The Kamala Harris Candidacy – A Tale of Light and Shadow

There are only 75 days until the United States presidential election on November 5. However, the contours of the election have shifted dramatically since Joe Biden withdrew on July 21. The Democratic Party now has a new candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris, who is showing signs of overtaking former Republican President Donald Trump, who had been in the lead until then.

But Harris's growing popularity raises questions. While serving in the Biden Administration, Harris has registered an approval rating of just 28 percent. That makes her the least popular vice president in history. She has drawn heavy criticism even from within the Democratic Party. How then did she become a beacon of hope that the Democratic Party united behind in such a short time?　　

Democratic Party Sentiments

The reasons are easy enough to guess. The prevailing sentiment within the Democratic Party is to dump Biden and oppose Trump. Along with that is the campaign by most mainstream media favoring the Democratic Party. 

For example, the headline for a news story carried in the August 10 edition of the New York Times proclaimed, "Harris Emanates Joy, Contrasting Bleakness of Trump's Vision." This is a good example of the tenor of the "news reporting" that sings Harris's praises. 

Policies of Her Own

However, questions are also mounting about Harris's qualifications as a political leader and her policies. Since becoming the Democratic nominee, she has not given press conferences or interviews despite repeated requests. Some observers say that is out of concern that unless she has a prepared draft in the teleprompter, what she says will make no sense. 

But what is even more worrying are Harris's drastic policy shifts. Although she was named as the Biden administration's top official on the issue of illegal immigration, she did not travel to the US-Mexico border for a long period of time. When asked about that, she sparked further criticism by replying that she had not been to Europe recently either. 

When Harris was still in the US Senate she criticized as excessive actions Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had taken to stem illegal immigration. Moreover, in general, she has advocated a tolerant policy toward illegal immigrants. The Biden administration has dismantled parts of the Trump administration's "wall with Mexico" and allowed record-breaking illegal immigration. But now it is changing its policy and calling for tougher enforcement. 

Regarding energy, previously Harris advocated a total ban within US territory on the use of fracking (hydraulic fracturing) to extract oil and gas. But now she has clearly made an about-face on this issue. 

Owning Her Senate Record

While in the Senate, Harris joined with self-professed socialist Senator Bernie Sanders. Together they pushed for passage of an ultra-liberal bill to expand Medicare health insurance to all Americans. But it failed and the current system under which people can select their own medical care with public health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) remains in place. 

Regarding gun control, Harris proposed a bold law that would require the government to forcibly purchase firearms owned by private individuals. It too went nowhere. 

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When Harris ran in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primary, she came under fire for such failed policy proposals and shifting positions on key issues. That precipitated her early withdrawal from the race. Nevertheless, she was chosen by Joe Biden to be his vice president, in line with his strategy to prioritize support among minority women.

Given her record of flip-flopping, some Democrats remain wary. David Axelrod, former chief of staff to President Barack Obama, characterizes her current popularity as "irrational exuberance." Thus, the Harris phenomenon is one of light and shadows. 

Foreign Policy 

Furthermore, Harris has few foreign policy achievements to her credit. On this point, the influential Wall Street Journal noted in an August 9 editorial that she would be a mystery as "commander in chief." It concluded that there is no way of knowing what Harris would be thinking in these most perilous of times should she become the head of the US military. 

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（Find access to the column in Japanese.）

Author: Yoshihisa Komori, Associate Correspondent, Washington, The Sankei Shimbun