Why Kamala Harris could well upset history a second time

undefined 22 juillet 2024 undefined 16h00

The Editor

New twists in the American political scene. On Sunday, July 21, President Joe Biden announced that he will not run for a second term in the next presidential election in the United States. For several weeks now, personalities supporting the Democratic camp such as George Clooney had been calling for the 81-year-old president to step down following various blunders and a particularly visible weakening.

A main question then emerged following this groundbreaking announcement: Kamala Harris, the current 59-year-old vice president, could she be the one to represent the Democratic camp in the presidential election? The answer came quickly. Immediately supported by Joe Biden, Kamala Harris stated in a tweet posted last night: "I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic party and unite our nation, to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme agenda, Project 2025."


After the vice presidency, the presidency?

Could Kamala Harris change the course of American history for the second time? We will have to wait until November to find out, but the process is definitely underway. In 2021, she was already shaking up the political world like never before.

She made history by becoming the first woman of Afro-American and Asian origin to be the vice president of the United States. Prior to this, she was also the first woman of this ethnicity to hold the position of Attorney General of the State of California.The first woman to become a senator in the same state. 🌟 #Trailblazer #WomenInPolitics 🇺🇸

By entering the race for the White House, Kamala Harris would be following in the footsteps of Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman to run for the Democratic nomination in 1972. "I am not the candidate of Black America even though I am Black and proud to be. I am not the candidate of the women's movement even though I am a woman and proud to be. [...] I am the candidate of the American p

"People and my presence before you symbolizes a new era in American political history," she declared on January 25, 1972 at the Concord Baptist Church in Bedford-Stuyvesant. A supported candidacy that has not yet been approved Following the president's endorsement, "hundreds of politicians from across the political spectrum have followed Joe Biden's lead." They have announced their full support for Kamala Harris," a statement from the candidate's campaign team, as reported by BFM. In just a few hours, the Democratic party has raised around 46 million dollars, a true record. Earlier this morning, the dedicated X account for Joe Biden's presidential campaign was transferred to the new presidential candidate, now calling themselves "Kamala HQ."

But nothing is set in stone. According to various polls conducted at the beginning of July, Donald Trump remains in the lead although the margin is narrow. Within the Democratic camp, Kamala Harris was the main supported candidate in case Joe Biden steps down. According to an Ipsos poll reported by Le Figaro, 70% of party supporters said they would be "satisfied" if she took over the presidential race. At the moment, the outcome is still uncertain, only the Democratic convention scheduled in Chicago from August 19 to 22, will be able to officially approve Kamala Harris' candidacy.