The New York Times (NYT) editorial board has expressed their concerns about the electability of Vice President Kamala Harris, suggesting that she be removed from the 2024 ticket. This comes shortly after President Joe Biden announced he would not run in the next election, potentially threatening Democratic turnout in November.
The board first acknowledged some praise for Biden, stating that by stepping down when his term ends in January, he is increasing the chance of protecting the nation from a possible return of Donald Trump to the presidency. However, they also raised concerns about choosing Ms. Harris as the vice presidential nominee, expressing doubts about her electability.
Despite her position as Mr. Biden’s running mate and the expectation among his voters that she would be on the ticket in November, the board argued that delegates should have a voice in such an important decision. They highlighted the presence of other qualified Democrats who could challenge Trump and win, suggesting that picking a candidate without a real contest is how the party ended up with a standard-bearer whose electability was widely questioned.
The NYT’s push to demote Harris after Biden’s exit may help explain why many black politicians were eager to keep the Biden-Harris ticket for 2024, as they believe this combination is essential in defeating Trump and his radical agenda. However, this stance could also be risky for the Democrats’ diverse coalition, given that black Americans provided roughly 11.5 percent of the electorate in 2020, delivering one in five of Biden’s votes.
President Donald Trump has been trying to win a significant share of the black electorate and is making some progress among black men, partly due to many black Americans recognizing that Democratic leaders are eagerly courting Latino migrants in major cities like Chicago and New York. However, it must also be noted that Harris’s poll ratings have been poor, indicating a possibility of her losing to Trump in the upcoming election.