California Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris officially announced on Tuesday (Dec. 3) that she is dropping out of the 2020 presidential race due to a lack of financial resources.
“In good faith, I cannot tell you that I have a path forward if I don’t believe I do,” Harris said in a statement. “So, to you my supporters, my dear supporters, it is with deep regret, but also with deep gratitude that I am suspending our campaign today.”
The announcement comes as a surprise to her supporters, who believed she was one of the top contenders to battle Donald Trump for the presidential bid.
“I’ve taken stock and I’ve looked at this from every angle,” Harris continued. “Over the last few days, I have come to one of the hardest decisions of my life. So, here’s the deal guys, my campaign for president simply does not have the financial resources to continue.”
Harris was scheduled to be a part of the sixth Democratic presidential debate in California taking place at Loyola Marymount University’s Gersten Pavilion on Dec. 19. Some spectators are saying it is possible that Harris may be a running mate or run for re-election as senator in 2022.
Early on Wednesday, Former Vice President Joe Biden said that he is interested in Sen. Kamala Harris as a potential running mate.
“Sen. Harris has the capacity to be anything she wants to be,” Biden said. “I mean it sincerely. I talked to her yesterday. She’s solid, she can be president someday herself, she can be vice president, she could go on to be a Supreme Court justice, she could be attorney general. I mean she has enormous capability.”
Harris experienced issues throughout her campaign that directly impacted her position on the polls. Back in June, her campaign saw a significant dip in support after she called out Biden for opposing busing students into schools to end segregation succeeding the Jim Crow era.
Months later, Harris’ commitment to her proposed policies was challenged when she changed her position on healthcare calling for a plan that would provide “Medicare for All”, only to resign from that idea moments later. Other issues included mixed messaging and internal issues with campaign aides.
CNN contributor Bakari Sellers, who was a supporter of Harris, believes the country is not ready for a black woman president.
“This country is ready for a lot and has made a lot of progress,” Sellers said. “But, we still got a way to go and I don’t think we’re ready for black women to be President of the United States.”
It’s unfortunate that out of all people, a black male is perpetuating this type of ideology about black women by simply repeating this narrative over and over again.
How many times have we heard black men say that black women are the most unwanted, ignored, and abused? When will they update their conversation to promote the ideas that black women are the main caretakers of their homes, have the most degrees, and excel in workplaces despite the ceilings that attempt to limit them?
Harris may no longer be in the race, but her presence was not in vain. It will be interesting to see in the future how many more black women step up to take on leadership roles in the political arena.
