Kamala Harris’ Spectacular Makeover

In record time, the candidate has managed to give Democrats hope. She still has to convince Americans and there will be many pitfalls.

By accepting the Democratic Party nomination on Thursday evening, Kamala Harris succeeded with flying colors in the first part of her gamble. Her camp is in battle mode for the debate with Donald Trump.* Harris has been launched into a new campaign, extraordinarily short by American standards, and her opponent, distraught, does not have much time left to break this momentum. The speed with which Joe Biden’s vice president, who had long sought her place at the president’s side, has transformed herself into the uncontested candidate is admirable.

To bring the convention to a close, Harris defended a message of confidence in the future against a return to the past that a new Trump presidency would embody. For the moment, she has succeeded in presenting herself as a new personality, silently passing over the failures of the Biden presidency.

Compared with the Obamas’ oratorical brilliance or the joyful authenticity of her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris’ speech aroused less passion. But the good news for Harris is that she’s not alone. Her candidacy has re-engaged Democrats, sparking a wave of enthusiasm not seen since Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign. Democrats want to believe that Trump’s subsequent presidency was a blip in history.

According to this optimistic narrative, the increasingly diverse United States can resume its march forward. The country would thus be ready to elect a woman, who is also the child of immigrants, to the highest office for the first time.

This bet is based on the good economic health of the United States, which owes much to Biden’s remarkable record. But the election will be played out in a handful of states, where those forgotten by the American miracle, put into a precarious situation by inflation, are numerous. The United States also remains ultra-polarized and Trump knows how to play on the fears of this other America.

More problematic, the message of confidence sent to Chicago contrasts with a locked-down party and a candidate who is evading the media. On Gaza, the most controversial subject for the Democrats, the few delegates who had been elected to protest against Biden’s unconditional support for Israel were unable to speak at the convention podium. On Thursday evening, Harris fell in line with the president on the topic of the Middle East. She is betting on momentum in the U.S. against the war in Gaza running out of steam, hoping that the conflict will not spread to the entire Middle East. And she is already addressing all Americans, the majority of whom support Israel. But, in return, she risks permanently alienating crucial votes in a few key states. This dilemma illustrates the tightrope walk upon which Harris has embarked.

*Editor’s Note: The first of potentially two debates between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump will take place on Sept. 10.