Will Kamala Harris Stay on the Ticket?
Author: Greg Valliere
February 14, 2023
HARRIS HAS NOT RECEIVED HIGH GRADES: Detractors believe she has not shown the gravitas required to become president, while her supporters argue that she hasn’t been given any major assignments other than the Texas border crisis — and who would want that job?
WHO KNOWS WHETHER BIDEN THINKS he made a mistake picking Harris — but there’s little doubt that he will have to keep her. So there will be a drive within the administration to give her more visibility.
BIDEN HAS TO KEEP HER, most insiders agree, because African-Americans and women — two of the party’s dominant factions — would rebel if Harris is replaced. If Biden decides this spring not to run for re-election, Harris would be the early front-runner for the nomination in a very crowded field.
BIDEN WEIGHS MAJOR DECISIONS very slowly, and he has canvassed his closest supporters about Harris. Jill Biden reportedly is cool to Harris, and other insiders are lukewarm. But they all agree — dumping her would be a public relations disaster.
DEMOCRATS KNOW THAT BIDEN’S AGE will be a major issue in the 2024 campaign. If Donald Trump, now 76, is the GOP nominee, that would lessen the age issue. But if Ron DeSantis, 44 years old, heads the Republican ticket, Biden would face non-stop questions about his age and whether he could serve for another four-year term. That would put Harris in the spotlight.
BIDEN THUS NEEDS A RUNNING MATE who could become president at a minute’s notice. Whether Harris meets that requirement remains to be seen. But there’s little chance that Biden would remove her — it wouldn’t help him on the age issue and would backfire within the party. We think the odds are 80-20 that Harris will stay.
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