What Kamala Harris needs to achieve at the Democratic convention this week
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Kamala Harris's election campaign has been a success so far, but this week she faces her biggest test yet at the Democratic National Convention.
In brief...
- The Democratic National Conference takes place this week, where Kamala Harris will be sworn in as the official nominee for the November election.
- Harris is expected to set out her policies, and define how she differs from her Republican rival – and Democrat predecessor, Joe Biden.
- Her campaign has been a success so far, but as official nominee the scrutiny will intensify from opposition and the US press.
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The story about Kamala Harris was always that she was unelectable. Her approval rating as Vice President was low. Alleged White House memos were leaked which spoke about her “real political weaknesses”.
Well, it’s a very different story now.
Less than a month after replacing Joe Biden as the Democratic Party nominee for the November election, Harris holds a +2.5 point lead in an average of national polls. This sets Harris, her Vice President pick Tim Walz and the Democrats in a strong position as the Democratic National Convention kicks off this week in Chicago.
During this time, US press will be focused on Harris and her campaign, and the Democrats will be securing – and enjoying – all the media attention that her Republican rival Donald Trump thrives on.
But she still faces an uphill battle both this week, and throughout the campaign towards the November election, and there are still key areas where Harris needs to prove the ‘honeymoon period’ she’s enjoyed since becoming nominee can last.
A-list celebrities rumoured to appear at the Democratic Conference
What does Kamala Harris need to achieve this week?
So far, we’ve seen Harris to be an optimistic candidate – smiling, laughing, delivering empowering speeches. However, since becoming the Democrat candidate, she is yet to speak with journalists, and has avoided any scrutiny over her career and policies, which has been criticised by right-wing press in the UK.
She needs to let America know what she’ll bring to The White House, and to American policies, say The News Agents.
“Kamala Harris needs to have a good message, a clear message, a message that she can withstand criticism and attack, because the Republicans are going to come after her,” says Jon Sopel.
“The Republicans are not going to give up.”
Trump has already called Harris a "communist" after she unveiled some new economic policies, including building millions of new homes across America, and tax breaks for families.
Harris will speak at the conference on Thursday, the closing day of the event, where she will be officially confirmed as the party’s nominee for the election.
The US economy has struggled under Biden’s administration and while it could be argued that this was inherited from Trump’s time in power before him or from world events, Harris will nevertheless face challenges on the decline which has taken place over the past four years.
“If you're sat in Pennsylvania or Michigan – or wherever it happens to be – prices have gone up during the Biden presidency,” says Lewis Goodall.
“Now, you can have a long argument about who is to blame for that, and actually, whether Biden made it better or worse.
“But the truth is, it's happened on Biden's watch.”
Lewis says many US voters do not believe (“I think, a bit unfairly,” he adds) the Biden administration has done a good job on domestic economic pressures and economic issues, which Trump and his running-mate, JD Vance, have used in their messaging while campaigning.
“If this election ends up being about the economy, then you would have to say that Trump still remains favoured – if he can stay on message,” Lewis says.
And, of course, Harris was Vice President during this time.
Jon says that “the last thing” Harris can do this week is to criticise decisions made and actions taken during Biden’s time in office, because her involvement will be immediately questioned.He says it’s finally time for Harris to truly let America know how she differs from her predecessor, and her rival.
“She's got to define herself,” Jon says. “She's going to be put in the sunlight.”
“I think there are going to be different areas of stress. I think the economic policy will be different from what Biden advanced.”
Pro-Palestine protesters are expected outside the conference venue in Chicago, and Jon adds that many will be watching to see if Harris will make any changes to the US relationship with Israel in her policies. The US (along with the UK and many other parts of the world) continues to sell arms to Israel.
“I think that foreign policy will be really interesting to watch, in terms of Israel/Gaza, and whether she is less pro-Israeli than Biden was,” Jon adds.
But there’s one other thing she needs to achieve…
We know a lot about Donald Trump. The golf. The criminal convictions. The famous family.
Kamala Harris, on the other hand, is something of a political enigma, despite having held one of the most powerful jobs in the world for the past four years.
This week, and her Thursday speech, is a chance to change that.
“Yes, she's been vice president for three and a half years, but there are huge numbers of people who really don't know much about her, who haven't thought much about her,” says Jon.
“It is a chance for the Democrats to introduce Kamala Harris to the people.”
Listen in full on The News Agents.
