NEW DELHI: Vice president Kamala Harris addressed members of the historically Black sorority Zeta Phi Beta on Wednesday, emphasising the need for their support in her bid for the presidency in November. Speaking three days after launching her campaign, Harris contrasted two visions for America and emphasised her commitment to the future with the support of the sorority.
“In this moment, I believe we face a choice between two different visions for our nation, one focused on the future, the other focused on the past,” Harris said.”And with your support, I am fighting for our nation’s future.”
Indiana has not supported a Democratic presidential candidate for nearly 16 years. However, Harris, who is of Black and South Asian descent, spoke to a group already motivated by her historic candidacy. Her campaign aims to broaden its coalition through this support.
Harris expressed her gratitude to the women present for their role in electing her vice president and Joe Biden as President. “And now, in this moment, our nation needs your leadership once again,” she said.
Challenges remain for Democrats, as the nation faces frustration over high prices following a spike in inflation. Additionally, Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, survived a recent assassination attempt, further energising his base. The memo expressed more optimism compared to the outlook after the 81-year-old Biden’s poor debate performance in June. Biden withdrew from the race on Sunday.
Harris mentioned that Biden would address the nation on Wednesday regarding his decision to step aside and praised him as a ‘leader with a bold vision.
“We are all deeply, deeply grateful for his service to our nation,” she said before contrasting the current administration’s agenda with Trump’s.
“These extremists want to take us back, but we are not going back,” she stated. “All across our nation we are witnessing a full-on assault on hard-fought, hard-won freedoms and rights.”
She listed the rights in question, including the freedom to vote, to be safe from gun violence, to love openly, to ‘learn and acknowledge our true and full history,’ and the freedom ‘of a woman to make decisions about her body and not have her government telling her what to do.’
Trump delivered a series of attacks on Harris during a rally in Charlotte, labelling her his ‘new victim to defeat.’ He accused her of misleading the public about Biden’s health and called her “Lyin’ Kamala,” while mispronouncing her first name. He further described her as ‘the most incompetent and far-left vice president in American history.’
Harris later traveled to Houston on Wednesday, where she visited the city’s emergency operations center to discuss recovery efforts following Hurricane Beryl and to thank emergency personnel. She watched Biden’s Oval Office speech from Houston.
On Thursday, she will address the national convention of the American Federation of Teachers, which has endorsed her candidacy.
The campaign plans to focus on key states known as the Blue Wall – Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania – to secure the needed 270 electoral votes. Harris also aims to be competitive in other states, including North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada.
For Democrats, the support of Black women could be crucial in November, and Harris has shown signs of galvanizing their support.
During the 2020 election, AP VoteCast found that Black women made up just 7% of the electorate. However, 93% of them voted for Biden, contributing to his narrow victories in states like Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Georgia.
Following Harris’s campaign announcement, around 90,000 Black women joined a campaign video call on Sunday night. This show of support highlights their enthusiasm for Harris, an alumnus of Howard University and sister of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. She has made Beyonce’s song “Freedom” her walk-on music at events.