(Washington) Kamala Harris is in pole position Monday towards the Democratic nomination for the presidential election in November against Donald Trump, with a wave of rallies within her party after the shock withdrawal of Joe Biden which plunged the campaign into uncertainty.
At 59, the first female vice president in the history of the United States praised Joe Biden’s record, “unparalleled in modern history.”
“In one term, he already has a better record than most presidents who have served two terms,” said Mr.me Harris in her first speech since Joe Biden withdrew from the US presidential race the day before.
Kamala Harris did not, however, mention the November 5 election deadline in this first speech since Sunday, which was highly symbolic because it was made at the White House while the president is convalescing outside Washington.
She had declared the day before that she was ready to “win the nomination” at the Democratic convention in mid-August in Chicago, having obtained the support of the president, who is worn out by his 81 years.
However, various Democratic leaders, first and foremost Barack Obama, are still refraining from giving direct support to the woman who is also the first African-American to have acceded to the vice-presidency.
“We are going to be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead,” the former president warned, with convention delegates remaining free to vote. Another major party figure, Nancy Pelosi, has so far remained silent and is said to be in favor of an “open” nomination process.
In just eight days, the race for the White House has seen two major historic twists that have completely reshuffled the cards of an election that Americans were not very passionate about: first the attempted assassination of Donald Trump on July 13, then the thunderclap on Sunday of Joe Biden’s withdrawal, forced to give in under pressure from his own camp.
Now probably the oldest candidate in the race, at 78, Donald Trump has not failed to continue to joke about the president’s mental capacities. “Joe Biden doesn’t remember dropping out of the race yesterday!” he mocked on his network, Truth Social.
Support from former potential rivals
It was while confined to his seaside villa in Delaware, to treat COVID-19, that Joe Biden announced his intention to pass the torch.
“I believe it is in the best interests of my party and the country that I step aside and focus solely on serving as president,” he wrote, defeated after weeks of doubts about his mental acuity.
PHOTO JIM WATSON, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
President Joe Biden looks on as Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during an event marking Juneteenth, July 21 at the White House.
A month before the convention that would have inaugurated him as candidate, he also announced that he would address the country “later this week.”
The vice president quickly received the strong support of Bill and Hillary Clinton, but also of several important governors, some of whom were considered potential rivals: Gretchen Whitmer (Michigan), Gavin Newsom (California), Wes Moore (Maryland), Andy Beshear (Kentucky) and J. B. Pritzker (Illinois).
Support also came from a host of Democratic elected officials, from the party’s moderate wing to the far left, represented in particular by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, an influential New York elected official.
In another bright spot for Kamala Harris, independent Senator Joe Manchin, a former Democrat known for his conservative positions, announced Monday that he would not be a candidate for president.
Joe Biden’s withdrawal also brought big benefits to Democrats, who celebrated the largest single-day fundraising haul for the presidential election: $46.7 million.
Trump campaign shaken up
On the Republican side, this announcement completely disrupts Donald Trump’s candidacy, forcing him to review his electoral strategy, which was very focused on the president’s physical condition, featuring a Joe Biden who blunders, stutters or stumbles.
So many arguments that risk turning directly against the Republican if he is opposed to Kamala Harris, nearly 20 years his junior. There is no doubt that this former prosecutor will do everything to put the legal troubles of Donald Trump, convicted in criminal court at the end of May, back in the spotlight.
She could also make abortion one of her main angles of attack, this theme having proven its effectiveness with voters.
According to an average of polls conducted before Sunday’s turning point, Kamala Harris would obtain a slightly better score on November 5 than Joe Biden against Donald Trump, but would still trail the Republican by two percentage points (46% against 48% for him).
Donald Trump’s campaign team says it was not caught off guard, with officials working behind the scenes to prepare campaign ads attacking Kamala Harris.
Taking advantage of the Democratic setbacks, the Republican candidate continues to explore the electoral terrain, capitalizing on the unifying effect of his party’s convention which officially inaugurated him as candidate last week.
He will hold another rally in North Carolina on Wednesday.
(Re)read “Analysis: The potential and risks of turning to Kamala Harris”