Rifts in the Democratic Party are appearing as the 2024 presidential election cycle draws near. Questions about President Joe Biden’s mental fitness, approval rating and hesitance to formally announce he will seek another term have led some to explore other options.
Vice President Kamala Harris would typically be the heir-apparent, but her unfavorability rating does not make her a strong candidate. That fact was spotlighted recently when former presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) stopped short of endorsing Harris for the vice president slot if Biden runs in 2024.
Warren disclosed her reticence during a Bosting Public Radio interview in January. When asked if she would support Harris for vice president if Biden ran in 2024, she said:
“I really want to defer to what makes Biden comfortable on his team. I’ve known Kamala for a long time. I like Kamala. I knew her back when she was an attorney general and I was still teaching, and we worked on the housing crisis together, so we go way back. But they need — they have to be a team, and my sense is they are — I don’t mean that by suggesting I think there are any problems. I think they are.”
According to a report in CNN, Harris took great offense and has refused to accept or return Warren’s repeated calls to the White House.
Warren later backtracked and noted her support for a Biden-Harris ticket in a statement to GBH News:
“I fully support the president’s and vice president’s reelection together and never intended to imply otherwise,” her statement read. “They’re a terrific team with a strong record of delivering for working families.”
CNN’s Jasmine Wright and Edward-Isaac Dovere reported that Warren’s comments were likely “infuriating [to] many in Harris’ circle: To them, it’s the latest in a long string of snubs to a vice president whom they say has never gotten the respect or support she deserves. Warren’s words sting even more, they say, because they came from a former rival who in 2020 hoped to be picked as Biden’s running mate instead.”
Leaders in the DNC have not lauded praise on Harris. CNN reported that a Democratic Party chair said Harris “seems to be an albatross” and her low favorability rating “could prove a political problem.”
The DNC leader added: “She’s either going to be a liability or a help. And you better embrace her because it’s not like she’s going to be off the ticket.”
In February, The New York Times reported that DNC fundraiser John Morgan said Harris’ weakness as vice president would be “one of the most hard-hitting arguments against Biden.”
Morgan added: “I can’t think of one thing she’s done except stay out of the way and stand beside him at certain ceremonies.”
Scroll down to leave a comment and share your thoughts.
