As the Biden campaign comes to an end, Harris’ campaign energizes the Democratic Party with support from the younger generations, BIPOC, and women voters.
US Vice President and 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign rally in Atlanta, Georgia, on July 30, 2024. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage / AFP) (Photo by ELIJAH NOUVELAGE/AFP via Getty Images)
Maliyah Simone, CRDN
Thursday, September 19, 2024
The unprecedented events that have unfolded during this election cycle have made for one of the most turbulent and uncertain political climates we have seen in decades. President Joe Biden’s last-minute decision to drop out of his reelection bid made way for the Kamala Harris campaign to step onto the political stage as the official Democratic Party’s nominee. While a last-minute change to the nominee is not all that uncommon, the fact that Harris is the first black woman to win the nomination of the major political party makes this election that much more critical.
As the Harris campaign ramps up, constituents have begun taking notice of the stark differences between the Biden and Harris campaigns. These differences are rooted in the obvious contrast between the two candidates themselves; with Biden being an 81-year-old white male and Kamala as a 59-year-old black female. This distinctness has brought about a new energy to the Democratic Party, appealing to younger generations, minority voters, and more specifically women. Even with the announcement that added Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to the campaign ticket, the support of the diversity of this pairing was widely celebrated.
The launch of the Harris campaign on July 22. 2024 started off with a bang on social media when edits of a sound bite from one of her previous speeches began circulating.
“You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?” Harris quoted a saying that her mother used to say to her and her siblings, “You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.”
The mass of memes, videos, and photo edits resulted in an unexpected outpouring of support for the Harris campaign from the younger generations. Shirts, hats, and merch with the quote began circulating on TikTok and other platforms resulting in thousands of purchases of the items in support of the Harris campaign. Some supporters began calling her campaign “Operation Coconut Tree”, while others showed their support across many platforms by posting a coconut emoji in their bios.
The appeal that Harris has to the younger generations truly exemplifies the difference between her campaign and Biden’s. As with traditional Presidential campaigns Biden stuck to the strategies he knew, campaign events with political leaders and dignitaries; all those close to his age. One of Harris’ first events, “Hotties for Harris”, boasted a roaring crowd of young people singing to Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’ and awaiting Megan Thee Stallion’s appearance and endorsement of the candidate.
The support of minority voters speaks for itself. The desire to have a President that looks like the half of the nation which has often been marginalized and targeted historically proves to be a key motivator in getting the BIPOC vote. Many are ready for a change in the image of our country; the excitement that a potential candidate with connections to minority communities brings, has been enough to electrify the Harris campaign as well.
Women for Harris, formally known as Women for Biden/Harris, is a group aimed at rallying women around the Harris campaign. Their mission is to reach as many women as possible and educate them on the issues that the country faces and the Harris/Walz approach to finding solutions. The organization has been ramping up the support and donations for the Harris campaign, and hope that by addressing the issues women face, they can garner up enough support to win over a majority of Democratic women voters.
Before Biden’s exit to the race, many were calling on him to drop out due to concerns surrounding his mental aptitude, health, and stamina. Key Democrats in Congress and the Senate were concerned about the potential of losing the race for the party.
“He will go down with a legacy unlike many people, as one of the finest and truly a [patriotic] American,” Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin said in an interview with ABC News on the day Biden dropped out of the race. “So, with that, I come with a heavy heart to think the time has come for him to pass the torch to a new generation.”
This shift in energy is not a bad thing for traditional Democrats, but it does provide new perspectives on what a next-gen Democratic Party looks like. Sticking to a traditional campaign path may have been Biden’s approach, but Harris is paving her own way, aiming to bring the older generations into the fold with policy, while continuing with the social media driven momentum she has gained with the younger voters.
It seems that the shift towards youthful energy in the Democratic Party may be what livens it up; making this election possible for her to win.