As the 2024 Democratic presidential primary season heats up, Kamala Harris is facing an uncertain future within the party. The senator from California has been struggling to find her footing in recent weeks, with her support dwindling among key demographics and her poll numbers failing to improve.
Despite her strong start in the early days of the primary season, Harris has been unable to capitalize on her early momentum. Her campaign has been plagued by a series of controversies, including her response to the issue of school segregation, which sparked criticism from both the left and right, and her answers to a question about whether she would grant amnesty to undocumented immigrants brought to the US as children, which were seen as evasive by some.
The struggles have led to a likelier-than-ever chance that the 2024 presidential election will be a three-way contest between former Vice President Joe Biden, Senator Bernie Sanders, and Senator Elizabeth Warren, with Harris being left on the outside looking in. As a result, she is being forced to re-evaluate her candidacy and consider whether it is worth continuing to pour millions of dollars of her own money into the campaign.
In an effort to turn things around, Harris has hired a new team of consultants and strategists, including a new media adviser who has a reputation for helping to craft compelling narratives for progressive candidates. She has also launched a new social media campaign, which aims to showcase her authenticity and relatability to American voters.
However, Harris’s chances of a comeback may be small, given the significant resources that her opponents have at their disposal. Aides to her 2020 campaign have suggested that she has raised around $40 million in the first half of 2023, but that she may need to raise an additional $20 million to $30 million in order to remain competitive.
Despite the challenges she faces, Harris remains committed to her run for the presidency, and her team continues to push forward with a sense of optimism and determination. As one aide put it, “We’re not giving up. We’re going to fight hard to the end.”
