The Biden Administration is about to finish its first year in office. There have been successes like the American Rescue Plan and challenges like Republican obstruction. Even though President Biden has indicated that he will run for re-election, there are questions about who will also be candidates to the 2024 Democratic primary race. In particular, eyes have looked towards Vice President Kamala Harris. She would be not only the first female President of the United States.
As we know, the former California senator ran against Biden in 2020's primary and even gave us this exchange during a 2019 debate. Harris agreed to be his running mate, and we all know the ending to that story.
However, given Harris’s recent interview with The Wall Street Journal, America may have to wait a while longer for Harris to break down another barrier potentially. “I’ll be very honest: I don’t think about it, nor have we talked about it,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal:
“I’m not going to talk about our conversations, but I will tell you this without any ambiguity: We do not talk about nor have we talked about reelection, because we haven’t completed our first year and we’re in the middle of a pandemic,” Harris said, in a wide-ranging interview that published on Thursday.
With the U.S. sustaining another wave of the COVID pandemic, filibuster issues concerning voting rights and the Build Back Better Act, climate change, and Harris heading the effort to remove lead from water pipes and homes, thinking about 2024 might seem much right now. President Biden himself will turn 80 next year, and eventually, the Democratic party will have to decide on what direction it’s going. Will they predicate younger, diverse, progressive voices within the party or politicians who’ve been in Washington for decades?
Experience is a great tool, but also fresh perspectives. Something that all of our institutions could use at the moment.