Former Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairwoman Donna Brazile insists Vice President Kamala Harris has been “indispensable” to the administration.
Brazile sought to push back on speculation Harris might be dropped from the 2024 ticket during a segment of ABC’s “This Week.”
“I’m so glad you brought up Kamala Harris,” she told former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R). “Because she is probably one of the most undefined human beings. She is incredible. She’s standing in her own power. She has been at every step helpful to this president and getting his agenda through the United States Congress.”
She then made a rather bold prediction about Harris, “I can guarantee you, Kamala Harris will not be replaced on the party’s ticket. And I can also guarantee you, if Joe Biden decides not to run, Kamala Harris will become the next nominee of the Democratic Party.”
“I don’t understand why every time, you know, something goes down people say, ‘Kamala, Kamala.’ She is standing in her power, she’s been incredible, she’s been indispensable,” Brazile added.
Watch the video below:
.@donnabrazile: @VP Harris "is probably one of the most undefined human beings. She is incredible. She’s standing in her own power … So, while her poll numbers may not reflect her true popularity, I can guarantee you Kamala Harris will not be replaced on the party’s ticket." pic.twitter.com/5J2UAoXIs1
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) February 13, 2023
In the wake of the 2022 midterm elections, talk about replacing President Joe Biden seems to have subsided for now.
But Harris is still the subject of articles voicing doubts from Democrats about her.
A story published by The New York Times earlier this week stated, “Dozens of Democrats in the White House, on Capitol Hill and around the nation — including some who helped put her on the party’s 2020 ticket — said she had not risen to the challenge of proving herself as a future leader of the party, much less the country.”
“Two Democrats recalled private conversations in which former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton lamented that Ms. Harris could not win because she does not have the political instincts to clear a primary field,” it added.
It does not seem likely Biden would replace Harris on the ticket absent a massive scandal. Such a move is pretty rare in American politics.
And at first glance, the prediction Harris would be the nominee if Biden does not run again seems to make sense. History would suggest vice presidents have a good chance of winning their party’s nomination for president. It worked for Biden and 12 of the 17 other vice presidents who went on to run for president.
But would it be the case for Harris?
The answer is not clear. Her poll numbers have been stuck in the low 40s or the 30s for much of her time as vice president. And her first presidential bid ended even before the first primary election took place in 2020.
If polls are to be believed, Biden is not the most popular president in America. As it stands, she does not have a super popular track record to campaign on. Meanwhile, the first two years of her time as vice president have highlighted some of her struggles as a communicator and with her likability.
So at least one part of Brazile’s prediction seems relatively safe, but the second part, not so much.