On July 21, 2024, President Joe Biden made a historic decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential race. That meant the party had to find its new nominee. Biden, who had won the primaries, was practically unopposed (unless you count the fringe candidates) with 14 million votes. Questions arose about whether there would be a mini-primary or if it would default to Biden’s running mate, Vice President Kamala Harris. Harris was the most ideal regarding the campaign’s financials, as her name was on the campaign; the $300M they had fundraised at that point would automatically get transferred over to her if she decided to run. As a result, the rising stars in the democratic party from California Governor Gavin Newsom, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who would have wanted to run, but didn’t as Harris was chosen as the nominee.
On July 21, even if there had been a mini-primary, the members of the Democratic Party would not have been able to vote anyway as the primary season was finished. The vote would have gone to ceremonial delegates, who represent the people at the Democratic National Convention and choose the nominee.
If Biden were to have dropped out a year before, there would have been an immense opportunity for Democrats to assemble and run, and I severely doubt Harris would have been the nominee. She has broken unimaginable glass ceilings but was not a well-regarded vice president. In fact, from July 4, 2022 – August 10, 2024, she barely averaged out to have a 40% approval rating. She was not strongly suited for being head of border operations, the opposite was the case. Also, in the Biden-Harris administration, there have been as many failures as successes, including two foreign wars involving nuclear powers, prices are up, supply chain issues remain constant, unemployment is up and job growth is stalling, she was too close to too many negative things to avoid blame.
Additionally, she did not do well in the 2020 democratic primaries when she ran, barely breaking 3% in polling. Here’s a fact: she didn’t have what it took to win a primary now. Not to mention, she was not even elected to the nomination this time.
Americans live in a democracy. We don’t live in the UK, where they elect government members and then those members elect their Prime Minister. No, we live in America, where the people choose the president, and each party selects a leader, not some bureaucratic group that barely represents the people’s interests.
Democrats got squashed this year. Donald Trump is not only the first Republican, but the first presidential candidate in 40 years to win all the flip states. In 2028, if Democrats want a chance, they need a primary representing the people. And it starts now. The frontrunners who have been unfairly pushed aside this time are Newsom, Shapiro, Whitmer, and Buttigieg. One of them will be the 2028 democratic nominee and potentially the 48th president of the United States.
But to do that, Democrats need to start addressing kitchen table issues. Americans don’t care about politically correct individuals. They want genuity, people who speak to their problems of job growth, financial freedom, and the overall well-being of this nation. For one of these candidates to propose, they need to go anti-Trump and hardcore. They need to lead the fight if they want the nomination. Newsom has already taken measures to “Trump-proof” California.
Here’s my point. Harris was destined to lose the 2024 presidential race. Despite my previous prediction of her winning, that was my naivete in listening to the polls. The fact is Kamala Harris should have never been the nominee, and Biden should have either continued in his campaign or dropped out earlier. The people chose him, and Kamala Harris never quickly affirmed her base in this election. Every nominee needs a base of support; Harris didn’t have her base; she didn’t have an influential role in the party in terms of support over the past four years. Going into the future, if Democrats want a shot, the 2028 nominee needs to start gaining support now, get a base of support and, of course, actually address issues that matter.
