Kamala Harris is evidently keen to get her message out to potential voters through intensive campaigning efforts.
Her role, naturally as a sitting vice president and likely running mate, is ultimately to support her superior’s presidential campaign in 2024.
However, Harris has distanced herself from merely being a cheerleader, instead opting for a targeted campaign to secure as many votes as possible for the Democrats.
Kamala’s campaigning
In recent weeks, Vice President Harris has been highly critical of Republican policy, choosing to campaign in key states such as Iowa, Wisconsin, and Florida.
The first two are crucial swing states for any candidate to win the 2024 presidential election – one which the polls suggest could be even closer than 2020 if the polls are to be believed.
Harris also spoke at an NAACP convention in Boston, MA on Saturday in a bid to rally support from minority voters.
Alongside her efforts to resonate her message of “thriving together” with voters, Harris has been critical of GOP policies, particularly on abortion rights and education.
With the former playing a role in limiting Republican gains in the 2022 mid-terms, Harris recognizes voter anger over abortion remains, providing an opportunity for the Democrats to capitalize on pro-choice swing voters.
Moreover, Harris has been concentrating on Florida, a state where the two leading Republican frontrunners either reside or govern.
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ controversial addition to Florida’s curriculum – focusing on “how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit” – has been a contentious issue and one which Harris has highlighted on multiple occasions.
Harris described the addition as an “insult” while saying it was an attempt to “gaslight” Black Americans. Her remarks prompted Gov. DeSantis to invite her for a public debate, an invitation she declined.
Is Kamala Harris running for the presidency? Think 2028
While her high-profile campaigning efforts may seem unconventional for a vice president, Harris is unlikely to mount a campaign against President Joe Biden in 2024.
Realistically, her first shot at the presidency will come four years later at either the end of Biden’s second term or after four years of Republican rule.
Harris was vocal in the run-up to the 2022 mid-terms; while not a wholly successful campaign with Republicans taking the House of Representatives, the Democrats did at least retain control of the Senate and limited Republican gains across the country.
Even with no intention to run herself in 2024, Harris recognizes the importance of a second successive term for President Biden.
A full-term served will mean she is the natural successor for the Democratic nomination in 2028, and will allow her to build on any achievements from her eight years as vice president.
Moreover, should the 80-year-old Biden be forced to step aside due to ill health, Harris would become president – the first woman to do so – and allow her to showcase her achievements as leader of the free world to the electorate in 2028.
Shay Bottomley is a British journalist based in Canada. He has written for the Western Standard, Maidenhead Advertiser, Slough Express, Windsor Express, Berkshire Live and Southend Echo, and has covered notable events including the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
