Summary
Kamala Harris' campaign had many problems, namely the sidelining of important voter issues like the environment, Palestine, and immigration. Some critics have outlined that one of the main problems with her campaign was an intent focus on aesthetics over these important issues.
Populism and its overall appeal played a large role in Donald Trump's success, but it is not the only factor. Voters did not come out in droves this year to vote for Harris, leading to her campaigns' loss.
When Joe Biden stepped down from his presidential campaign in July, there seemed to be a ray of hope for the Democratics and their prospects for ensuring a democratic president would come into office in January.
Biden’s resignation gave way to Kamala Harris’ 2024 campaign. It signalled a new lease of life for the Democrats’ battle with their populist opponent Donald Trump. Biden had lost much of the legitimacy he enjoyed years prior.
This is despite winning the electorate with 51.3 per cent of the vote, as well as 306 electoral college votes, compared to Trump’s 232, and 46.9 per cent of the popular vote.
Biden’s cognitive decline and perceived lack of leadership on issues such as the economy led to a steep fall in his popularity. Biden’s average rating hit a six-month high on September 3 at 42.3 per cent, but had since but declined from the end of September.
Despite this, for a brief window of time it seemed as if Harris had captured the moment just in time to secure the presidency. The prospect of the first woman president had proven to be appealing to black female voters. This was likely through the intersection of issues like racial equality and abortion, as well as the wider black electorate.
Abortion rights, gender affirming care, and public health stability were on the line. In such a pivotal moment, the narrative of a first female president was the hope many were holding onto.
However, Harris’ campaign fell short. She didn’t lose a significant amount of votes to third party candidates such as Jill Stein, who campaigned on international issues and demilitarisation. She did, however, fail to pull in as many voters from liberal and democratic strongholds as she had hoped. Voters in these strongholds didn’t come in droves to vote for Harris like they had for Biden four years earlier. This may have been the nail in the coffin for Harris’ campaign.
Despite this, she inherited the antagonism and distrust that cropped up towards the end of Biden’s tenure in office. Many of Harris’ endeavours seemed to be to capture the vote of the youth.
Style Over Substance
Some criticisms of Harris following her losses at the ballot box have been geared towards her focus on aesthetics and branding throughout her campaign. The most evident example of this would be here “brat summer” branding. This had followed a tweet by pop artist Charlie XCX declaring that, “kamala IS brat.”
The philosophy behind “brat” is one of partying and rave culture. It suggests that Harris, through this use of pop culture iconography, really did want to capture the young vote.
The art of appealing to the youth and avoiding embarrassment has always been difficult to master. Many will remember Hilary Clinton’s not so iconic “I always carry hot sauce in my purse” act back in 2016. Clinton’s campaign has since been remembered as failing to strike a sincere note with younger voters.
Some of the most important issues were on the ballot this 2024 election, with abortion rights being cited as a crucial concern for women across America. It can be argued that with the seriousness of the issues on the ballot, and with anti vaccine figure Robert F. Kennedy Jr. set to play a key role under the new Trump administration, Harris’ stylish campaign did not meet the moment in all its seriousness.
Harris’ campaign didn’t un-muddy the waters on the issue of immigration – an issue she stated she would approach more leniently than Trump.
This election cycle, however, she had stated that there should be serious consequences for those attempting to enter the United States illegally. Harris also stated she would come down heavier on asylum claims. This may have left voters wondering why and how her stance had shifted.
The Genocide in Palestine
Against the backdrop of ethnic cleansing and genocide, this bid for the youth vote with references to a ‘brat summer’ has a similarly contrived feel. Much of Harris’ campaign has had an overtone of avoidance towards geopolitical issues.
Since October 7, there has been a renewed onslaught of violence directed towards Palestinians from the Israeli Defence Force (IDF). According to Al-Jazeera the latest death toll stands at 44,493 dead Palestinians (a conservative estimate).
Many more have been maimed by the IDF, or are missing. Moreover, violence from Israel has expanded beyond Palestine into Lebanon and Syria. Israel carried out the attacks on citizens in Beirut mostly, through explosive pagers. Some of the victims of the explosions were children.
“Let me be clear. I will always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself, and I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself.”
Despite this and calls from activists for Harris to put an end to the trading of arms with Israel, she has made no commitments. When activists made appeals at her rally in Arizona in August she responded with: “You know what, if you want Donald Trump to win, then say that. Otherwise, I’m speaking.” It was yet another blow that her campaign would not survive.
Her failure to implement an arms embargo, at a time where Israel is being accused of war crimes by the UN and the ICJ, was perhaps the biggest mistake of her campaign.
Harris’ other missed opportunities include her inconsistent stance on environmental issues like fracking, which she had promised to ban. During her 2024 campaign, she reversed her rhetoric on the issue. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly how important environmental issues are to voters. Some have criticised polling of voter issues as excluding topics like climate change and Palestine. If issues are excluded from polls, it is hard to know what issues aren’t being considered during the election cycle.
Trump’s Assassination Attempt
Finally, the imagery of a wounded Donald Trump is hard to beat as far as campaign iconography goes. An ABC News/Ipsos poll shows the assassination attempt on Trump created a positive bump in his favourability among all Americans.
It can be argued that the attempt solidified Trump’s populist image and emboldened the cult of personality surrounding him. We know Harris had also tried to construct an iconic campaign, with the help of “brat summer”. Ultimately, Trump’s pre-existing ties to populist rhetoric allowed this tactic to work more in his favour.
Populism continues to grow across North America, Europe and Britain. Trump’s presidency is yet another hallmark of this trend amongst voters.
Populism is surely not the only reason Donald Trump secured a victory this election. It would seem that some of the more saccharine elements of Harris’ campaign drove potential voters away. An odd focus on aesthetics, and a complete neglect of the issue of an arms embargo during a genocide.
It can be said that Kamala Harris did not meet the moment. Nor did she seriously interrogate issues that may have been important to voters. This election cycle, issues to do with geopolitics and the environment have ultimately been side-lined. So much so that the contentious issue of an overhaul of abortion rights and pregnancy related healthcare was not enough to get people out to vote.
Featured Image Credit: Youth for Harris
MA International Journalism, with a passion for animal, climate and political issues
