On Sunday (July 21), President Joe Biden announced that he was stepping down as the Democratic nominee for the 2024 presidential elections in November.

This decision comes after a weeks-long process and debate amongst his own party and supporters on whether or not the 81-year-old incumbent should continue to stand for office.

Following the first presidential debate in late June, concerns on Biden’s ability to rally enough support against Republican nominee Donald Trump had grown rampant, as had claims of the president’s supposed failing health and cognitive abilities.

News that Biden tested positive for COVID-19 on July 17th, along with increased claims from within his own party calling on him to step aside, would at last seemingly compel the president to make his statement claiming he would not be seeking re-election.

All eyes are now turned to Kamala Harris, the current Vice President of the United States. Following Biden’s announcement, Harris officially announced her candidacy, and President Biden quickly threw his support behind her.

The vice president has started off strong, managing to wrangle support from several key figures, with over 500 confirmed endorsements by Monday morning.

Furthermore, Harris has managed to rapidly fundraise an estimated $50 million USD since Biden’s endorsement, a number comparable to the $52 million USD Trump made via donations following his 34
felony convictions in May.

However, not all is well for Harris. In spite of the several hundred endorsements she has received, the Vice President has yet to gain the official support and backing of pivotal figures such as former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.

Other prominent Democratic politicians also have a momentary window to throw their own hat into the ring and make their own bids to be the new Democratic nominee, though thus far none have openly done so, likely in an attempt to preserve the unity of the party.

West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, for instance, who had claimed on the 21st that he would be open to challenging Harris, has instead quietly backed down.

Several democratic congressmen, senators, and governors have come out and offered their services as Harris’ running mate, a role that is now urgently in need of being filled.

Kamala Harris is, in many ways a success story that many Democrats hope to rally behind. Born in 1964 to an Indian mother and a Jamaican father, she is the daughter of immigrants from multiple cultural and ethnic backgrounds.

Harris has repeatedly played up this fact in her political campaigns, proclaiming herself as a champion of diversity, harkening to her identity as a black and Indian woman.

Though born in Oakland, California, the Harris family would find themselves constantly moving over the American Midwest, as both of Kamala’s parents hopped from job to job at different universities in the
area.

In 1970, she returned to California, staying with her mother after her parents divorced the following year.

Harris would make repeated visits to her family in India and Jamaica, before moving again to Montreal, Canada.

Democrats Harris would attend Montreal’s Vanier College, before going to the critically acclaimed Howard University in Washington, DC.

While at Howard University, Harris would serve as an intern for a California Senator, while also leading Howard’s economic society and debate team before graduating in 1986 with a degree in economics and political science.

Following this she returned to California and attended the University of California and Hastings College, where she graduated with a law degree in 1989, before being admitted to the California Bar in 1990.

FranciscoFrom 1990, Harris would serve as a district attorney, being deemed as an able prosecutor ‘on her way up’. In 1998, Harris became the assistant district attorney for San Fransisco, running for the official
position in 2004.

Though being the least known candidate, Harris managed to achieve an upset victory, winning 56 per cent of the vote and becoming the first Black district attorney for San Francisco. Harris would win once again in 2007, beginning her second term.

Under Harris tenure, San Francisco’s legal backlog would be significantly reduced, with Harris achieving
an 87 per-cent conviction rate for homicides and a 90 per cent conviction rate for all felony gun
violations.

Harris also created a hate crimes unit targeted against hate crimes against LGBT students in schools. She would campaign against the death penalty, prioritizing life imprisonment as a successful alternative.

Harris would also support moves for further gun control. In 2010, Harris would run for the position of California’s Attorney-General, winning the office and being sworn in 2011.

Following this, Harris would continue her rise by running for Senator of California in 2016, winning the post after being endorsed by Obama and Biden. This was then followed up by her appointment as Biden’s running mate in the 2020 election.

During her time as senator and vice president, Harris’ political policies and ideology became more defined and concrete. Harris would come out as a firm supporter of abortion rights. Though initially against the legalization of cannabis, Harris would eventually change her tune and come out in support of it, co-sponsoring the Marijuana Justice Act to legalize cannabis at the federal level.

Harris has also come out strongly for considering “habitual and chronic truancy” a crime by parents and
a disservice to their children.

Harris has also been a firm believer of gun control and is pro-immigration. While in the Senate, Harris
has repeatedly co-sponsored and supported bills calling for additional regulation, review, and oversight
in the gun acquisition and usage process, standing alongside other senators such as Bernie Sanders.

Harris has criticized the ‘heavy-handed’ methods of immigration authorities on migrants trying to make their way into the United States, having decried the standards of the Immigration and Custom’s enforcement agency, especially regarding pregnant women.

In foreign policy, Harris has repeatedly denounced the actions of China, North Korea, and Russia, for their aggressive posture and attempts to undermine the current ‘rules-based order’.

Harris has remained a strong supporter of Ukraine, condemning Moscow’s invasion of the country. She has also denounced the Hong Kong government for their harsh crackdowns against the local populace during the several anti-Chinese protests of recent years.

Harris has particularly condemned Trump’s negotiations with North Korea, claiming that he had done little but made concessions for no real gain.

By announcing her candidacy, it is hoped that Kamala Harris will be able to inject some new life into the Democratic campaign for 2024.

By replacing Joe Biden, Trump will no longer have the avenues to pressure the democratic nominee that he had before and will suddenly find himself at risk of being attacked for being too old and cognitively challenged.

Harris’ previous history as a prosecutor will also further highlight Trump’s status as a convicted felon while also bringing fresh air to the presidential race.