Top line
As support for President Joe Biden continues to wane among congressional Democrats, pundits and donors, some in the party are now calling for Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him, hoping Harris can thwart former President Donald Trump’s chances in the November election, even though polls show Harris and Biden trailing Trump in a straight race.
Vice President Kamala Harris has publicly endorsed President Joe Biden as calls for his support grow. … (+)
Highlights
representative James ClyburnDS.C., a key Biden ally and former member of the House Democratic leadership, has said he would support Harris as the Democratic nominee, and while he has not called on Biden to resign, he told MSNBC earlier this month that the Democratic Party should “bolster” its support for Harris (Clyburn had previously floated the idea of a “mini primary” to determine the party’s nominee).
representative Betty McCollumD-Minn., joined the growing list of Democrats urging Biden to step down Friday as concerns grow about his advanced age and mental acuity after last month’s debate, arguing that Harris should take his place with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as his running mate, CNN’s Manu Raju reported.
Former representative Tim RyanD, Ohio, endorsed Harris to replace Biden in a Newsweek op-ed, calling Harris “the best path forward for the party,” hailing the vice president’s public speech at the time of Biden’s debate as a “ray of light in the darkness,” and criticizing “those who have questioned her competence in recent years” (Harris has been criticized for her past views on criminal justice and her low approval ratings).
Sen. Pierre WelchD-Vt., called on Biden to drop out of the race in a Washington Post op-ed, saying Biden “has built a deep bench that can defeat Trump” and touting Harris as a “capable and proven leader” among “other electable, young and energetic Democratic governors and senators in swing states.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem JeffriesDN.Y., who has not publicly called on Biden to resign, has said in private conversations that he believes Harris should be the Democratic nominee, sources close to him told The Washington Post.
Round. Al SharptonA civil rights activist, staunch Biden supporter and MSNBC host recently suggested that he favors Harris as a potential candidate, calling her “better than any of the names that have been floated.”
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Tangent
Other congressional Democrats who have called on Biden to step down have tempered their comments about a possible replacement, with some asking him to “pass the torch,” without naming Harris, including Rep. Adam Schiff of California, Rep. Greg Stanton of Arizona, Rep. Brad Schneider of Illinois, Rep. Hillary Scholten of Michigan, Rep. Brittany Pettersen of Colorado, Rep. Mike Levin of California. Meanwhile, Rep. Pat Ryan, D-N.Y., called on Biden to “be a bridge to a new generation of leaders.”
Contra
Harris has remained silent on the idea of replacing Biden and has publicly supported the 81-year-old president, even as Democrats urge her to resign after her disastrous debate performance last month and speculation mounts that Harris could run with another Democrat. But she has expressed interest in the presidency before, running in the 2020 Democratic primary, but as her poll numbers declined, she dropped out of the race, soon becoming Biden’s running mate.
How does Harris stack up against Trump in the polls?
Harris leads Trump 45% to 47% in a CNN/SSRS poll released earlier this month, narrowly edging Biden in a matchup with Trump (Biden trailed Trump 43% to 49% in that poll), though she outperformed six other potential Biden alternatives in a hypothetical matchup with Trump, according to the CNN poll. Harris also trails Trump 48% to 51% in a YouGov poll conducted this week, while Biden trails Trump 41% to 43% in that same poll. A majority of Democrats also view her as a viable option to replace Biden, with about 60% in an AP-NORC poll saying Harris would do a good job as president, compared to 20% who said she would not.
Who would Harris’ running mate be if she ran?
The running mate includes California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, though Newsom has repeatedly defended Biden and denied he intends to replace him. Other running mates include North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who campaigned with Harris earlier this month, as well as Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.
Key context
Harris is the first woman and the first Black and South Asian person to serve as vice president. Sharpton told NBC he had “no doubt” that those who would try to remove her as Biden’s successor would have “racist and misogynistic” motivations. Harris, a former San Francisco prosecutor, rose to public prominence as California’s attorney general, a position she held for six years, from 2011 to 2017, before successfully running for the California Senate to replace retiring Sen. Barbara Boxer. As a senator, Harris became a vocal critic of Trump, vocally opposing his 2017 order banning citizens from Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States and the Trump administration’s policy of separating families at the U.S.-Mexico border. In the Senate, Harris served on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Judiciary and Budget committees, using her position to challenge former Attorney General William Barr’s summary of Robert Mueller’s report on alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election, as well as then-Supreme Court Justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearing.
Further reading
