Was Kamala Harris The Right Choice?
A year ago, Kamala Harris launched her campaign for US President. Was she the wrong candidate? Did she help or hurt Democrats? Did she run a good campaign? Let's find out.
Opinion
When Joe Biden dropped out, he immediately endorsed his VP Kamala Harris, who then quickly launched her campaign and amassed enough support before any other contenders could throw their hat into the ring.
A year later, and eight months after her close loss to Donald Trump, we want to take a look at that moment. Was Harris the right candidate? Did she help or hurt Democrats? Let’s find out.
Kamala Harris: Her Performance as a Candidate
Ultimately, Kamala Harris lost. The incredible energy that Democrats had lost under Biden and regained after her nomination seemed to have been in vain. Let’s look at the Positives and Negatives about Kamala Harris as a presidential candidate, starting with the negatives.
She had too much Biden-baggage: As Biden’s Vice President, she was tied to his unpopularity. Voters associated Biden and his administration, which included Harris, with high prices. Inflation was perhaps the heaviest weight that Harris had to carry, and it was likely the primary reason for her loss.
She wasn’t exactly popular with the base before her bid: While Harris certainly re-energized Democrats, she did not have a promising track record with the party. Her only bid for US President failed in 2020 as she could not exceed 4% after an early surge that quickly faded.
She didn’t distance herself from Biden: Harris lost because she was a part of the unpopular Biden administration. She had a few chances to distance herself from Biden, but refused to do so.
She failed to turn out voters & lost the popular vote: I don’t exactly know if I can blame this on her as a candidate or on Biden’s unpopularity. But on election day, too many Democrats stayed home, particularly in blue states, which is why Trump won the popular vote for the first time.
She had to fight misogyny: This is not a criticism of Kamala Harris or her campaign, but of American men. Harris barely lost support amongst women compared to Biden in 2020. Where she did lose a significant amount of support is among men, especially young men. While the Democratic vote share among women stayed the same from 2012 to 2024, their vote share with men fluctuated: When Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris were the candidates, enough men (only men!) swung to the Republican Candidate, Donald Trump. One has to wonder why.
There were better candidates: Kamala Harris was, for reason No. 1, a candidate who had too much to overcome. It is hard for me to conceive a strategy where she would have soundly defeated Trump, a candidate with countless vulnerabilities. Democrats had better candidates, and they should have listened to Nancy Pelosi, who wanted a “mini-primary” to find the best candidate. Popular Governors like Andy Beshear or Josh Shapiro, with no attachments to the deeply unpopular Joe Biden, would have been one way to go.
So was it all in vain? Could Biden have stayed in the race, and it wouldn’t have made a difference? No, Kamala Harris was also a good candidate. Here’s why:
Harris saved Democrats from a landslide loss: According to insider polls, Biden would have likely lost states like New Jersey to Donald Trump. Trump might have won a sweeping electoral victory not seen since Obama 2008. He would have also carried the popular vote by more than just 1.5 percentage points. An electoral landslide for convicted felon Trump and a solid popular vote victory of around 5 points would have resulted in a disaster for Democrats’ image.
Harris saved Democrats from a down-ballot massacre: In this scenario of a landslide loss for Biden, Democrats in down-ballot races would have gotten annihilated. Harris performed way better than Biden would have, partly by turning out more voters, and gave down-ballot Democrats a boost. With Harris at the top of the ticket, Democrats fell just a few seats short of winning back the House of Representatives, and held their ground in vital Senate seats in Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, and Nevada. Democrats are now in a much better position for the 2026 midterms. It also makes passing laws much more difficult for Trump, as his majority is slim.
Harris quickly united Democrats: Harris didn’t hesitate. She garnered enough support to win the nomination in an incredibly short time. By doing so, she avoided prolonged infighting amongst Democrats and laid the groundwork for the excitement that followed.
Harris brought back excitement and joy: Harris's energetic rallies and her youthful energy brought back the “joy” for Democrats. The energy she created with her campaign made the election close and spared Democrats from a far worse loss. She also filled Democratic donation accounts by raising record sums.
Harris had a fantastic debate: To be fair, part of why Harris had a great debate performance was Donald Trump's utter incompetence on stage. He couldn’t formulate any policy plan, spoke of immigrants “eating cats and dogs,” and went off topic almost every time he answered a question.
But Kamala Harris baited him well.
She found the key to debating Trump: Show your competence, show your qualifications, and when Trump shows his unbelievably childish and incoherent self, laugh at him.After the debate in September, Harris rose to a 4-point lead in national polls. She lost that lead come election day, when she and Trump were tied in the polls. Trump’s team was wise to call off a second debate closer to the election, something that traditionally always takes place. If there had been a similar debate just a week before election day, Harris might have won.
Conclusion
Harris had too much to overcome. Had she been given a debate with Trump closer to the election, she might have succeeded, but that was never in her hands. Yes, a different candidate would have likely won, but Harris did what she could with the Biden-baggage she had. It’s not her fault that there was no primary to generate broader excitement and choose the perfect candidate. That fault solely lies with Biden and his advisors.
There are rumors Harris might run again in 2028. She is certainly much more qualified than the current occupant of the White House. She could also go for the Governor vacancy in California in 2026 and succeed Governor Newsom.
Her victory would be a formality and as the most powerful Governor of the nation, she would get to defend her state publicly against an opponent she knows how to handle: Donald Trump.