Kamala Harris Is Indeed Running with Biden: Joe Biden has finally settled the debate over whether he would run for reelection. Biden is running. The president released a video this morning to announce his reelection – four years to the day after he announced he was running for the 2020 election.
The video distinguishes MAGA America, which the video claims have launched an assault against bedrock personal liberties, and the Biden administration, which claims to be fighting to protect those same liberties.
And while the video has explicitly declared Biden’s candidacy, the video was silent with respect to his running mate.
Yes, the video featured shots of Kamala Harris, walking with Biden, hugging constituents, and yes, the video concluded with a Biden-Harris placard – but Harris appeared only briefly in the three-plus minute video and was never mentioned by name.
And while Harris’s presence in the video is suggestive that she’ll be joining Biden on the 2024 ticket, that remains unconfirmed. And that Harris’s status on the 2024 ticket remains unconfirmed speaks to the collective doubts within the Democratic Party about her viability as a candidate.
Should Kamala Harris Join Biden On the 2024 Ticket?
Biden is in a tough spot concerning Kamala Harris, something of a lose-lose.
If Biden includes Harris on the ticket, he’s opening himself up for criticism from the right, who have never much liked Harris and who now have plenty of ammunition after what has been a lackluster performance during Harris’s first term as vice president.
If Biden removes Harris on the ticket, he’s opening himself up for criticism from the left, who lobbied Biden to include a non-white, non-male in the position and will be infuriated if the first female-VP, first non-white VP, is replaced as a running mate.
But Biden’s problem goes deeper than that – because Biden is the oldest president ever, and he’s about to be the oldest person to ever run for reelection. If he wins reelection, his second term will carry through Biden’s 86th birthday.
However, the life expectancy for a US white male is only 76. That means Biden’s VP choice is amongst the most consequential ever, given that, statistically speaking, the VP is likely to be promoted to president sometime before the term ends.
Why Kamala Is So Important
So, Biden isn’t just picking a standard VP. He’s picking someone that many Americans view as something of a co-president. And sure, that could be said of any vice president – they all have the potential to promote to president mid-term, like Hoover, LBJ, or Ford.
But the promotion of LBJ and Ford to president mid-term shocked the nation. With Biden’s VP, we’re all kind of sitting around waiting for it to happen. The point being that Biden’s VP pick is going to face extra intense scrutiny. How will Harris look beneath that scrutiny?
Kamala Harris as VP so far
Harris has underperformed as vice president, causing many Democrats to ponder aloud whether she should be replaced on the ticket. The main critique is that she’s just kind of invisible. No one knows where she stands or what she’s doing or what value she brings to the administration. She wasn’t really involved with any of Biden’s legislative victories. She hasn’t made any trackable progress on the agenda items Biden assigned her, like voting reform and border reform.
Kamala Harris spoke in defense of abortion rights after the Dobbs ruling, and she recently made a successful goodwill tour of Africa. Those are really the highlights of her first term, so far. Is it enough to earn a VP spot for an octogenarian president?
Probably, but that hasn’t been confirmed yet. Stay tuned.
MORE: Hunter Biden Has a Big China Problem
MORE: Could Joe Biden Get Impeached?
MORE: Pete Buttigieg: Running for President?
Harrison Kass is the Senior Editor at 19FortyFive. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, Harrison joined the US Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.
