Harris the Hopeless: History Speaks Against a Comeback in Election Attempt
As the ninth U.S. president, William Henry Harrison held many distinctive titles. For one, he was the last holding office who came into the world as a British subject, and also the first member of the Whig Party to move into the White House. Curiously, he would be remembered for his wordy inaugural address, which took up nearly two hours of history. His presidency, however, was the shortest ever, lasting a mere 31 days because he was the first incumbent to pass away while in power.
Statistically speaking, Harrison was the last political figure to recover from a first-time presidential loss to achieve victory in the subsequent run. This feat had been achieved only by Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson before him. Nixon’s case differs as his victory came much later. Grover Cleveland and Donald Trump have a unique record of winning, losing, and then winning again. Any other candidates since Harrison’s time who have attempted to win the presidency again after their first failure continued the losing streak.
Notable figures like Democrat Adlai Stevenson and Republican Thomas Dewey rallied twice, to no avail. Henry Clay and William Jennings Bryan each made three consecutive failed attempts. The recurring message from the electorate appears clear: reject the defeated. The record does not paint a promising picture for Kamala Harris, whose recent decision to dismiss the gubernatorial race in California has caused speculation about another attempt at the top post.
Current sentiment does not favor the Democratic Party. Their net favorability has sunk to an abysmally low score, hitting a negative point that is nearly thrice that of the Republican Party. The Democrats, it seems, are at their most unpopular point in over three decades. A mix of factors are to blame, including the humiliating loss to Trump and their subsequent failure to successfully hinder his governance.
All blame doesn’t rest comfortably on Harris’ shoulders, though. In fact, Harris stands as a symbol for the general dissatisfaction within Democratic ranks. This dissatisfaction is not a uniform sentiment. For some, particularly the progressives, they’re irate because they believe Democrats aren’t fighting sufficiently. For others, especially the ones leaning towards the center of the spectrum, they are irked by the Democrats leaning too far left on cultural and identity politics.
However, there is a shared desperation across both factions – a sheer drive for victory. Ironically, Harris’ best ticket to become the 2024 nominee was simply because she ticked the diversity box. Biden had been upfront in choosing a female and, later, an African American as his running mate. Therefore, what’s hurting Harris is not her ethnicity or gender but her inability to broaden the party’s appeal to voters.
To secure a win, Democrats need not just a candidate who personifies diversity, but also one who can win over some of Trump’s voter base. Harris’ failure to attract voters wasn’t due to a dip in Democratic turnout; rather, it was her failure to appeal to the evolving electorate’s needs. Her communication style, reminiscent of a small liberal arts college dean of students, didn’t exactly ignite fires. She did little to differentiate herself from the generic views of party focus groups at a time when voters were yearning for genuine candidates.
Moreover, Harris seemed to have agreed to Biden’s request for loyalty by not distancing herself from his views. Her decision to choose Stephen Colbert’s ‘The Late Show’ for her first public appearance since leaving office showcases this. Naturally, Colbert’s ideologically solid audience responded well. However, this is not the audience Democrats need to secure a win in the next elections.
If the Democrats choose to run her again, history will likely remember Harris as trivia instead of a title holder. And without a doubt, the question won’t be ‘Who was the 48th president of the United States?’ But all this precludes one crucial consideration: Would the American electorate be willing to give Harris another chance?