Kamala Harris 2024: With great momentum, come even greater expectations
Kamala Harris’s celebrated nomination as the Democratic candidate in the 2024 US presidential elections in August gave her popularity a boost big enough for it to hover marginally above Donald Trump’s in the national polls. In the last two months, her ratings decreased slightly, while prospective votes for Mr Trump were slowly gaining in numbers. The numbers do not explain why Mrs Harris is losing support, despite her well-received welcome to the presidential stage – yet it may be time to consider the position Mrs Harris was placed in and the expectations she was supposed to meet.
The catastrophic presidential debate on June 27 highlighted Joe Biden’s old age and lack of fitness, both mentally and physically. At the age of 82, this is no surprise. At the time of his election, Mr Biden was the oldest President to ever enter office; Mr Trump was in second place at age 70. Three weeks later on July 21st, after weeks of public scrutiny and a large online movement pushing him to resign from the elections, Mr Biden announced his withdrawal, opening the space for his Vice President.
Mrs Harris entered the scene with “momentum”, as the headlines read. In a time of chaos within the Democratic party, she quickly began her presidential campaign, touring states and raising significant funds and online support. As the new face of the Democratic party, the policies of which align with those of the Biden administration, Mrs Harris was placed on a liberal media-supported virtual pedestal as a blue saviour rivalling a red egoist.
In all agreement, Mrs Harris is an impressive woman – a well-educated lawyer who went from prosecutor to district attorney, attorney general, and finally US Senator within 13 years, often as the first female or person of colour – and it is because she is a woman that her background, current efforts, attitude and policies are under heavier scrutiny. It is because she is not a white male that there is an air of uncertainty to her capabilities.
Yet, within a few months, she raised over one billion USD, debated elegantly against a bigoted man who focused more on debilitating her image than on the wellbeing of his supporters, and spent the few opportunities to present herself in the spotlight giving inspiring speeches and interviews. The expectations imposed on her, despite her intelligent nature and positive stance on human rights such as healthcare and reproductive rights, were not met in the minds of the people. What happens when your expectations are high, and you meet a human? You get disappointed. It’s like every Bumble date you will ever go on.
Clearly, this is not Mrs Harris’s first time in the spotlight. She has had her opportunities the last four years to present herself, where she was given a rather unfavourable rating as Vice President. However, once a candidate, her favourability ratings improved, contrastingly to the steady unfavourable rating of her red opponent. Studying Mrs Harris, and not her administration nor the claims made by others, as well as the high-pressure environment she was placed in the last four months, was the test that proved she can present a strong front when challenged by obstacles coming from every corner.
