Kamala Harris: The Democratic Nominee

Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president of the United States, represents America’s cultural melting pot in a way that no previous candidate has. Vice-president to Joe Biden since 2021, Harris’ moment came following his announcement that he would not be seeking a second term. In that first whirlwind week, just four months from election day, Harris achieved an all-time record of $81million of funding in any 24-hour period.

Biden’s endorsement of Harris was quickly followed by that of Hillary and Bill Clinton and Barack and Michelle Obama, dramatically reshaping an election in which many US voters were worried about the options. With Biden approaching eighty-two, and Trump seventy-eight, it seemed time for a new generation to step in and bring unity

LOTUS FOR POTUS

Born on 20 October 1964 in Oakland, California, Kamala and her younger sister Maya were raised by their single mother, Shyamala Gopalan, an Indian immigrant. Her father is Jamaican-American. Her mother chose her daughter’s names to honour their Indian roots: Kamala means ‘lotus’ and is another name for the Hindu goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity. 

Kamala studied political science and economics at Howard University, a historically Black research university in Washington, D.C. She then earned a law degree from Hastings College in Nebraska. She is very well-connected: her family includes members notable in politics and academia. However, her family mistrusted lawyers, she later admitted, and she had to convince them that her plan was to reform the legal system “from the inside.” 

TOO TOUGH, OR NOT ENOUGH

Harris was attorney general of California from 2011 to 2017 and was elected to the US Senate in 2016. During her 2020 presidential campaign, her record came under scrutiny both by progressive activists and by law enforcement advocates, the latter questioning her position against the death penalty. While she dropped out of the race, Biden was sufficiently impressed with her as to appoint her vice president in 2021. Harris became the first Black woman and first Asian American to serve in the role. 

COMPLEX LEGACY

Harris holds liberal priorities and has pledged to address gun violence and promote workers unions. She is committed to reproductive rights, an issue that has divided America since the US Supreme Court, with its three Trump-appointed justices, removed a nationwide right to abortion in 2022. 

Harris builds on Biden’s legacy: his support for Ukraine in its war against Russia, and legislation he brought in to combat the climate crisis and expand healthcare access. But she has also inherited deeply divisive policies: Biden’s administration’s handling of the surge of migrants at the border with Mexico, and its unconditional military assistance to Israel despite widespread accusations of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

NASTY NETWORKS

American politics has become more volatile, and notably more prejudiced. The Trump-instigated calls of voter fraud in the 2020 election resulted in the bizarre and shocking 6 January insurrection in 2021. On 13 July, an assassination attempt by a twenty-year-old man almost cost Trump his life. Some say that Harris lacks gravitas and is not authoritative enough to be president, although she was certainly incisive and relentless as a prosecutor. Many women want Harris to break the ultimate US glass ceiling, although networked misogyny and racism, across multiple money-making global platforms, could distract voters.

NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN

So, can Kamala bring a fractured America together? “She’s experienced, she’s tough she’s capable. She’s been an incredible partner to me and a leader for our country,” Joe Biden has said. Hope lies in the traditionally marginalised, increasingly vocal groups: Biden enjoyed the support of Black and progressive voters, but Harris may be able to inspire Asian, Latino, LGBTQ+ and young voters, too. Many Republicans such as Tim Miller, who worked on the Jeb Bush 2016 presidential campaign, look to Kamala with relief. There’s no more stark a contrast between Harris and Trump, Miller said: “a prosecutor versus a convicted criminal, a woman who wants to protect your freedoms versus an old man that wants to take them away.”