Kamala Harris: Black, female, unsuccessful and still Biden’s runner-up

US Presidential Election
Black, Female, Unsuccessful: Why Does Kamala Harris Remain Joe Biden’s Running mate?

Kamala Harris wants to become US Vice President again – as she did in 2020 alongside Joe Biden. But so far the 58-year-old has remained rather pale in her office and not particularly popular with voters. Why is Biden still sticking with her?

Hard to imagine anything could have shone brighter than Kamala Harris’ future. The wildest thoughts envisaged that after two years in office she would become the number two in the United States at the helm of the state. Because Joe Biden would then be 80 years old and the country is already overripe for a woman in the Oval Office. If this plan had ever existed, about now would be the time to implement it. But instead of making room, Joe Biden would like to continue governing for another four years. And Kamala Harris has to stay where she is: at his side as US Vice President.

Kamala Harris was often the first

Now, for politically ambitious people, there are far bleaker careers than being Vice President of the United States. Nevertheless, the post is seen by many only as a stepping stone to the top. Kamala Harris is no exception, having set her sights on becoming US President a few years ago. She brought everything she needed: intelligence, an engaging manner and a life lived as the epitome of promise of advancement: daughter of (Indian-Jamaican) immigrants, first female district attorney of San Francisco, later first Asian American to serve as attorney general of California.

After she was also sworn in as the first US Vice President, Biden quickly entrusted her with a few larger tasks than were actually intended for this August greetings office. In her case, it was immigration and the southern border. A thankless topic, but also with potential for profiling. She couldn’t use it. The natural Biden successor is surprisingly weak, due to both her amazingly busy manager and her clumsy handling of her own team.

Chaotic environment

While Joe Biden organized trillions of dollars for the ailing infrastructure, lured high-tech industry into the country with subsidies, reduced unemployment and made the USA a reliable partner again internationally, noises of frustration and slamming doors could be heard from Harris’ office. After her failed presidential campaign, former employees spoke of the fact that the work was chaotically organized, and there have been and have been similar complaints since she has been in the White House.

“It’s the nature of the office that a lot of the work that Harris does doesn’t always show,” said Karen Finney, who worked for 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. According to studies, many voters also assume that men in comparable positions are automatically qualified for the job, while women always have to prove themselves first.

Unpopular like Donald Trump

A look at the surveys supports this assessment: Harris does not do particularly well in any of the important categories such as popularity, approval and satisfaction. Under She is one of the least popular among top politicians from both camps – along with Donald Trump. With the unpleasant disadvantage for her that she would even lose a direct duel with the ex-president.

Nevertheless, Joe Biden is sticking with her as a “running mate”, as the running mates are called in the USA. In the short video in which the US President announces his renewed candidacy, Kamala Harris is seen with remarkable frequency. So there is no doubt that the team will stand for re-election at the end of 2024. The reasons may also be motivated by election tactics: Kamala Harris looks almost youthful next to Joe Biden despite her 58 years. She addresses the numerous non-white voters, and: She is a woman. In political Washington, which is still dominated by men, this can be a deciding factor in the election.

Sources: DPA, Government Executive, Realclearpolitics, FiveThirtyEight, ZDF, German wave“New York Times“