The political hurdles for Kamala Harris

In the United States (US), the Democrats are in trouble. The Republican success in Virginia (the party candidate won the governor’s race), and the infighting among Democrats on the Hill (largely due to an overreach by the progressive Left wing of the party) have eroded its political capital. President Joe Biden’s popularity ratings have fallen — a Washington Post-ABC poll, showed that his approval rating now stands at 41%, while 53% disapprove of his overall presidency. In this troubled landscape for her party, another leader is facing her own set of troubles — Vice-President (V-P) Kamala Harris.

A set of news reports over the weekend confirmed the speculation that has increasingly done the rounds in Washington DC. In 10 months in office, Ms Harris, who was seen as the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination for president in 2024 given Mr Biden’s age (he turns 79 next week, but for now, has maintained he will contest again), has seen her political stock plummet. Those sympathetic to the V-P believe that she has been handed a raw deal — charged with handling intractable issues such as the root causes of migration at the southern border or issues that go to the heart of racial and democratic debates in the US, such as the voting rights act — and has to face both racism and misogyny. But those critical of Ms Harris believe that she hasn’t shown political initiative, is ineffective, has been excessively reliant on her family, grapples with managing her staff, has made mistakes in interviews, and hasn’t been able to carve an independent identity. To fulfil her aims, Ms Harris will have to deal with the erosion in her party’s fortunes, her leader’s popularity, and her own standing.