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Who is Kamala Harris? That鈥檚 the question the Democratic nominee for president tried to answer in her highly anticipated听听at the party鈥檚 national convention in Chicago.

Although she has been vice-president for three and a half years, recent polling showed that around one-third of Americans knew little about what Harris stood for听. This result is in part because she earned the nomination without winning a single primary vote after President Joe Biden was pressured out of the race.

The keynote was Harris鈥檚 primetime introduction to the country, and undoubtedly the defining moment of her campaign 鈥� and political career 鈥� to date.听听by Barack Obama鈥檚 former speechwriter Adam Frankel, part of a听听that also includes Obama鈥檚 former campaign manager David Plouffe, the address was a call to arms, urging moderates and progressives alike to cast aside their differences and rally behind the Democratic ticket.

In the days leading up to Thursday night, Harris听听in a nearby hotel, where she honed and practised her speech. Known more for her听听than soaring oratory, Harris nonetheless commanded the stage at the packed United Center.

She leaned heavily into her identity as the daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants, presenting herself as embodying the the nation鈥檚 diversity. She portrayed her rapid professional ascent, including to become the highest-ranking female government official in history, as reflecting the American dream.

Building up the middle class

From prosecuting criminals as a California district attorney to her time in the Senate, Harris suggested that her life experiences give her a clear view of the challenges faced by everyday Americans. She underlined that her background animates her policy agenda, which she champions as pro-family and pro-working class.

: 鈥淲e know a strong middle class has always been critical to America鈥檚 success, and building that middle class will be a defining goal of my presidency.鈥�

Where Biden has depicted Trump as an existential threat to US democracy, Harris tempered her language, highlighting the stakes without fully embracing Biden鈥檚 harsher tone.

鈥淚n many ways, Donald Trump is an unserious man,鈥� she听. 鈥淏ut the consequences of putting Donald Trump back in the White House are extremely serious.鈥�

An end to the honeymoon

Harris鈥檚 speech capped off an electrifying week for Democrats, sparking a surge of excitement that was unthinkable just weeks ago when Biden was fighting a war against both Trump and internal dissenters within his own party. Some听听now show Harris with a slight lead nationally and in several key swing states.

The honeymoon will end, however. Honeymoons always do.

For weeks, Harris has been swimming in听听and adulation from within her party. The focus has been on what it would mean for her to be the听听in US history, and on her听.

Yet amid the flurry of excitement, Harris听听give a major press conference where she鈥檚 been grilled by opposition media. She has yet to do any sit-down interviews.

Harris鈥檚 successful roll out of her campaign has arguably been more about personality than policy. She鈥檚听听from an image rebrand with the help of new-generation 鈥渋nfluencers鈥� creating online memes and听听portraying her as a听听poised to take Washington.

But TikTok videos and social media hype can鈥檛 substitute for substance. Harris鈥檚 agenda will invariably come under scrutiny, testing her mettle.

In her only notable policy address delivered so far, Harris called for a听, a proposal that was panned by many economists as a gimmick that could actually worsen inflation. She鈥檚 now听听that her proposal was misconstrued.

Despite echoing Obama鈥檚 call for 鈥渉ope and change鈥� for the future, Harris needs to听听the fact that it is Democrats, not Republicans, who have occupied the White House for nearly 12 of the last 16 years.

On one of Trump鈥檚 signature issues, immigration, Harris听听in her DNC speech that she 鈥渂rought together Democrats and conservative Republicans to write the strongest border bill in decades鈥�. Yet the bill never became a law, and Harris鈥檚 role of tackling the听听of of illegal immigration is largely seen as an area of vulnerability.

On abortion, Harris听听that she would 鈥減roudly sign 鈥� a bill to restore reproductive freedom鈥�. However, she听听that Trump wants to 鈥渆nact a nationwide abortion ban鈥�.

Policy proposals

Harris also needs to make clear where she is aligned with Biden 鈥� and where she鈥檚 distancing herself from her boss. That includes on the听, which Harris has mostly tried to evade.

She gave some clues in her speech to her foreign policy approach, saying that she was working with Biden to find an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and that she would be听听to strengthen the US鈥檚 global leadership. This approach would be in contrast听听that he will pull funding for both.

Then there鈥檚 Harris鈥檚 own record of governing. She was once听听the second-most left-wing US senator in the 21st century following an analysis of Congressional votes by political scientist Mark P. Jones.

Trump has had trouble defining Harris, fumbling in figuring out which criticisms will land. In calling her everything from a听听to not听, Republicans鈥� attacks have largely missed the mark. Even Trump鈥檚听听for Harris 鈥� 鈥淜amala Crash鈥� or 鈥淜amabla鈥� 鈥� don鈥檛 seem to pack the same punch as 鈥淐rooked Hillary鈥� or 鈥淪leepy Joe.鈥�

Trump will learn. The primary knock on Harris, as it鈥檚 always been, is that she鈥檚 a听听That鈥檚 the line that Trump will eventually settle on in giving his own answer to the question: who is Kamala Harris?

The country will definitely want to know more about her than that.

This article was originally published in on 23听August 2024.

Links

• Original article in
• Dr Thomas Gift's academic profile
• UCL Political Science

• UCL Life Sciences