US President Joe Biden.
Credit: Reuters Photo
The overwhelming support from Democrats for Vice-President Kamala Harris as their candidate for the US presidential election in November is historic. She is the first woman of colour to run for the highest office. The last time a Black woman sought the Democratic nomination was more than 50 years ago. President Joe Biden's decision to step down is the first time an incumbent seeking another term in office was persuaded by his own party mid-stream to drop out of the race. Biden's nomination was in doubt from earlier this month after he came off badly in a televised debate with Republican candidate Donald Trump. Apparent cognitive difficulties during that bout had led to public and private appeals to Biden to step down in the interest of the party and democracy. Biden, 80, threw in the towel, a week after the assassination attempt on Trump appeared to increase the chances of a Trump return to office.
The Democratic Party still needs to confirm Harris as its candidate at the party convention in mid-August. But already, there is new hope in a party that believed just until two days ago that the election was a lost cause. In the age debate that has so far dominated this presidential election, with Trump deriding Biden as “senile”, Harris, 58, is now the better placed candidate, 20 years her opponent's junior. Eyes are now on Harris to inject, in relative terms, some young energy to the Democratic campaign. But the challenge before her is not small. Many young Democratic party supporters were planning to sit out this election due to Biden's unstinted support of Israel in its war on Gaza. Harris, who was Biden's running mate until two days ago, is not expected to articulate radically different views on the topic. On the other hand, abortion is an issue where she may score with younger and women voters across party lines. But the big question that will haunt her campaign is race. After Barack Obama, whose eight year presidency is often blamed for the election of Trump in 2016, is America ready now to accept another Black person, a woman, as President? Harris's racial identity – she is born of an Indian mother and Jamaican father and identifies as Black – and her gender will be central to the Republican campaign. Trump's MAGA vision is shot through with racism and misogyny.
Still there is no doubt that her entry in the presidential race has changed the dynamics of this election. It is no longer a done deal for Trump. But will the former President, who believes the election was “stolen” from him in 2020, accept the results if Harris were to win? In this already most extraordinary of US presidential elections, fears of a repeat of the Capitol Hill invasion or worse are a big dark cloud.