for anybody at the Democratic National Convention later this month.
Obviously, all of this depends on whether another Democrat throws his or her hat into the ring.
If so, Harris will already have a head start.
Within minutes of Biden announcing that he would not seek reelection, several key Democrats, apart from the president himself, endorsed her.
That list includes Bill and Hillary Clinton, several senators and representatives, and the Congressional Black Caucus.
Others, however, seem to favor an open primary.
“We will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead,” stated former President Barack Obama. “But I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges.”
In recent days, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has also voiced her support for an open primary.
But even though these Democratic heavyweights want a primary and not (another) coronation, potential challengers to Harris would have to jump in the race quickly… or the vice president’s head start will turn into an insurmountable lead.
It is very possible that no other candidate emerges… especially because so many Democrats immediately endorsed Harris and because a protracted primary, even if it is not messy, might be seen as hurting the party’s eventual nominee and therefore helping Donald Trump.
All of this is going to play out in the coming days… and add to some of the most tumultuous and eventful times in recent US politics.
