Kamala Harris: A Legacy of Misjudgment and Failed Campaigns
A convention on climate change saw Vice President Kamala Harris sharing the stage with key figures such as Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and Philip Gordon, the Deputy National Security Advisor to the Vice President. This event, organized at the association of Southeast Asian Nations, was situated at the Loy Henderson International Conference Room in the U.S. Department of State, and held on May 13, 2022.
In a baffling turn of events, a former presidential candidate and failed VP, Kamala Harris lost to Donald Trump in the 2024 elections. Several analysts spent extensive time dissecting Harris’ unfortunate election campaign, trying to understand where she might have gone wrong.
A widely echoed sentiment was that Harris’ selection of running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, had been a major misstep. Walz had a series of public mishaps, coupled with a lackluster performance at the vice presidential debate, providing unfortunate watercooler moments for the campaign.
Much to everyone’s surprise, it was not just the analysts but even Harris that shared these sentiments on Walz. She seems to have been aware of these potential problems even before Walz made his gaffes on the campaign trail.
In an unexpected revelation from Harris’ yet-to-be-published book ‘107 Days’, the first choice for her vice presidential candidate had apparently not been Walz, but former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. She viewed Buttigieg, the erstwhile mayor of South Bend, Indiana, as an ‘ideal partner’—from the perspective of a straight, white male.
Harris conceded that a part of her seriously considered choosing Buttigieg as her vice president. However, she couldn’t go ahead with this decision owing to societal biases they were ‘already asking’ the nation to overlook.
In her words, they were setting a precedent by expecting America to accept a woman, an African-American woman, a woman married to a Jewish man at that. In the end, the risks prevailed over the temptation to shatter conventions. ‘It was too big a risk,’ she wrote.
Harris went on to reveal that Buttigieg, too, understood the downside of such a combination and shared a mutual sense of disappointment with her. The political dynamic duo, it seems, was barred by sociocultural norms.
Buttigieg, however, didn’t quite agree with Kamala’s notion that race and gender could be significant factors in American public opinion. He expressed his ‘surprise’ at this reasoning and insisted on ‘giving Americans more credit.’ He stressed the importance of a candidate’s contributions to people’s lives over demographic factors during political campaign.
Buttigieg stressed his belief that voters usually form their opinion based on future prospects the candidates offer them, rather than sociocultural constructs. ‘You just have to go to voters with what you think you can do for them,’ he emphasized.
He also mentioned that he felt affronted by the fact that Harris never discussed her concerns with him. According to him, these potential problems were ‘never a topic of their conversation’, implying a lack of proper communication within the Democratic party.
Post her electoral downfall, Kamala has mostly been off the radar, barring few instances such as promoting her book ‘107 Days’. Apart from this, her non-application for the post of California’s governor is what caught the public eye the most.
In the context of the Democratic presidential primary candidates for 2028, both Harris and Buttigieg’s names have surfaced prominently. Interestingly, both of them had attempted to make it to the 2020 presidential run too, but were unsuccessful.
They lost the 2020 Democratic primary to none other than the now-former President Joe Biden, who, reflecting on his presidency, left much to be desired with his ineffective policies and questionable leadership. The future aspirations of both Harris and Buttigieg, should they decide to run again in 2028, could meet the same fate if they don’t change course.
In conclusion, the failed 2024 election attempt of Kamala Harris and her subsequent endeavors remain significant landmarks of recent political history. The former vice president’s inability to make strategic decisions and heed her ill-fated campaign with Walz, as well as her dubious distinction as an unsuccessful presidential candidate, merely adds to the Democratic party’s growing list of political missteps.