Kamala Harris is as qualified as I am to be President of the United States.”since the first day” if necessary. This was Joe Biden speaking, during his first campaign debate against his rival Donald Trump.
That day, he had perhaps already made his decision that he will confirm on July 21: to withdraw from the race for the White House. And to openly support the candidacy of his vice-president Kamala Harris. At the time of writing, Kamala Harris has not reacted to either the withdrawal or the support of Joe Biden.
In any case, one month before the Democratic National Convention, which was to officially nominate Joe Biden as the candidate for the American presidency, the cards have been reshuffled.
What is the record of the actions of the first African-American female vice president of the United States and, before that, attorney general of California and senator?
Kamala Harris, the logical choice to replace Biden
The choice of Kamala Harris is logical. By withdrawing, Joe Biden would have disavowed himself by not designating his vice president to take up the torch. Her legitimacy is guaranteed by the victory with 14 million votes of the Biden-Harris ticket. She seems the only contender of national stature. Other candidacies would threaten the unity of the Democratic Party with a battle of clans.
For financial reasons too, because the $91 million in campaign funds that Joe Biden has at his disposal can easily be transferred to Kamala Harris, unlike any other candidate.
Also, because Kamala Harris enjoys significant support in the Democratic Party, such as former presidents Barack Obama, a long-time friend, and Bill Clinton, as well as their wives, Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton.
Finally, because Kamala Harris is the first woman of African-American and Asian-American origin to have acceded to the vice presidency; and not favoring her candidacy for the presidency would be considered an injustice on the part of a party which claims to support minorities.
The choice of Kamala Harris is also the one that is considered the most likely scenario by the opposing camp: Donald Trump’s teams would be, according to the New York Timesalready sharpening their weapons against the Democrat.
Until the announcement of her withdrawal, Kamala Harris observed the strictest loyalty to Joe Biden. Faced with the chorus of Democratic calls to abandon Joe Biden’s candidacy, she has, for the time being, remained silent.
On Friday, at a last-minute gathering of Democratic Party donors, she wanted to reassure: “We will win this election. We know which candidate in this election puts the American people first: our President, Joe Biden.“.
A brilliant career in Justice
“I am empirical proof of the promise of America,” explains Kamala Harris willingly, who has a well-oiled speech about her origins.
Her studies in political science and law opened the doors to a great judicial and political career. Her meeting and brief relationship with Willie Brown, 30 years her senior and future mayor of San Francisco, would accelerate her rise. She would be the first woman to be elected prosecutor of San Francisco, then attorney general of California from 2011 to 2017.
It focuses on violence in poor neighborhoods, the fight against repeat offenses, in particular by getting first-time drug offenders back on track. It also fights against police abuse. It is inflexible towards certain crimes: domestic violence, child abuse and sex trafficking.
The perfect ticket for Biden
She entered politics in 2015, winning the California senatorial seat with a progressive campaign that focused on climate change and banning assault weapons.
The first senator of Indian-American origin (and the second African-American) from 2017 to 2021, she distinguished herself by her questioning in parliamentary committees, her sharp language, drawing on her experience as a prosecutor and by her statements against the nominations of controversial judges to the Supreme Court by Donald Trump.
She quickly emerged as one of Donald Trump’s fiercest opponents: migration, abortion, police violence…
