Kamala Harris, the most likely candidate to replace President Beden if she withdraws from the race

President Joe Biden insists only “Almighty Almighty Lord” can convince him to withdraw from the White House race. But if she changes her mind, Vice President Kamala Harris seems to be well placed to replace her.

Mrs. Harris would benefit from other names mentioned as possible alternatives to the Democrats, such as California Governor Gavin Newsome and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. It has already been tested as a successful candidacy together with President Beden, has provided support for years on democratic grounds and could inherit the management of large funds from contributions collected by the campaign to re-election President Biden.

Biden President's most natural support candidate

President Biden easily won the preliminary elections to receive the appointment as the official candidate of the Democratic Party, and the rules of this party do not allow delegates elected to support his candidacy to be passed by another candidate during the Democratic Party's assembly next month. But a number of delegates have already claimed they would support Mrs. Harris' candidacy.

If President Biden were to select Mrs. Harris, it would limit possible chaos and avoid confrontations in the hall of assembly, which could cause lasting harm to anyone who would receive the appointment as the official candidacy of the Democratic Party to face former Republican President Donald Trump.

It would make more sense for Harris to continue the legacy of Biden”, said Andrew Feldman, a Democrat expert who works closely with party branches in American states. He stressed that the issue is purely hypothetical, as President Biden insists he will not withdraw.

Mr. Feldman added that the administration agenda of President Biden “has been very popular in terms of issues they have defended” and that President and Vice President Harris “have done this in partnership”.

Antwan Seawright, a Democrat expert from South Carolina, noted that voters four years ago assigned the 78-year-old Biden to the Oval Office, knowing that Mrs. Harris would be next to him and that Mr. Biden avoided rivals during the preliminary elections this year at 81 years old, while the Democrats knew that Mrs. Harris would continue second for the hierarchy.

“Democrats have voted for Joe Biden with Kamala Harris”, said Mr. Seawright.

Opposition to Mrs. Harris' candidacy as an alternative to President Biden

Mrs. Harris is the first woman to serve as vice president, as well as the first African-American woman and originally from South Asia. African-Americans are the largest and most loyal bloc to supporters of the Democrats.

The passage of a historic deputy in favor of anyone else's candidacy would be a popular alternative from a key state. Because of Mrs. Harris' image as leading leader of efforts to break up gender and racial barriers, he can permanently leave the challenger with the image of an unfaithful person in the upcoming elections within the Democratic Party.

Glyndda Carr, who heads the political action committee “Higher Heights”, which supports African-American candidates across the country, said public suggestions that Mrs. Harris could be overlooked for another senior Democrat official, in the absence of President Biden, indicate that “s are very often bypassed by African-American women”.

You want African-American women to organize our homes, our neighborhoods, our churches, our families? Then we must support our leadership”.

Democrat lawmaker Yasmine Crockett stressed the importance of what it means for African-American women to see Mrs. Harris on national leadership duties.

Democrats with ambition for national positions may not want a hasty campaign

Since President Beden's poor appearance in the debate, the Democrats have mentioned a series of key alternative names that could run instead of the president. Besides the names of Mrs. Whitmer and Mr. Newsom, the governor of Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro, and the governor of Illinois, J. B. Pritsker. All these officials have said they will continue to support President Beden.

But in dozens of interviews, democratic experts, pollsters and elected officials report that they have not faced that kind of political level of support for someone else in the democratic assembly, such as Mrs. Harris, which would be necessary if President Biden withdrew from the race. Any such discussion has taken place quietly and would certainly appear in public if President Biden were to leave the race.

Juris Barry Goodman, who has led funding collection operations for both of Mrs. Whitmer's election campaigns, said she was unaware of any co-ordinated attempts by the governor to secure support for her candidacy.

Mrs. Harris will have funds from the beginning

Another factor that would help alleviate a transition from Mr. Biden to Mrs. Harris is campaign finances. The vice president, being the official co-Candidate with President Beden, may have access to the 91m-dollar funds that have been raised during the electoral campaign ) funds amounting to $240m if funds collected by the Allied Democrat organisations are included.

For his part, former President Trump is already trying to mobilise donors with the idea that the Democrats can exchange President Biden's candidacy with Vice President Harris. The former president sent emails to collect funds Monday with the title “the removal of the Biden” and “President Kamala Harris?”

The jurist experience may weigh more than before

At the age of 59, the vice president is 22 years younger than President Biden. With the experience of the former prosecutor, she could make a strong presentation in debate as she faced Mr. Biden during the preliminary elections within the democratic bloc in 2020, when Mrs. Harris criticised him for his earlier opposition to using school buses as a tool against racial divisions.

Its legal experience could also be closer to the ideals of the current Democratic Party, which has moved mainly towards the centre in terms of criminal justice and messages of order and law in recent years, as nationwide protests against racial injustice in 2020 helped mobilise the movement for cutting funds for police.

President Biden has faced a significant decline in support from the Africans, a tendency that Mrs. Harris would hope to change before November. However, President Biden has long faced low levels of support in general among Africans, and the vice president also does not turn out to enjoy better support.

About 39% of adult Americans have a favourable opinion of the vice president, which is in line with 40% support for President Biden. But a poll by the Centre for Public Affairs Study, AP- The NORC, conducted in June, found that fewer people have a unfavourable view of Mrs. Harris, 49% compared to 57% for President Biden.

Mrs. Harris enjoys a 62% support from the African-American ranks, compared to 37% from hispanic Americans and 35% from white Americans. All these figures are similar to those for President Beden, though there may be more opportunities for her to change her opinion. Nearly 12% of Americans said they do not have enough knowledge about Mrs. Harris to give an opinion, while almost all respondents have formed an opinion of President Biden. / VOA