What are pros and cons of Kamala Harris running for president as VP? Experts weigh in

Running for president is a grueling process that always requires navigating a minefield of potential obstacles.

But, as the sitting vice president, Kamala Harris will face an array of unique challenges during her campaign for the White House, political experts said. Her position will also afford her key advantages.

Challenges of running as vice president

One of the major downsides for Harris is that she is directly tied to any and all of the perceived failures of President Joe Biden’s first term, experts said.

“She is vulnerable to all Biden’s negatives on policy issues as his VP,” Robert Y. Shapiro, a professor of government at Columbia University, told McClatchy News.

She’ll face attacks from Republicans on Biden’s handling of inflation, the economy and the wars in Ukraine and Israel, among other issues, Adam Geller, a Republican strategist, told McClatchy News. “She cannot separate herself from these.”

The Biden Administration’s stance on illegal immigration, in particular, will weigh down Harris, Geller said, who was tasked as vice president with addressing the root causes of immigration from three countries in Latin America.

“You can tell that the border is going to be a huge liability for her,” Geller said, citing recent discussions in the news and campaign trail over the details of her role on immigration. Trump’s campaign has deemed her the “border czar” in various attacks, despite her never holding that title.

Additionally, when laying out her own policy agenda, she’ll be required to perform a delicate balancing act in deciding to what degree she’ll diverge from the official Biden administration’s stance.

“On foreign policy, she can distinguish herself by wanting to put more pressure on Israel to reach a ceasefire and cease the killing of civilians in Gaza, while holding firm to Biden’s policies toward Ukraine and elsewhere,” Shapiro said. Harris made a step in that direction after meeting with Benjamin Netanyahu on July 25.

She could also formulate new messaging on other issues like health care, housing, taxes and illegal immigration, Shapiro said.

However, she’s “spent the better part of the last three years praising Biden’s doings — meaning any attempt to now distance herself would be difficult to explain,” according to the Associated Press.

Still, “she likely has quite a bit of freedom here to craft her own way forward,” Jacob Neiheisel, a political science professor at the University at Buffalo, told McClatchy News.

“Voters are often more sensitive to what congressional candidates say (for instance, about their ideological leanings) than they are to what they have done (as in, their voting records), and I have to think that much the same could be said for vice presidents,” Neiheisel said.

However, it’s hard to know what degree of separation from Biden would be a winning strategy , Neiheisel said.

“In the big picture, most vice presidents don’t make it to the top job because they can’t figure out the best path to distance themselves from the bad stuff while embracing the good stuff,” John Feehery, a Republican strategist, told McClatchy News.

For example, in the lead-up to the 1968 election, Vice President Hubert Humphrey supported President Lyndon Johnson’s policy platform, including his prosecution of the Vietnam War. On the other hand, ahead of the 2000 election, Vice President Al Gore tried to distance himself from President Bill Clinton, who was damaged by the Lewinsky scandal, Neiheisel said. Both men ultimately lost their elections.

Advantages

Running for the top job as the sitting vice president also comes with an array of advantages, experts said.

Harris will have access to the “significant” campaign war chest raised by Biden, Geller said, which amounted to $95 million at the end of June, according to Politico.

Further, she will be able to hit the ground running using Biden’s existing campaign infrastructure, including his staffers, multiple experts said.

“She can also readily tie herself to all of Biden’s impressive legislative and other accomplishments related to climate change, expanding manufacturing in the chip and tech area, support for infrastructure improvements and so forth,” Shapiro said.

Polls have shown that at least a plurality of Americans support the climate change and infrastructure legislation passed during Biden’s term.

“Also she can continue as the administration’s lead supporter of abortion access,” Shapiro said.

Additionally, being the vice president inherently affords Harris “a degree of gravitas” that she might not otherwise have, Feehery said.

“Theoretically (vice presidents) have been in the room when decisions have been made and that gives them a leg up on the experience front,” Feehery said.

This story was originally published July 26, 2024 at 8:59 AM with the headline "What are pros and cons of Kamala Harris running for president as VP? Experts weigh in."