As President Joe Biden attempts to rejuvenate his reelection campaign, Vice President Kamala Harris took center stage at the Essence Festival of Culture, rallying Black Democrats and emphasizing the critical importance of preventing another Donald Trump presidency. Harris, in her more than 20-minute address, did not touch upon Biden’s recent debate performance or the growing calls for the 81-year-old president to step down. Instead, she focused on the broader stakes of the upcoming election.
“This is probably the most significant election of our lifetime,” Harris declared, highlighting Trump’s authoritarian tendencies, his influence on the Supreme Court, and his promises of political retribution. “In 122 days, we each have the power to decide what kind of country we want to live in.”
Harris’s appearance at the Essence Festival, the nation’s largest annual celebration of Black culture, underscores the delicate balancing act for the White House and the campaign as they navigate questions about Biden’s capabilities. This is particularly challenging for Harris, the first Black woman and person of South Asian descent to be elected vice president, and for the Black Democrats who played a pivotal role in the 2020 election.
Harris has embraced her role as a loyal lieutenant, defending Biden enthusiastically in media appearances following his lackluster debate. However, if Biden decides to step aside, Harris would be a leading contender to carry the Democratic banner against Trump.
Black leaders and voters at the festival expressed their support for Biden while also insisting that if he steps down, Harris should be the party’s nominee. They dismissed the idea of considering other candidates like California Governor Gavin Newsom or Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, both of whom are white.
“The purpose of a vice president is to be a No. 2, to be able to step in,” said Glynda Carr, leader of the Higher Heights political action organization. “If this was an all-white male ticket, would we be talking about other people who have less experience, less qualifications?”
Antjuan Seawright, a Black Democratic consultant close to House Rep. Jim Clyburn, a Biden ally, was more direct. “Joe Biden isn’t going anywhere,” he said. But if he does, “anyone other than Kamala would be malpractice — and it would tear the party apart.”
Seawright noted that the pressure on Biden to step aside is primarily coming from white Democrats or non-Black minorities. He argued that Black voters trust Biden and recognize his record, and that a contested convention could lead to widespread losses, making it less likely for Democratic House leader Hakeem Jeffries to become Speaker or for Harris or another Black woman to sit in the Oval Office.
Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., echoed these sentiments. “People say Joe Biden’s too old. Hell, I’m older than Biden!” said the 85-year-old congresswoman. “It ain’t gonna be no other Democratic candidate, and we better know it.”
Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, emphasized Harris’s current influence. “We got a Black vice president of the United States of America, a sister who came here to be with us today,” she said. “So, let’s not get it twisted. I know who I’m voting for. I’m with the Biden-Harris team, because we’re still going to have a sister in the White House fighting for us and making a difference.”
Waters highlighted Biden’s support for Black communities and contrasted it with Trump’s agenda. She called Trump “a no-good, lying, despicable human being” with a white nationalist agenda. “Who the hell do you think he’s going to come after?” Waters asked, pointing to Trump’s support from groups like the Proud Boys. “You know he means business.”
In interviews with Essence attendees, opinions varied on Biden’s strength as a candidate and his ability to serve another four years. However, there was a clear consensus: Only Biden can decide his fate; if he steps down, he should back Harris; and defeating Trump is the top priority.
“I’m with him, absolutely,” said Erica Peterson of New Orleans. “He’s delivered, and one debate is not going to change my mind. … And if it’s not Joe Biden, I’m with her.”
Star Robert, a 37-year-old nurse in New York City, said if there’s a shift, then Biden and Democrats could not credibly choose anyone other than Harris, given that the president, party, and voters already chose her as second-in-line. Still, she was skeptical about Harris’s prospects.
“I’m not sure that she’s done enough to generate the trust of enough voters,” Robert said. “I don’t know if that’s all her fault, I just haven’t seen enough of her, we haven’t. I don’t know what her angle is.”
Regardless, Robert added, “I’m not sure the country is ready for another Black president, and if we were ready for a woman, Hillary Clinton would have beaten the clown (Trump) the first time he ran.”
Harris, for her part, addressed such skepticism while avoiding immediate campaign drama. “Ambition is a good thing. We do not need to step quietly,” she said of being a woman of color in powerful circles. “People in your life will tell you it’s not your time. It’s not your turn. Nobody like you has done it before. … I like to say that I eat ‘no’ for breakfast.”
With all eyes on Kamala Harris amid turmoil in the Democratic Party, the vice president focused squarely on the stakes of the election in her remarks at the Essence Festival. During a roughly 25-minute-long conversation, Harris was not asked about the debate over the president’s reelection bid, and she only mentioned her running mate when asking attendees to raise their hands if they received student debt relief.
“Joe Biden and I came in office and were able to forgive billions of dollars of student loan debt — understanding how it impacts all communities and especially ours,” she said.
Harris framed the choice in November as “the most significant election of our lifetime.” Members of the Congressional Black Caucus pledged loyalty to Biden while lavishing praise on Harris. “People are talking about ‘Biden is too old’ — hell, I’m older than Biden,” Rep. Maxine Waters said to a standing ovation. “And I get up every morning. And I exercise. And I work late hours. I take care of Black people. Trump has told you who he is, he defined himself. He is a no good, deplorable, lying, despicable human being.”
Harris has been steadfast in her support and loyalty to Biden, but that hasn’t stopped speculation about her political future if the president decides to step aside. Biden has repeatedly said he is not ending his campaign. As first in line to the presidency, Harris is seen as the likely front-runner if Biden were to suspend his bid.
Harris attacked Trump and his policies, noting that “the United States Supreme Court essentially told this individual who has been convicted of 34 felonies that he will be immune from essentially the activity he has told us he is prepared to engage in if he gets back into the White House.” She also warned that Trump “has openly talked about his intention to weaponize the Department of Justice against his political enemies, who has talked about being proud of taking from the women of America a most fundamental right to make decisions about your own body.”
Harris ran through an array of Democratic priorities and accomplishments, including Black maternal health, the cost of insulin, and abortion — a key issue this November and an area in which she has distinguished herself from Biden.
Many Black women at the four-day event said that if Biden were to step aside, their hope is that Harris would become the nominee. They pointed to Harris as a younger face of the campaign who could help further mobilize Black voters as Biden’s appeal to the constituency has weakened. But some said they would still like to see a primary if Biden were to suspend his bid, or expressed concerns about the sexism and racism she would likely face if leading the ticket.
“She’s just younger, she actually tries to connect with my demographic,” said Ashtyn Weathersby, 18, an incoming student at Louisiana State University. She plans to vote for Biden if he remains the nominee but noted, “he’s not my ideal candidate, but I think he’s just better than Trump.”
Harris has spoken at the Essence Festival for the past two years. The White House announced this week that Harris will deliver the keynote at the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority’s 71st Boulé in Dallas on Wednesday and will participate in a conversation at the Zeta Phi Beta sorority’s Grand Boulé in Indianapolis later this month. Harris is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, and the trips offer another opportunity to engage with Black women, a key constituency of the Democratic Party.
“Identity matters, representation matters. And the vice president … represents so much for the Black community and she has been showing up. She’s been working really, really hard,” said DNC political director Brencia Berry. “Yes, the spotlight is on her now. But that’s not because she hasn’t been working.”
“This is just a weekend that is a manifestation of all of that,” said Berry, pointing to Harris’s recent campaign travel and calling her “the epitome of what Essence Fest represents when it comes to Black culture and excellence as our first Black woman vice president.”
Polling shows that fewer Black Americans plan to vote this November, including women and young people, who made up a majority of attendees at Essence Festival. An April Washington Post-Ipsos poll of more than 1,300 Black adults found that 62 percent say they’re “absolutely certain to vote,” down from 74 percent in June 2020. That was also a higher drop-off in desire to vote when compared to all Americans polled.
The same poll found that 41 percent of Black people ages 18 to 39 are certain to vote this year, a 20-point decrease from 61 percent in June 2020. Among Black women ages 18 to 39, the drop was more pronounced — from 69 percent in 2020 to 39 percent this year. The poll also found that 55 percent of Black Americans under 30 disapprove of Biden, compared to a 56 percent approval last spring.
Source: Cleve R. Wootson Jr., Emily Guskin, Scott Clement
