Kamala Harris’s closing coverture at the Democratic National Convention marked her strongest bid yet for American votes in a campaign under a month old. This is not indicative of a speech densely packed with political strategies. Nor did she aim to match the impassioned speeches of her fellow convention speakers. While there are comparisons between her and Barack Obama, a presidency for Harris, were it to happen, would also be equally of historic significance. Despite conversations of joy and liberty, her discourse to date has been deliberately fine-tuned to unite divergent factions within her party and inspire zeal for triumph over Donald Trump.
Harris’s political persona remains somewhat of a mystery. Her presidential run in 2019, where she awkwardly veered left to attract Democratic primary voters, leaves lingering doubts about her political philosophies and aptitude. These doubts are yet to be resolved by her achievements so far. In the four weeks since receiving president Joe Biden’s endorsement, she still hasn’t sat for a single media interview. However, if current opinion polls are a true reflection, her approach has been victorious to date. But, she will inevitably need to address this void. Confidence regarding her competence to oppose Donald Trump will assuredly grow amongst her supporters once the first debate scheduled for September 10th concludes.
Despite uncertainties, the politician who gracefully accepted her party’s nomination last Thursday issued a carefully refined speech that rejuvenated supporters by sharing her personal narrative of being an immigrant’s daughter from India and Jamaica. Simultaneously, she pledged to guard consumers and increase housing affordability. On the matter of Gaza, which is a highly contentious topic for Democrats, she pursued a balance between her participation in the Biden administration and a robust recognition of the Palestinian struggle. While many may deem her response insufficient, it likely achieved its political objectives.
In the coming two months, the Harris campaign must convey a governance vision that goes past the mantra of overpowering Donald Trump and preserving abortion rights, as strong as those stances may be. Her ability to formulate persuasive reasoning on the economy and immigration will be crucial, as these are topics where voters tend to trust Republicans more than Democrats.
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This upcoming election will largely be dependent on a few hundred thousand ballots in several pivotal states. Though Harris has a narrow advantage in some current polls, it is significantly smaller than the leads held by Hillary Clinton in 2016 or Joe Biden in 2020 at an equivalent stage of the campaign. Friday’s departure of Robert F Kennedy jnr from the competition could work to Trump’s favour, though slightly. Yet, in a competition this tight, such minor shifts could very well be crucial.