US Presidential Polls 2024: Vice President Kamala Harris is poised to pursue the Democratic Party nomination for the 5 November elections, following President Joe Biden's endorsement after stepping aside. If successful, Harris would make history as the first Black woman and Asian American to lead a major party ticket in the United States.
If elected president, Kamala Harris will also be the first woman of colour to lead the superpower- the United States.
Vice President Kamala Harris announced her intention to pursue the Democratic nomination following President Joe Biden's decision to step aside and endorse her candidacy. This move positions Harris to potentially achieve historic milestones as the first Black woman and first Asian American to head the ticket of a major political party.
Despite speculation, Kamala Harris's status as the Democratic Party's potential nominee for the Presidential election remains uncertain.
Notably, former President Obama and ex-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have refrained from endorsing her candidacy. However, a growing faction within the Democratic ranks increasingly supports Harris, viewing her as a strong contender and potential party standard-bearer.
To clinch the nomination, Harris must secure the backing of at least 1,986 Democratic delegates. As of the latest US news outlet, The Hill count, she has garnered at least 531 delegates.
Never a senator, always a prosecutor – Kamala Harris's imminent entry into the US Presidential race against Republican candidate Donald Trump will bring a unique perspective rooted in her background as a prosecutor.
The Prosecutor versus the Felon.
According to experts quoted by CNN, Kamala Harris's candidacy will prominently feature her extensive background as a district attorney and attorney general and her role as a cross-examiner in Senate hearings.
The strategy will be a return to the "prosecutor for president" framework of her 2020 presidential campaign, which included her slogan taken from her days standing up in court as a young assistant district attorney: "Kamala Harris, for the people."
In 2020, Kamala Harris' campaign slogan seemed ambitious, but now, her opponent, Donald Trump, faces significant legal challenges. He has been found guilty in a New York hush money trial and held liable for battery in a civil case. Additionally, Trump is involved in two other criminal cases linked to allegations of election interference in 2020.
"As a former prosecutor, Vice President Harris has a lot of experience holding convicted felons accountable," CNN quoted Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren.
"The prosecutor approach is really about just deconstructing an issue," Harris had told CNN in an interview after a campaign stop in April. "It's presenting and reminding folks about the empirical evidence that shows us exactly how we arrived at this point. … He (Donald Trump) can't hide from this stuff."
An expert speaking to CNN highlighted Kamala Harris's record of prosecuting sex predators, including a pointed remark that labelled Donald Trump as one.
“She prosecuted sex predators. He is one." the expert told CNN.
In 2023, a jury in New York found that former US president Donald Trump sexually abused magazine writer E Jean Carroll in the 1990s and then defamed her by branding her a liar, awarding about $5m in compensatory and punitive damages.
The expert praised Harris for her actions against for-profit colleges that defrauded Americans, contrasting her role as a former attorney general who challenged major banks and secured an $18 billion settlement for homeowners.
"She shut down for-profit colleges that swindled Americans. He was a for-profit college – literally," the expert added.
"He's owned by the big banks. She's the attorney general who beat the biggest banks in America and forced them to pay homeowners $18 billion." the expert noted.
