No. of Recommendations: 3
Neither was Harris.
True, but she’s the Vice President. The core function of that role is to be the successor to the President if he can’t fulfill his duties. On top of that, their main role is to support the President and be a partner in his Administration - to stand behind the President. A big reason for Biden’s strength among Black voters was that he stood behind Obama for all those years, so they stood behind Biden when he chose to run.
Her supporters will believe that her role as Biden’s running mate and VP should put her above other contenders for the spot. It’s something that makes her different from all the other names that are out there - she’s the Veep, she’s been on the national ticket, and her job is to step in for the President.
The idea is that if Biden anoints her as his successor, it will have a logic and legitimacy that the other hopefuls can’t claim. The only way the Democrats have any chance with a replacement is if the disappointed losing candidates and their supporters are willing to accept that they didn’t get the nod. Because Harris is unique among the hopefuls, by dint of her position, the hope is that Biden directing his delegates to her will forestall a fracture that goes beyond the convention floor.
That might be a naive hope. It may be that things will be just as bad picking Harris as if they picked Newsom or Whitmer or Warren or Clinton. But it’s perhaps the lowest risk of that happening, because it gives the disappointed hopefuls a logical reason why their guy/gal was passed over - one that doesn’t exist for anyone other than Harris.
