We witnessed history when we watched Barack Obama become the first black president of the United States. After witnessing that major event with our own eyes, many were thrilled to see that a woman was running for office in the 2020 election. Not only is she a woman, but she is an African-American woman. But what would’ve been another monumental moment in history less than ten years after the last, has come to a screeching halt.
Kamala Harris appeared on the presidential scene with a bang. She had plenty of support from her sorority sisters, HBCU alumni, and the black community as a whole. However, her momentum in the race started to dwindle down as she lost popularity and, more importantly, money. On Tuesday, December 3, she announced that she was suspending her campaign as a result of no longer being able to support it financially. “I’m not a billionaire. I can’t fund my own campaign,” she said in her statement. “As the campaign has gone on, it’s become harder to raise the money we need to compete.”
Kamala Harris officially announced her candidacy for the President of the United States on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of this year. She led with her slogan, “For The People,” and had a promising start raising $1.5 million within just 24 hours of her official kickoff. She even had more attendees at her kickoff in her hometown of Oakland, California than Obama did at his official campaign kickoff back in 2007.
Although she was doing exponentially well in the early stages of her campaign, it wasn’t long before donations slowly started to subside. Harris was under scrutiny as a result of her views on health care and the criminal justice system. The public was skeptical about her strength as a candidate and her knowledge of policy. Although Harris has been labeled “the female Obama,” the charm and charisma that the two share was not a direct ticket to victory for Ms. Harris.
Harris made sure to let her supporters know that she is still for the people. “Although I am no longer running for President, I will do everything in my power to defeat Donald Trump and fight for the future of our country and the best of who we are,” she said. When Donald Trump mentioned her in a tweet saying how she will be missed as a candidate in the race, she didn’t miss the opportunity to clapback.
Harris exiting the race made for not only less competition, but less diversity within the democratic party. Nevertheless, it is still important that we, as citizens of the United States, research the candidates and with that research, figure out which candidate best aligns with our values and beliefs. It is vital that each one of us exercises our right to vote in the 2020 Presidential Election.