Kamala Harris Faces Potential Challenger for Democratic Nomination
By: Chloe Mayer (Newsweek)
Challenges and threats to withhold support are normal for primaries. That's how various political factions bargain for promises of support from candidates. Biden being forced out of the race after the primaries won't change the motivation to press Kamala Harris for promises of support. IMO Harris will be under pressure to make commitments to keep promises Biden had made.
Since Democrats only have 10 days to unify around a new candidate, the normal political bargaining can't take place. Harris can't be her own candidate; she has to be a surrogate for Biden's promises. Otherwise Harris risks a lot of intraparty unrest during the election campaign and even more backbiting from Democrats if she wins. Harris is stuck with Biden's record and Biden's promises, at least until the midterms, so Biden dropping out won't change the election as much as people seem to be expecting.
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Kamala Harris may be Joe Biden's pick to replace him in the Democrats' presidential race now that he's bowed out—but it looks as though she may still face some competition for the role.
The Vice President is currently the frontrunner to replace Biden at the top of the ticket. While many inside her party have endorsed her, others have remained conspicuously silent. And speculation is already turning toward potential Democratic rivals who may also seek a shot at the White House, with some reports suggesting Senator Joe Manchin is mulling over entering the fray.
The presidential election is scheduled for November 5, and 81-year-old Biden had been facing off against former President Donald Trump, 78. Both men had accused the other of not being fit to stand. Trump—the first former U.S. president to be convicted of criminal charges—has had to contend with a string of legal woes while Biden faced demands to quit following concerns about his health amid a series of falls, memory lapses, and public gaffes. In a dramatic two weekends on the election trail, Trump survived an assassination attempt last Saturday (July 13) and, on Sunday (July 21), Biden finally conceded that he should stand down.
Biden posted on X (formerly Twitter) that choosing Harris as his Vice President in 2020 had "been the best decision I've made."
He added: "Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it's time to come together and beat Trump. Let's do this."
My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term. My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it's been the best... pic.twitter.com/x8DnvuImJV — Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024
Although Biden has endorsed Harris as his successor, ultimately the decision is down to a vote at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, which is due to kick off next month.
Many in the party have been quick to throw their support behind Harris.
Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton released a joint statement thanking Biden for his service and adding: "We are honored to join the President in endorsing Vice President Harris and will do whatever we can to support her... Now is the time to support Kamala Harris and fight with everything we've got to elect her. America's future depends on it."
California Governor Gavin Newsom, whose name was among those floated as a potential candidate to replace Biden, has also backed Harris. "With our democracy at stake and our future on the line, no one is better to prosecute the case against Donald Trump's dark vision and guide our country in a healthier direction," he said.
But other key Democrats, such as former House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, are holding back.
Former President Barack Obama appears to favor an official nomination process to select the party's presidential candidate. He did not mention Harris in a statement honoring Biden's service and instead said: "We will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead. But I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges."
There has been conjecture for months that Michelle Obama could replace Biden if he were to drop out of the race. The former first lady's odds of becoming president have surged with bookmakers in recent weeks. However, a spokesperson for Michelle Obama told Newsweek earlier this month: "As former First Lady Michelle Obama has expressed several times over the years, she will not be running for president.
Joe Manchin
Meanwhile, West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin is actively considering throwing his hat in the ring, according to The Washington Post, which cited Manchin's adviser Jonathan Kott as a source. Manchin, 76, quit the Democratic Party in May to register as an independent after repeatedly siding with Republicans on issues such as energy policy but is now said to be considering re-registering as a Democrat to campaign for the party's presidential nomination. CBS News and CNN have also run stories saying Manchin is considering running for president.
Manchin has yet to publicly address the situation and Newsweek has reached out by email to the senator seeking comment.
Marianne Williamson
One Democratic presidential hopeful has already gone public with her campaign.
Marianne Williamson, who previously ran for the Democratic nomination in 2020 and in the party's 2024 primaries, has announced she plans to compete for the top job. "No one should simply be anointed to the position of nominee; all candidates must be heard and their agendas explored," she wrote on X. "Our party's basic first principle is democracy. We cannot save our democracy without practicing it ourselves."
For her part, Harris says she intends to "earn" the nomination. She wrote on X: "On behalf of the American people, I thank Joe Biden for his extraordinary leadership as President of the United States and for his decades of service to our country. I am honored to have the President's endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination."
She said: "I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party—and unite our nation—to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda."
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Kamala Harris will be expected to stay the course and commit to keeping the promises Biden has made. Otherwise Harris will lose support and Democrats could splinter after a Harris win. So, the election is still between Biden and Trump even if Biden is off the ticket.
that’s the big advantage for republicans Harris brings to the table, she’s tied to the last four years and can’t run away from it.
No way! Manchin is not even a Democrat anymore...
Liz Cheney isn't a Republican any more; but Democrats still trot her out whenever they need some Trump bashing like she is one.
Politicians switch parties all the time; so why should Manchin be any different?
Don't worry; Manchin is far too moderate for bat shit crazy far left Democrats.
The most he can do is hope to splinter the delegate vote enough to get some concessions from Kamala to protect his state's energy resources. Seems he hasn't learned from the last time Democrats screwed him over.
Didn't stop Bernie Sanders. And Sanders challenge to the presumptive Clinton candidacy gave him a lot of influence over the party platform.
Will there be a platform fight at the DNC convention this time? Doesn't seem likely but that may depend upon the challenges to Kamala Harris. This more about getting commitments from Harris to support (or shift support) for items on the party agenda. Harris can't drift too far from what Biden has promised or she risks losing support for the election.
"...but is now said to be considering re-registering as a Democrat."
Wouldn't that just churn your toilet.
I believe that Allan Lichtman has indicated that he thinks Kamela Harris will win it, but he said it would be a more positive prediction if Biden would resign and allow her to have the advantage of being the incumbent. The women of America have a great opportunity here to assure Kamela the win in November, to break the biggest glass ceiling in America and assure a positive outcome for abortion, as long as they have the balls (figurative, obviously) to get off their asses and vote for her.
The women of America have had plenty of opportunities to elect a woman for President. Both the Democratic and Republican parties have had several women run as primary candidates. Kamala Harris was a primary candidate in 2020; if voters wanted her to be President they had a chance in 2020. And there have been 3rd party candidates like Jill Stein of the Green Party who has run in several elections.
Democrats have overhyped the idea of electing a woman to the Presidency. If that was really an important goal for voters, there have been plenty of opportunities.
LOL. So what you\re saying is that the women of America don't want a woman PotUS. I think that the SCotUS may have changed their mind about that.
Harris has enough pledged delegates to take the nomination. It's done people... A phone voice vote will happen next week so they can get her name out to states to print ballots.
If it looks like she seized the standard, disenfranchisement will be the scream of the day. They need some process that appears fair.
There were only 56 something that were reported undecided. That's not disenfranchisement. In a survey released last week before Biden stepped down 79% of Democrats said they preferred Harris to replace Biden. That's not disenfranchisement.
That all said - I'm very interested in new polling numbers... I'll be keeping a close eye on the polling trend as the nation starts seeing her campaign at the top of the ticket. We'll see how much of this is 'new energy' is real by the end of August. Until then it's all pretty much speculation.
You need voters to show for the general and they won't if they feel neglected/uninvolved. It's been said before, ' the crown is hers to lose.' There is probably some sense of relief on the right even, that there is a path without Biden but this whole honeymoon feeling will disappear when the interests start to compete to be heard.