It has been a historic summer for politics. The attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, the dropping out of President Joe Biden, and the potential for a Kamala Harris Democratic ticket have all made headlines in the past few weeks.
On July 13th, former President Trump was speaking at a rally in Pennsylvania when he was shot by a gunman with an AK-style rifle. The shooter was shot and killed while Trump survived, managing to get to his feet and raise his fist in the air before Secret Service officers rushed him offstage.
Biden wasted no time in denouncing political violence and asking Americans to focus on peaceful civil action. Unfortunately, after the president’s debate performance in June and now these events, his abilities to run the country were called into question once again. Despite insisting that he would not drop out of the race, on July 22nd, he announced his stepping down via social media.
His letter read, “I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.”
Additionally, he thanked Vice President Kamala Harris for “being an extraordinary partner” and endorsed her campaign as his replacement on X shortly after.
Though Democratic members of Congress had been calling for President Biden to leave the race for quite some time, now the delegates are tasked to vote for their official nominee in a virtual roll call on August 7th before the Democratic National Convention begins on August 19th.
It appears that Harris is the main contender, who raised a record $81 million in her first 24 hours as a candidate. She stated that she plans to earn the Democratic party’s nomination, but in the case that another candidate does challenge her, the party could expect an open convention.
However, given the condensed timeline, it would be more useful to pivot to the question of who Harris’ running mate could be. Names that have been thrown into the hat include Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, among others.
Already, the Democratic ticket looks starkly different from what it was just last week. While the Republican ballot remains an all-white-male ticket with Trump and his VP nominee J.D.Vance, Harris’ win as a Black and South Asian American woman would be unprecedented.
For many members of Gen Z, this is the first presidential election in which they will be able to have a direct vote. Estimates show that there are more than 8 million potential new voters, and nearly half are young people of color. In total, 40.8 million members of Gen Z will be eligible to vote.
If Harris is smart, she will find ways to not only appeal to younger voters but also distance herself from some of Biden’s policies and find her footing on both domestic and foreign issues to obtain the support of left-leaning voters. Despite the growing memes surrounding Harris and her new campaign, online clout does not equate to results in the polls.
One of the biggest challenges to Biden in the Democratic primary was the Uncommitted Movement, a call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Palestine and for the United States to stop aiding Israel in its war crimes. There is no doubt that the significant amount of uncommitted votes Biden received played a role in his eventual decision to drop out of the race, amongst an already crumbling infrastructure in his campaign.
With all eyes on Gaza, these anti-war voters have gone nowhere, and now their focus shifts to Harris to see if she will differ in her stance on this issue. Already, Harris declined to preside over the Senate on July 24th, when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a joint session of Congress but is set to meet with him at the White House later on.
Waleed Shahid, Democratic strategist and advisor to the Uncommitted campaign expressed that the group is hoping Harris will turn the page on Biden’s policy on Gaza and move toward peace.
“Voicing opposition to this war should be a Democratic principle, should be a principle of the Democratic Party,” Shahid said.
Still, it will take a lot more action and clarity from Harris if she wants to win over Palestinians and their allies on this issue. It is understandably difficult to ask people in good conscience or who have been directly affected by the genocide to vote for a candidate who played a significant role in enabling the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent people.
For some, foreign policy is their single issue in this upcoming election, and they will not compromise their morals. Others are resigned to settling for Harris, in fear of another four years of Trump in office and what that entails. Still, a select few are holding out for third-party candidates or not voting at all.
One thing remains clear: the people have to continue to hold politicians accountable. The pressure for Biden to drop out of the presidential race came not only from his own party but also from American citizens who demanded better. There is potential for Harris to be receptive to progressive groups and their push toward ending the genocide of Palestinians in a way that Biden never was.
Until then, there is much work to be done before the election in the fall. Civil rights activist Kwame Ture (aka Stokely Carmichael) once said, “You vote once in four years and that’s your political responsibility? That’s the height of bourgeois propaganda, making the people politically irresponsible. Thinking their responsibility is limited to a one day vote. Politics is every day.”
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Aspiring haunted house owner, ex-barista, and NYT mini crossword player.
