Democrats begin to consider Harris at the top of their ticket – The Washington Post
As President Biden continues to face questions about whether he should end his bid to seek a second term, there are growing signs that many in the Democratic Party are willing to accept the notion of Vice President Harris at the top of their presidential ticket, a potentially significant shift.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) is signaling to members that Harris would be the best option to lead the ticket if Biden chooses to step aside, said two people familiar with this thinking who spoke on the condition of anonymity to detail private conversations.
Rep. James E. Clyburn (S.C.), a high-ranking member of the House and a longtime Biden friend, has publicly said he would support Harris if Biden steps aside, adding that his fellow Democrats should do everything to bolster her, whether shes in second place or at the top of the ticket.
Tim Ryan, a former Ohio congressman and presidential candidate, said in an op-ed that while he loves Biden, Harris should be the Democratic nominee for president after Biden stumbled in a high-profile debate performance last week. Some other possible contenders including Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and California Gov. Gavin Newsom probably wouldnt jump in the race this year and would support Harris if Biden were to remove himself from the ticket, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.
Democrats growing move to rally around Harris as a potential nominee almost always with the caveat that Biden remains the choice for now is a sign that they are gaming out a world without Biden as the partys standard-bearer, even as they try to blunt years of hand-wringing about Harriss ability to win the White House on her own.
That could remove one of the major obstacles Democrats have long seen to the notion of replacing Biden: the fear that it would result in a damaging political free-for-all as the partys most promising stars battle it out for the nomination.
Many Democrats were also worried that Harris would be a weak candidate, based in part on her ill-fated presidential run in 2020, when she was forced to drop out before a single vote was cast. But choosing someone instead of Harris, the first woman of color to serve as vice president, seemed politically untenable.
Now some in the party are rethinking the idea that Harris would flounder as the Democratic nominee, especially compared with Biden, given his struggles.
A CNN poll released Tuesday found that voters favor former president Donald Trump over Biden by six percentage points, 49 percent to 43 percent, similar to results from before the debate. But Harris performs better, trailing Trump 47 percent to 45 percent, a gap that falls within the margin of error.
And, some say, Harris could energize Democratic-leaning groups whose enthusiasm for Biden has faded Black voters, young people and women. Some progressives say she could win back some voters who are disenchanted with Bidens handling of the Israel-Gaza war.
Some of the shift in thinking is practical: With four months before Election Day on Nov. 5 and early voting beginning weeks before that picking anyone but Harris would represent a legal, political and financial minefield, according to interviews with more than a dozen political strategists and people close to the decisions of White House aspirants.
Choosing a new nominee outside the current ticket would raise questions about the status of the delegates whom Biden and Harris have won and the nearly quarter-billion dollars in their campaign coffers, money that cannot easily or perhaps even legally be handed to someone else.
Then there are the optics: Harris is the first Black woman to win a nationally elected office. Shunting her aside for someone White and possibly male could alienate the Black voters who the campaign says are key to winning the White House in 2024, and it could subject a party that prides itself on diversity to charges of hypocrisy.
Harris supporters also argue that many of the people often discussed as alternatives to Harris Whitmer and Newsom, along with Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Rep. Ro Khanna (Calif.), Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore are popular in their home states and in Democratic circles but remain untested on the national stage.
People want the president to be successful, but its unclear where were headed, said Jamal Simmons, Harriss former communications director. And so as people begin to ponder if we had to do something else, what that something else would look like, who that someone else would be, the math leads you to Kamala Harris.
While Harris has been singed by criticism, supporters say, she is a known quantity, both from her own presidential race and from her experience as the running mate on a 2020 Democratic ticket that faced withering attacks.
I dont know that Gretchen Whitmer going into Philadelphia is going to help turnout. I think Kamala Harris does, said Mike Trujillo, a Democratic strategist and former aide to Hillary Clinton. I dont know if Gavin Newsom goes into Raleigh, North Carolina, or Charlotte, North Carolina, that hes going to be able to turn out African Americans that are the base of the party. I think Kamala Harris can do that.
Equally important, according to some strategists, is that voters say they are uninspired by the current rematch of two elderly men who have already served in the White House; Harris would present a younger face and a symbol of change. Biden is 81 and Trump is 78, while Harris is 59.
Still, there are many within the party who are not yet persuaded that Harris can win. Not only did her one presidential campaign collapse in disarray, they say, but she repeatedly stumbled early in her vice presidency.
Harris struggled, for example, when Biden asked her to tackle the root causes of illegal migration to the United States by working with leaders of Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador to improve conditions there. (Harriss defenders say the president had handed her an impossible task.)
Others worry that Harriss reputation as a California liberal, accurate or not, could alienate White centrists in the Midwestern suburbs whom Democrats need to win. Some of these skeptics include major Democratic donors, suggesting that Harris could have a harder time than Biden raising campaign cash.
At the same time, Bidens aides have forcefully insisted for months that he is Democrats best or perhaps only chance of beating Trump, an assertion that has done little to bolster party members views of Harriss prospects.
Multiple Democrats who have said they would get behind Harris, however, point to her post-debate interview when she had to balance a defense of Biden and the shaky debate performance millions of viewers saw. That was a thankless job she had to do, and she did a very, very good job, one senior House Democratic aide said.
But overall, there are signs that a growing number of Democrats can now envision a relatively smooth transition to a Harris-led ticket, especially if Biden throws his support behind her.
Beyond party leaders, rank-and-file Democrats have also begun vigorously discussing post-Biden scenarios. One Democrat in Texas, slated to be a delegate to the partys convention in August, said it would be almost impossible at this late hour for someone like Newsom or Whitmer to win the nomination, then conduct a full-blown presidential campaign from scratch.
So the choices come down to Biden and Harris, this person said and Harris would be better.
As the only other option really being Vice President Harris, I think I would prefer that and prefer the challenge of trying to drive up polling and drive up support more than to keep support when we have a president going for reelection who may not have the best physical well-being, the delegate said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter.
Amid the intensifying conversations among Democrats, there are signs that Harriss potential Democratic rivals are backing off or being encouraged to back off.
Whitmer would not run for president this year and would be all in for Harris, according to a person close to the Michigan governor. Newsom has also hinted that he would back Harris, a fellow Californian. California lawmakers say they dont believe hed run this year.
Its got to be Kamala at the top, and pairing her with someone new and dynamic and good could be super invigorating, said one California Democrat in the U.S. House.
A person close to Clyburn said the high-ranking Democrat had made his comments about Harris on MSNBC with the explicit goal of warning top Democrats against contemplating an alternate ticket not headed by Harris, should Biden step aside. Clyburn is an influential figure in the party, and other Democratic members have been sending a similar message to their colleagues who could be considering different rising stars to lead the ticket, according to a person who has been communicating this message.
Clyburn was expressing his support for the president during this extraordinary period, and reminding voters and donors alike of his steadfast support for the second name on that ticket Vice President Harris, said Marcus Mason, a member of the Democratic National Committee.
Harris has so far refused to engage in any of the public strategizing. Since the debate, she has been Bidens defender in chief, telling any camera in sight that voters should look at Bidens successful 3 years in office, not his 90 minutes of struggling in a debate.
In an interview with CBS News on Tuesday, Harris declined to answer a question about whether she is ready to lead the country if Biden is unable to, saying rather that she is proud to be Joe Bidens running mate.
Look, Joe Biden is our nominee, Harris said. We beat Trump once, and were going to beat him again. Period.
Bidens camp has said any discussion of a possible replacement is moot, since he is not pulling out. His campaign has tried to convince anxious supporters that despite a stumbling debate performance, he remains easily the best choice atop the party.
Jen OMalley Dillon, Bidens campaign chair, told donors at the Ritz-Carlton in Atlanta on Friday that nothing fundamentally changed in the race despite the furor over the debate. And the campaign has touted strong fundraising numbers in the days since.
Joe isnt just the right person for the job, first lady Jill Biden said at a Saturday fundraiser in East Hampton, N.Y. Hes the only person for the job.
Many Democrats privately say they like Harris personally and as a symbol of change, but they wonder how a politician who has at times struggled in the brightest spotlight would contend with a potentially bruising campaign, one that could feature racist and sexist dog whistles and perhaps more overt bigotry.
Harriss supporters argue that her last two years have shown more strides than missteps. She became a leading voice on abortion rights after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, seizing on a central plank in the Democratic platform and one that Biden sometimes seems uncomfortable discussing.
Harris has traveled the country to attack Republicans for eroding Americans rights, courting conflict with some of the GOPs most vocal antiabortion voices. She has met with dozens of global leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky half a dozen times, developing a foreign policy portfolio she had earlier lacked.
Just as salient, supporters say, Harris is at the intersection of many of the principles Democrats say they stand for: diversity and inclusion, gender and racial equity. Some Democrats are coming to the conclusion that divorcing her from the ticket might speak louder than any campaign ad or messaging.
At this moment, women feel under assault on abortion, said Simmons, Harriss former communications director. People of color feel under assault on diversity and inclusion. It would be difficult to pick a ticket that does not include the first woman of color to be vice president.
More here:
Democrats begin to consider Harris at the top of their ticket - The Washington Post
- Maine Democrat backs partial offshore wind ban - E&E News - January 24th, 2025 [January 24th, 2025]
- Every Senate Democrat Votes No on Born-Alive Protections - Decision Magazine - January 24th, 2025 [January 24th, 2025]
- Just one House Democrat votes for the protection for abortion survivors - Washington Examiner - January 24th, 2025 [January 24th, 2025]
- SSUs unprecedented $20 million in cuts slashes programs, departments, athletics: Heres what we know - The Santa Rosa Press Democrat - January 24th, 2025 [January 24th, 2025]
- A Democrat Won a Supreme Court Election in North Carolina. GOP Justices Are Blocking Her Certification. - Truthout - January 9th, 2025 [January 9th, 2025]
- This is personal to me: Louisville Democrat will try again to add exceptions to abortion ban - Kentucky Lantern - January 9th, 2025 [January 9th, 2025]
- We need to be in the room: DOGE Caucus Democrat works with GOP to slash spending - NBC News - January 9th, 2025 [January 9th, 2025]
- Democrat elected speaker of tied Pennsylvania House after GOP candidate bows out - The Associated Press - January 9th, 2025 [January 9th, 2025]
- Controversial Ex-Democrat Says Trump Team More 'Humane' to Her Than DNC - Newsweek - December 25th, 2024 [December 25th, 2024]
- Who is Lindy Li? Ex-Democrat fundraiser slams party, calls departure 'Leaving a cult' after criticizing B - The Times of India - December 25th, 2024 [December 25th, 2024]
- Democrat Sherrod Brown says US Senate departure won't be the last Ohioans hear from him - CBS News - December 22nd, 2024 [December 22nd, 2024]
- Fairway Finders: Meet the 2024 All-Big Bend golf teams, coach and players of the year - Tallahassee Democrat - December 22nd, 2024 [December 22nd, 2024]
- Joe Average: Transitioning from Democrat to Republican - Sentinel-Tribune - December 22nd, 2024 [December 22nd, 2024]
- Karnes caps off career with another title - River Valley Democrat-Gazette - December 22nd, 2024 [December 22nd, 2024]
- Greenwood QB Archer on full display in title game - River Valley Democrat-Gazette - December 22nd, 2024 [December 22nd, 2024]
- Democrat John Fetterman Admits He 'Never' Believed Campaign Against Trump Was 'About Fascism' Despite Harris Claims - LatinTimes - December 22nd, 2024 [December 22nd, 2024]
- House Democrat on spending drama: Im just gonna sit back and sip my tea - The Hill - December 20th, 2024 [December 20th, 2024]
- House Democrat on spending drama: Im just gonna sit back and sip my tea - The Hill - December 20th, 2024 [December 20th, 2024]
- Ocasio-Cortez Loses Vote to Be the Top Democrat on the Oversight Panel - The New York Times - December 20th, 2024 [December 20th, 2024]
- Ocasio-Cortez Loses Vote to Be the Top Democrat on the Oversight Panel - The New York Times - December 20th, 2024 [December 20th, 2024]
- Connolly wins vote to be top Oversight Democrat - POLITICO - December 20th, 2024 [December 20th, 2024]
- Democrat Jeffries says 'lines of communication' reopened with Johnson - ForexLive - December 20th, 2024 [December 20th, 2024]
- Democrat Jeffries says 'lines of communication' reopened with Johnson - ForexLive - December 20th, 2024 [December 20th, 2024]
- AOC loses bid to be top Democrat on powerful House Oversight Committee - Fox News - December 20th, 2024 [December 20th, 2024]
- AOC loses bid to be top Democrat on powerful House Oversight Committee - Fox News - December 20th, 2024 [December 20th, 2024]
- New Liberal Democrat members of the House of Lords - Liberal Democrats - December 20th, 2024 [December 20th, 2024]
- Democrat Sherrod Brown says US Senate departure won't be the last Ohioans hear from him - The Associated Press - December 20th, 2024 [December 20th, 2024]
- House Republicans Have a New Spending Plan. The Top House Democrat Says Its Laughable. - NOTUS - December 20th, 2024 [December 20th, 2024]
- We need to reinvent how we campaign, Democrat Susan Wild reflects on 2024 loss - Pennsylvania Capital-Star - December 20th, 2024 [December 20th, 2024]
- Angie Craig wins approval of panel to serve as ranking Democrat on House Agriculture Committee - Star Tribune - December 20th, 2024 [December 20th, 2024]
- Democrat Goldman: Wray should have forced Trump to fire him - The Hill - December 12th, 2024 [December 12th, 2024]
- OPINION | TED TALLEY: Where spirits and spirituality intersect - Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette - December 12th, 2024 [December 12th, 2024]
- A California labor union helped oust a Democrat from the state Capitol. His replacement wants to curb union power. - Los Angeles Times - December 10th, 2024 [December 10th, 2024]
- Trump could get deal of the year if he gets ByteDance to sell TikTok: top Democrat on China cmte. - NBC News - December 10th, 2024 [December 10th, 2024]
- Florida lawmaker abruptly switches to GOP shortly after winning election as Democrat - Salon - December 10th, 2024 [December 10th, 2024]
- Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina switches from Democrat to Republican - Laredo Morning Times - December 10th, 2024 [December 10th, 2024]
- Florida Democrat switches to Republican: Tired of being the party of protesting - Washington Times - December 10th, 2024 [December 10th, 2024]
- Maryland Democrat Ben Cardin delivers his farewell speech to the Senate - WUSA9.com - December 10th, 2024 [December 10th, 2024]
- What world do you live in?: Hawley blasts Democrat plot for mass amnesty - NewsTalk KZRG - December 10th, 2024 [December 10th, 2024]
- Did UC Merced Students Tip the US House Election for Democrat Adam Gray? - GV Wire - December 10th, 2024 [December 10th, 2024]
- Longtime Democrat switches to the GOP because of a glaring reason - Daily Mail - December 10th, 2024 [December 10th, 2024]
- Democrat State Rep Switches to Republican Party Months After Winning Reelection - The Floridian - December 10th, 2024 [December 10th, 2024]
- Ocasio-Cortez bids to become top Democrat on key House committee - The Guardian US - December 8th, 2024 [December 8th, 2024]
- Democrat governors spotlight they're the 'last line of defense' against Trump - Fox News - December 8th, 2024 [December 8th, 2024]
- The Democrat Who Was Tired of Waiting His Turn - POLITICO - December 8th, 2024 [December 8th, 2024]
- Press Secretary Reveals the Top Democrat Who Was Behind Bidens Pardon - The Daily Beast - December 8th, 2024 [December 8th, 2024]
- Democrat senator calls on Biden to pardon Trump over NY case - MSN - December 8th, 2024 [December 8th, 2024]
- Why a Florida Democrat joined the DOGE caucus that's looking to cut federal spending - NPR - December 5th, 2024 [December 5th, 2024]
- Top US House Democrat calls on Biden to pardon working-class Americans - Reuters - December 5th, 2024 [December 5th, 2024]
- California Democrat Flips Seat in the Last House Race to Be Called - The New York Times - December 5th, 2024 [December 5th, 2024]
- AOC "interested" in run to be top Democrat on House Oversight Committee - Axios - December 5th, 2024 [December 5th, 2024]
- Detroit Mayor Duggan, a longtime Democrat, will run for Michigan governor in 2026 as independent - The Associated Press - December 5th, 2024 [December 5th, 2024]
- Senate Democrat: Multiple Republicans are waiting for the right moment to say no to Hegseth - The Hill - December 5th, 2024 [December 5th, 2024]
- The worst vertigo of my life: People across North Bay report their experience of the earthquake - The Santa Rosa Press Democrat - December 5th, 2024 [December 5th, 2024]
- Democrat Cottie Petrie-Norris reelected to 73rd Assembly District seat - New University - December 5th, 2024 [December 5th, 2024]
- Is This the End of the White Working-Class Democrat? - The New York Times - November 19th, 2024 [November 19th, 2024]
- Column: Shes won twice in Trump country. What can this Democrat teach her party? - Los Angeles Times - November 19th, 2024 [November 19th, 2024]
- Democrat Derek Tran's lead over GOP's Michelle Steel grows to 102 votes in the 45th House District - LAist - November 19th, 2024 [November 19th, 2024]
- The Democrat Picking a Fight With His Party Over Transgender Rights - The New York Times - November 19th, 2024 [November 19th, 2024]
- Opinion | How a progressive Democrat won in a swing state that went for Trump - The Washington Post - November 19th, 2024 [November 19th, 2024]
- I Grew Up a Democrat. It Didn't Stop My Family From Being Othered - Newsweek - November 19th, 2024 [November 19th, 2024]
- Schumer now pleads for bi-partisanship having promised to railroad Democrat agenda through - Fox News - November 19th, 2024 [November 19th, 2024]
- Rantz: Washington Democrat pushes bill that makes being homeless a civil right - MyNorthwest - November 19th, 2024 [November 19th, 2024]
- Opinion | A Democrat shows how to deal with Musk beyond reflexive criticism - The Washington Post - November 19th, 2024 [November 19th, 2024]
- Key Democrat says the ethics report on Matt Gaetz should be made public - NBC News - November 19th, 2024 [November 19th, 2024]
- Democrat Jim Costa projected to win reelection in California's 21st Congressional District - KFSN-TV - November 16th, 2024 [November 16th, 2024]
- How a Democrat Turned Back the Trump Tide on Long Island - The New York Times - November 16th, 2024 [November 16th, 2024]
- Democrat Tim Ryan open to 2026 election run; whos battling for Ohio House speaker - Signal Cleveland - November 16th, 2024 [November 16th, 2024]
- The three mountains in the way of any Democrat comeback - Fox News - November 16th, 2024 [November 16th, 2024]
- Even Democrat voters rejected leftist policies and politicians in the most surprising places - Fox News - November 16th, 2024 [November 16th, 2024]
- Democrat 'Excited' and Wary of RFK Jr. Nod as Trump Health Chief - Newsweek - November 16th, 2024 [November 16th, 2024]
- For SC voters who split their ticket, its not about Democrat or Republican - South Carolina Daily Gazette - November 12th, 2024 [November 12th, 2024]
- Meet the 20-year-old Democrat running a multimillion-dollar PAC targeting Gen Z - NBC News - October 31st, 2024 [October 31st, 2024]
- Harriss Coattails in New Hampshire May Be Helping Democrat in Governors Race - The New York Times - October 31st, 2024 [October 31st, 2024]
- Local activist who connected Latino communities to the outdoors remembered for huge heart - The Santa Rosa Press Democrat - October 31st, 2024 [October 31st, 2024]
- NY Democrat Mondaire Jones' comeback bid threatened by Israel tensions and GOP "stealth operation" - Salon - October 31st, 2024 [October 31st, 2024]
- Column: This Democrat pulled off one of the countrys biggest upsets. Can she win again in Trump country? - Los Angeles Times - October 31st, 2024 [October 31st, 2024]
- Will it rain on trick-or-treaters? Heres the Halloween weather forecast for the North Bay - The Santa Rosa Press Democrat - October 31st, 2024 [October 31st, 2024]
- Suspect in Arizona Democrat Office Shootings Had Over 120 Guns: Officials - Newsweek - October 24th, 2024 [October 24th, 2024]
- 'Vindictive': Democrat in tight Senate race blasted by GOP rival for swipe at McDonald's after Trump visit - Fox News - October 24th, 2024 [October 24th, 2024]