Since her selection as Joe Biden’s running mate, Kamala Harris has faced no shortage of criticism. The left has attacked her as an establishment figure resistant to radical change. The right has tried to paint her as a radical leftist intent on changing the very foundations of the country. That probably means she’s about right.
The California senator anchors the Democratic ticket firmly in the middle of the party. But more than that, she throws a wrench into the Trump campaign’s message of “law and order.” Kamala is indeed a cop. That’s good news for Democrats.
At the beginning of the year, President Trump’s re-election prospects looked strong. The economy was setting records and the Democrats looked poised to nominate socialist Bernie Sanders. Republicans geared up to promote Trump as the defender of American prosperity. The theme of the conservative political action conference (CPAC), the nation’s largest gathering of grassroots conservatives, was “America versus socialism.”
But then, the centre held. Establishment Democrats consolidated around Biden in the nick of time to head off Sanders’ rise. Soon after, the coronavirus pandemic wrecked the economy, Trump’s main re-election selling point, and many pundits blamed Trump for failing to take action sooner.
In May, the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police set off nationwide protests for racial justice, many of which turned violent. Demonstrators called for “defunding” or even abolishing the police. Trump found a new angle, one that came just as naturally: law and order.
Trump’s embrace of law enforcement as a flagship campaign issue may have been his best bet. Most Americans do not want to defund or abolish the police, overwhelmingly favouring marginal reforms like firing officers with records of excessive force. Republicans have worked to paint Biden as a puppet of the left who will defund the police as soon as he gets into power.
But the Biden’s choice of Kamala Harris as his running mate leaves that narrative dead in the water. Why would a candidate plotting to dismantle American law enforcement name a former prosecutor as his running mate?
Harris doesn’t just have law enforcement credentials. She’s been an outspoken opponent for years against the narrative that black communities do not want to be policed, a view that corresponds with a recent Gallup poll that found 81 per cent of black Americans do not want less police in their neighbourhoods (in fact, 61 per cent want more). She has long been an advocate for improving community-police relations through eminently reasonable reforms. The idea that a Biden-Harris administration would seek to “abolish” law enforcement simply does not figure.
In fact, Harris’s unusual identity – a prominent black woman who built her career in law enforcement – gives her a unique moral authority to spearhead progress towards criminal justice reform. Most Americans favour moderate reforms to policing. But the left’s clarion call to “defund” or “abolish” the police alienates would-be supporters.
Recent civil violence in cities like Portland, Seattle or Chicago make it all too easy for conservatives to paint any attempt at police reform as an invitation for anarchy. Harris could bridge the gap between those distrustful of law enforcement and those who fear attempts at change.
Beyond criminal justice, Harris also has plenty to offer to the progressive wing of the party who worry that Joe Biden is a mushy moderate who will squander Democrats’ time in power. She has one of the more left-wing voting records in the Senate. She has voiced support for big-ticket items like universal healthcare and some version of the Green New Deal. And whereas Joe Biden is stale, pale and male, Harris is a woman of colour and a fresh face in national politics who would record an historic “first” upon her election.
Their personalities also complement each other. Biden’s off-the-cuff, avuncular style allows him to lead the charm offensive and offer a friendly, unifying and un-threatening figure for a nation plagued by heated divisions. Meanwhile, the polished, prepared prosecutor can press the case against Trump. Harris knows how to land political punches. Just ask Biden himself. And whereas Biden faces concerns about his age and declining cognition, Harris is young and unquestionably sharp.
Senator Harris has some skeletons in her closet that she will need to answer for on the campaign trail. She has yet to come up with a good explanation for her attacks on Joe Biden over bussing and sexual misconduct. Her withholding of exculpatory evidence in a death penalty case is indeed an instance of serious prosecutorial malpractice. Her tête-à-tête with Tulsi Gabbard in the primary debate over drug convictions will surely be repeated in attack ads and news coverage.
On the whole, though, her assets outweigh her liabilities. Harris underwent extensive vetting during the selection process, and party insiders clearly weren’t worried. And with all these issues aired in the open during the primaries more than a year ago, the public has had ample time to consider them. It is unlikely that anyone put off by Harris’s prosecutorial record would consider a vote for Trump.
More than anything, Kamala Harris represents a new generation of Democratic leadership, and win or lose, she will undoubtedly continue to be a prominent figure in national politics for years to come.
