Joe Biden is in a lot of hot water now as several different classified documents scandals seem to have him scambeling, with some suggesting he should not seek reelection in 2024. What if Kamala Harris decided to jump into the fray if Biden decided not to run? Many think she has no shot at winning if one looks at her history. Simply put: She is not the best of candidates for many apparent reasons:
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There was an entirely baseless claim in 2020 that Kamala Harris would not be eligible to take the office of president of the United States because her mother is from India, while her father is from Jamaica.
As a matter of fact, Harris, who previously served as a United States Senator to California, is a natural-born U.S. citizen, and thus of course eligible to serve as president.
The bigger question now is whether Vice President Harris could actually be elected to the Oval Office should President Joe Biden opt not to seek re-election.
Many pundits don’t believe Harris could even win the nomination, let alone be elected.
Kamala Harris and Lessons From History
Though it is true that 14 of 47 vice presidents have gone on to become president – and since World War II that has included eight of the 13 VPs who have gone on to be their party’s presidential nominee – as Walter Mondale and Al Gore will tell you that doesn’t mean they’ll win.
In fact, just four former VPs, including Biden, managed to become president.
Harris would face an uphill battle. She didn’t run a good presidential campaign in 2019 and was forced to drop out early.
She was selected as Biden’s running mate as he vowed to have a woman on the ticket. Being a woman of color and an Asian arguably checked a number of boxes.
Lack of Approval
In the Biden-verse, that may have made her a good choice, but she hasn’t been seen as a good vice president.
Her approval rating is far lower than Biden’s.
As of Dec. 20, 39 percent of registered voters had a favorable opinion of Harris while 53 percent had an unfavorable opinion — a net rating of -14 percentage points.
Harris was asked to lead the administration’s response to the issue of immigration, and her handling has been criticized – which likely sunk her approval rating faster than Biden’s.
Given the situation at the border, it is unlikely that her polling numbers could improve anytime soon.
The situation has been so bad that in November, Slate.com offered an editorial suggesting that Biden should consider dumping Harris from the ticket should he seek re-election.
No former VP who wasn’t on the subsequent ticket ever had gone on to seek the presidency. Were Biden to actually replace Harris – and the last VP not to earn a spot on the ticket was Nelson Rockefeller in 1976 – her political career would be ended.
Yet, it is doubtful Harris could be removed from the ticket as it would create a political firestorm for sure.
That brings us to VP Harris and the chances for her to ever occupy the Oval Office.
To be blunt, the best hope she has is that Joe Biden keeps her on the ticket – which at this point is a near lock – and that he is reelected for a second term. Then, he must either must resign due to health, or frankly, dies in office.
That is absolutely the only way Harris, who has become as well-known for her “word salad” as Biden is for his gaffes, could ever hope to sit at the Resolute Desk as commander-in-chief.
Harris flamed out in late 2019 before the 2020 primary season even began, and with such low approval numbers, it is doubtful she could win her party’s nomination.
Though she could become a stellar VP in a second Biden term, and rise to the occasion in 2028, by that time it would be likely the country would want to go in a new direction.
Simply put, the odds are significantly stacked against VP Kamala Harris ever becoming President Harris by the vote and will of the people.
Expert Biography: A Senior Editor for 1945, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer who has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,000 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes.
