EC Web Page Publisher’s Note: We remain true to our mantra: Educate, engage and empower. Here we seize this unprecedented historical moment to emphasize voter education, engagement and participation. According to the late John Lewis, the vote is the most powerful weapon in our non-violent arsenal. It is an indispensable tool of civic engagement. Below please find a summation and analysis of the Vice President Kamala Harris’s ascendancy as the Democratic Party’s nominee for President.

By Vincent M. Harris

Kamala Harris’s ascendancy as the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party is the result of skillful management by President Joe Biden, which falls into these areas. First, he selflessly withdrew from the race. Second, he deftly assuaged the anxiety among Democratic voters about his ability to defeat Donald Trump in November. Third, his nomination of VP Harris because of the historical nature of her candidacy; he has cemented his legacy.

Joe Biden’s withdrawal came down to a candid response to the following question: Did Joe Biden want his legacy to be tarnished by those who will blame him for the slide into autocracy represented by the election of Donald J. Trump?

The principal argument for Biden’s continued candidacy was his record of accomplishment. Democrats have been trying to focus public attention on that record from the beginning of the campaign. However, Biden’s inability to articulate his accomplishments in an environment where communications are dominated by micro-targeting, digital technology and a fast moving, 24-hour news cycle made such a focus impossible. He simply was unable to deliver both scripted and unscripted punch lines cleanly.

The issue of viability was opened by Biden himself, when his lackluster debate performance revealed mortal vulnerabilities:

  1. MAGA and Trumpism showed sustained political initiative. Biden was never able to mount an effort that would present a clear and compelling case for his accomplishments. despite the absence of any real challenge to Biden’s re-election effort by potential Democratic Party competitors and Biden’s concentrated focus on Trump.
  2. Growing unease about Biden’s ability to prosecute the case against MAGA and Trumpism. Until the debate performance, most Dems were resigned to reluctantly and unenthusiastically support Biden’s reelection efforts. Biden’s performance made continued support painfully untenable with so much on the line. The palpable existential threat posed by the MAGA movement trumped party loyalty to Joe Biden.
  3. A growing enthusiasm gap would impact turnout of low propensity voters, critical to Democratic victories in statewide contests and down ballot races. Reinforced by SCOTUS rulings, Project 2025, and Trump’s own rhetoric, democratic republicanism became ever more greatly imperiled by Trumpism. As increasing shares of the Democratic voter base believed Biden was insufficiently capable of making the rhetorical case in real time against Trumpism and MAGA, public polling and incessant media coverage contributed to the erosion of support.

Withdrawal from the race assured there could be renewed focus on President Biden’s record.

The viability of President Biden’s candidacy was imperiled by three factors: 1.) withholding of financial resources by big donors; 2.) the widening of the enthusiasm gap as the intensity of grassroots support diminished; and 3.) the imminent threat to representative democracy posed by the demagogic appeals of Trumpism and the mass scale of the MAGA movement. Support for President Joe Biden remained stagnant.

In a world where perception is reality, Biden is perceived as weak and well-past his prime. His speech impediment and halting delivery reinforced frailty associated with his age. Trump’s word salads are baked into the public consciousness in a way that he will continue to be given a pass, unlike Biden. Low information/low propensity voters are motivated by perception. There is little in Biden’s presentation style (versus content) that would motivate low-information voters.

Without question, Biden’s withdrawal has relieved Democrats’ anxiety, reinvigorated the campaign and inspired base demographic and sectoral voters. The stage is now set for a vigorous 15-week sprint to the November 5 election. It will pit a vigorous female prosecutor against an aging, pathological liar convicted of fraud and sexual assault by two separate juries.

Harris benefits from:

  1. being President Biden’s heir apparent by virtue of being VP, his endorsement, and universal name recognition;
  2. the prolonged drama associated with the fate of Biden’s candidacy which distracted the right wing from attacks on her;
  3. the huge advantage of federal campaign law restrictions on who controls and how money already raised can be spent or transferred;
  4. demographic appeal capable of energizing the base in a short campaign (July to November);
  5. a career and experience as a courtroom prosecutor;
  6. a unique, history-making candidacy that gives those inclined to sit on the sidelines another opportunity to make history (a la Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton);
  7. the highly controversial and motivational Supreme Court rulings and Project 2025;
  8. the extended deliberations over Biden’s withdrawal which shortened the campaign calendar (15 weeks) and imbued her candidacy and campaign with a sense of urgency.

Harris has already tapped into the sense of relief felt by Democrats in the immediate 48 hour aftermath of President Biden’s endorsement.

What then remains to make history?

  1. REGULATE THE FLOW. The foreboding sense of resignation many felt just days ago has been replaced by a sense of relief turned into full-throated enthusiasm. Trump is a symptom of a much larger disease — authoritarianism. Kamala is the antidote. An overwhelming Democratic Party victory at the polls is the solution. This relief is being translated into motivation and mobilization by both the organized and spontaneous reaction to Biden’s withdrawal and Harris’s ascendancy.The Harris campaign and supporters will need to inspire volunteers and voters alike with a simple message of:
    1. Confidence — We CAN or “YES WE KAM!”
    2. Fortitude — We WILL
    3. Hope — We MUST
    4. GOTV Plan to win — Here’s HOW, and
    5. Contrasting Campaign Platform — Here’s WHY.

The spontaneous upsurge in support needs the guidance of the campaign to transform volunteers into campaign activists. To accomplish this task, Harris must:

  1. ARTICULATE A VISIONARY MESSAGE. Democrats must be disciplined and united by a message that appeals to folks currently on the sideline to engage in an holistic effort that addresses the existential challenges associated with authoritarianism, income inequality, bodily autonomy, economic sustainability, climate change, human rights, and world peace with justice.
  2. POPULARIZE A SIMPLE CRITIQUE OF TRUMP-ISM. Trumpism and MAGA constitute a threat to democratic self-government. Harris supporters must win and activate voters with urgent appeals to their sense of agency and capacity as voters to use the franchise in pursuit of their self-interest in making politically consequential decisions: preservation of democracy and material (economic policy-based) decisions. Priority should be given to voters currently on the sidelines to engage and be inspired by an historic effort to elect the first female, first generation American of mixed Jamaican and Indian ancestry.
  3. PROMOTE THE VALUES OF CIVIC ENGAGEMENT. The following set of values define the perspective, practice, and methodology associated with the Empowerment Congress, a civic engagement organization based in Los Angeles, and its approach to representative and participatory democracy. We employ these principles and values to guide advocacy, impact politics, and promote transformational change.
    • Civil discourse on matters of debate and contention
    • Evidence-based inquiry, discussion, and public policy development
    • Inclusive, democratic participation
    • Reciprocal accountability
    • Non-violent, peaceful resolution of disputes
    • Respect for diversity and the dignity of all persons
    • Principle-based organizing
    • Neighborhood empowerment
    • Collective advocacy and direct action in the redress of grievances
    • Mass mobilization rooted in the agency of the individual

These principles encompass many of the values and practices that arose from one understanding, interpretation and general summation of the African American political experience and quest to participate in representative self-government. While developed out of the experience of that specific movement, there may be commonalities to all communities seeking to perfect the practice of democracy in the United States.

Vincent M. Harris served as deputy director (California) for the Obama for President Campaign 2008 and project director for the African American Voter Registration, Education and Participation Project.