As the 2024 US presidential campaign unfolded, top aides to Joe Biden engaged in a high-stakes game with Democratic donors, warning that running Kamala Harris against Donald Trump would be a strategic mistake. But did they succeed in preventing this scenario, and what were the consequences of their actions?
The ‘Mistake’ of Kamala Harris: How Biden Aides Warned Against Her in the 2024 Campaign
As the 2024 US presidential campaign unfolded, top aides to Joe Biden engaged in a high-stakes game with Democratic donors. They warned that if the then-president was forced out of the election due to concerns about his age and fitness, the party would inevitably make the ‘mistake’ of running Kamala Harris against ‘Donald Trump‘.
According to a new book by Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes, Biden’s top aides made this argument ‘aggressively’ last summer. The authors obtained a copy of the book, which provides detailed insights into the crisis that gripped the Democratic party during the campaign.
The argument was simple yet devastating: if Biden dropped out, the party would only succeed in nominating Harris as its nominee. However, as the authors note, Harris’s polling numbers were dismal, and many Democrats had reservations about her ability to win the election.
Kamala Harris is an American politician serving as the senior United States Senator for California since 2017.
She previously served as Attorney General of California from 2011 to 2017.
Born on October 20, 1964, in Oakland, California, Harris graduated from Howard University and later earned her law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.
She has been a member of the Democratic Party since 2003.
Biden aides also pointed out that even if they managed to avoid a contentious convention, the party would still be stuck with Harris as their nominee. This was a calculated move to intimidate donors into backing Biden, rather than risking a potentially disastrous outcome with Harris at the helm.
Despite the warnings, many Democratic heavyweights, including former president ‘Barack Obama‘ and House speaker ‘Nancy Pelosi‘, initially expressed concerns about running Harris against ‘Trump’. However, figures like Jim Clyburn, who played a crucial role in making Biden the nominee, ultimately helped to steer the party towards supporting Harris.
The book also reveals that before becoming the nominee, Harris had struggled to gain traction with key allies, including ‘Barack Obama‘ and his wife ‘Michelle’. The authors describe how Harris felt hurt by ‘Obama’s’ lukewarm support and later turned her anger into a fierce determination to prove herself as a viable candidate.
Ultimately, Biden dropped out of the campaign on July 21, and the party moved swiftly to avoid further upheaval. As the authors note, it was a historic moment that could have had far-reaching consequences for the Democratic party.
The Fallout: How Biden Aides’ Warning Backfired
The warning from Biden aides about the ‘mistake’ of running Harris against ‘Trump’ has been widely criticized as a cynical attempt to intimidate donors and maintain control over the campaign. However, as the book reveals, this strategy ultimately backfired in several ways.
Firstly, it alienated many moderate Democrats who were already skeptical about Harris’s chances. By branding her as a liability, Biden aides effectively turned what was already a tough sell into an impossible one.
Secondly, the warning played into ‘Trump’s’ hands. The former president and his allies seized on the narrative that the Democratic party was desperate to avoid running Harris against him, using it to fuel their own attacks on the party.
Finally, the book suggests that Biden aides’ strategy may have contributed to a broader sense of disillusionment among Democrats. By trying to control the campaign from behind the scenes, they may have inadvertently created a perception that the party was out of touch with its own voters.
As the 2024 US presidential election enters its final stretch, it remains to be seen how this episode will shape the Democratic party’s strategy going forward. One thing is certain, however: the ‘mistake’ of running Harris against ‘Trump’ has left a lasting scar on the party’s psyche.
