Kamala Harris to announce US vice presidential nominee by August 7
Photo: REUTERS.
The US election race is slowly entering its final stage. The Republican Party has nominated former head of state Donald Trump as its presidential candidate. It has chosen Ohio senator JD Vance as its vice-presidential candidate.
Now it’s the Democrats’ turn: Incumbent President Joe Biden, under pressure from his fellow party members, has refused to seek re-election. The only candidate to be replaced is Kamala Harris, who currently serves as vice president. If she becomes the owner, or rather, mistress of the White House, she will need her own vice president. Harris’s election determines her chances of winning.
PRIORITY OF WHITE MEN
The vice president’s office in the United States is the second most important in the government hierarchy. If something happens to the head of state, the vice president automatically becomes president and commander-in-chief. In the history of the United States, eight vice presidents have become full presidents after the departure of their superiors. But even when the owner of the White House is alive, his vice president is the president of the Senate and can influence decision-making.
The vice president is elected at the same time as the president. Often, a candidate is chosen for the country’s second-place position to balance out the shortcomings of the politician aspiring to the presidency. For example, in 2008, the young and inexperienced Barack Obama chose Biden as his deputy, who by that time had already been in the Senate for 36 years.
Kamala Harris found herself in the same situation. She is a woman of African-American and Asian descent, which inspires liberals. However, she also needs other voters to win. That is why almost all the leading candidates discussed in the American media are middle-aged white men.
One of them is Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. This state is a swing state, which means that Trump and Harris have roughly equal chances. By choosing Shapiro as her running mate, Harris could tip the scales in her favor. Moreover, she and Shapiro have a lot in common: he was also the attorney general of their state and they have known each other for more than 20 years. But this candidacy also has a serious drawback: the Pennsylvania governor actively supports Israel, and this may scare off supporters of Palestine, of whom there are many in the Democratic Party.
The second contender on the list is astronaut and Arizona Senator Mark Kelly. He is important for two reasons. First, Kelly became the first Democratic senator since 1962 from Arizona, the fiefdom of the late Republican hawk McCain. Second, this state is a border state and the problem of illegal immigration is one of the main issues of the election.
The astronaut can help Harris in this matter, because she herself could not cope: two-thirds of Americans are dissatisfied with the current government’s immigration policy. However, if Harris and Kelly win, the Democrats will lose the Senate seat, even though they currently have a one-vote majority there. And without control over the chambers of Congress, the president will not be able to pass the necessary laws.
Harris has another governor on her list, Minnesota’s Tim Waltz. Before entering politics, he served in the military and then worked as a geography teacher and coached the school’s football team. The politician’s views are close to those of Kamala Harris, but the problem is that his state only has 10 electoral votes, which are likely to be in the Democrats’ pocket anyway.
RISKY COMBINATIONS
Harris’ campaign has other options that are consistent with her views but are too extreme for most Americans. A match is being discussed with the nomination of Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. She is 52 years old, has liberal views and is also a mother of many children. In 2020, the FBI uncovered a plot by a group of radicals to kidnap the governor. Whitmer’s track record makes her a strong candidate, but Harris’ campaign understands that the United States is unlikely to be ready for two top government posts to fall into the hands of women.
The most radical scenario is the choice of Pete Buttigieg, the current Secretary of Transportation. The young retired US Navy officer (42 years old), who speaks eight languages, seems to be a good choice as Kamala Harris’s running mate. The young and ambitious politician may try to outshine Harris, who has not yet demonstrated the wonders of oratory.
Many strong figures in the Democratic Party are choosing to wait. Trump is still leading in many polls, so the risk of defeat is too great. California Governor Gavin Newsom, who has also been tipped to run for the White House, cannot run with Harris due to constitutional restrictions. If the Democrats lose, he will become the party’s leading candidate in the 2028 election, unless new figures emerge by then.
According to The New York Times, Harris has until August 7 to announce her running mate. There is little time left before the election and Republicans are already busy with Vance’s PR. Voters will compare the candidates for the second spot, as they could one day become head of state. That is why Democrats want to quickly present to American citizens a candidate who can eclipse Vance and attract votes in the swing states.
