Possible Biden successor Can Kamala Harris really be president?

US President Joe Biden is wavering and his successor is being debated in the USA. Now the eyes of the Democrats are on Biden's running mate Kamala Harris. Would she stand a chance against Trump?

When Kamala Harris became Vice President alongside US President Joe Biden in 2021, quite a few people in the USA thought that the lawyer could succeed Biden - perhaps even during his first term of office if he were to weaken due to his advanced age. But at the latest as the Democratic candidate for the 2024 presidential election.

Then two things happened: Harris remained conspicuously pale in her vice office. And Biden enjoyed his job so much that he ran for re-election.

Now Biden explains the debate debacle"Almost fell asleep on stage"

But after Biden's disastrous performance in the TV debate against Republican challenger Donald Trump a week ago, it remains to be seen whether the 81-year-old is really the right candidate. And so many people are once again focusing on Harris, who had actually been written off.

Harris as a pioneer

Harris is the first woman, the first black woman and the first American with Asian roots to take the oath as US Vice President. She was born on October 20, 1964 in Oakland in the US state of California. Her father immigrated to the USA from Jamaica to study economics. Her mother - a cancer researcher and civil rights activist - came from India.

The now 59-year-old became the first black female district attorney in San Francisco. From 2010, she was the first woman to hold the position of Attorney General in her home state. In 2017, she entered the US Senate.

Her next goal: the White House. She wanted to be the Democratic candidate in the 2020 presidential election. This came to nothing - she withdrew before the primaries due to a lack of prospects of success.

The unpopular vice president

Biden then made her number two. But in this - often very thankless - job, she was never really able to make a name for herself. Today, according to polls, her popularity ratings are just as poor as Biden's.

There are many reasons for this. Biden put her in charge of the unpopular issue of migration. In June 2021, she had to defend herself for not having traveled to the southern border with Mexico as Vice President. Her response: "I haven't been to Europe either."

These and other statements caused a shake of the head; Harris couldn't win a flower pot with the topic of migration. Malicious tongues say that Biden deliberately gave his vice president an impossible task.

In the years that followed, Harris tried to find an issue with which she could score points with voters. After the end of the nationwide right to abortion in the USA, she tried to campaign for women's rights - and was at least somewhat more convincing.

Nevertheless, the 59-year-old remained conspicuously pale. However, the criticism of her is by no means free of racism and sexism. Her name was not the first to come up in the debate about a possible Biden successor. Instead, the governor of California, Gavin Newsom, or the governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer, were seen as favorites.

The tide is turning

But now the mood seems to be turning. According to a poll commissioned by CNN, around three quarters of voters surveyed now say that the Democrats would have a better chance of winning the election if someone other than Biden were to run.

In a scenario in which Harris would run against Trump, the vice president performs a few percentage points better than Biden. In this case, 47 percent of respondents support Trump and 45 percent support Harris. Unlike Biden (49 percent for Trump, 43 for Biden), Harris' result is at least within the margin of error.

Other surveys show that Harris performs better than Biden in the important voter group of blacks and among women. And so, behind the scenes, the voices of the Democrats have become louder, who see Harris as the favorite in the discussion about a Biden alternative, according to US media reports.

What speaks in her favor?

There are also practical reasons why the ranks are closing behind Harris. Unlike Whitmer or Newsom, Harris is known nationally for her vice presidency. If Harris is not chosen, this would also raise questions about what happens to the millions in donations that Biden and Harris have collected in their names. It remains to be seen whether this money could legally simply be passed on to someone else.

Unlike her competitors, she has recently been able to gain international experience - for example at the peace summit for Ukraine in Switzerland or at the Munich Security Conference.

With or without Joe Biden?These options remain for the US Democrats

Should Biden really retire, it would also be important for the Democrats to demonstrate unity before their party conference in August in such a historic situation and not fall out over the succession.

As vice-chair, Harris is seen as the natural successor to Biden. What's more, what kind of image would the party present if it simply passed over the first black female vice president? People of Color are likely to be offended by this. This is how people who are not perceived as white and have experienced racism describe themselves.

What speaks against them?

There is no guarantee that the party will unite behind Harris in the event of a Biden withdrawal. Her poor performance as vice-presidential candidate has been a concern for Democrats not just since Biden's botched TV debate. During the election campaign, some Democrats even saw her as a burden.

It would be important for Biden to stand behind her if the worst comes to the worst. After the TV debacle, Harris had the thankless task of defending Biden's performance in an interview. "Yes, it was a bumpy start, but a strong finish," she said. Maybe it's the same for her.

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