In July of 2024, news arose that President Biden was withdrawing from the presidential election.
Hours after, on the popular social media site X, current Vice President Kamala Harris announced that she would run for president.
Less than two days later, Harris had secured enough votes from party delegates to be nominated as the Democratic nominee. This news resulted in an overflow of politicians, celebrities, and people blowing up social media sites with endorsements of her candidacy.
Harris’ entry became the second major-party woman nominee in the history of the U.S. presidential election, according to The Center For American Women and Politics. Harris is the first-ever Black and South Asian woman to gain a major party’s nomination.
Harris has been in the political sphere since 2003, mainly working in California. She earned her law degree from the University of California, Hastings in San Francisco. She previously served as a prosecutor, Junior Senator of California, the attorney general of the state, and Senator from 2017 to 2021.
On Sept. 10, 2024, Harris and former president Donald Trump had their first political debate.
During this debate, Harris shared many policies she plans to implement and her views on several topics. Harris spoke on her plans to make abortion a form of legal healthcare. She “wants to prevent states from banning the procedure before fetal viability,” according to The New York Times.
Other plans and policies she spoke on include building an “Opportunity Economy” and cutting down healthcare costs.
According to her campaign website, Harris plans to “Create an Opportunity Economy where everyone has a chance to compete and a chance to succeed — whether they live in a rural area, small town, or big city.”
She also says she will try to decrease insulin costs to $35 for everyone as part of her plan to lessen healthcare costs.
Some students, like junior Brianna Pineda, were shocked to hear about Harris’ running.
“I didn’t expect Harris to join,” Pineda said. “People had been saying [Harris] didn’t show a lot of leadership as Vice President. I wondered if she would be the right person for the role, after hearing these rumors on social media.”
Harris’ entry may have turned the odds into the Democratic party winning the election.
60% of young voters say they will vote for Harris in the upcoming November election, according to a poll done by NBC News in July of 2024.
“The election is now totally different,”
Layton Tashjian
Junior
“The election is now totally different,” junior Layton Tashjian said. “At first it was the same election as 2020. Now it’s a much younger candidate against a much older candidate. They both have records and reputations with the voters, but one of them does have the age advantage.”
However, some students, such as junior Race Fortney, do not think that young people will vote for Harris.
“I think Trump influences a lot of young people; he is with a lot of young influencers, such as comedians and YouTubers,” Fortney said. “That has a lot of impact [on younger voters]. I also think more people will vote for Trump because of inflation. Many people believe it was Biden’s fault.”
Students felt that rumors surrounding Harris’ policies make it difficult for people to find reliable and unbiased information that helps them choose a candidate. Some students see this spread of false information and are sad to hear and see people believing it.
“I have heard a lot of things,” sophomore Stella Craig said. “It is frustrating to see. It affects the way people view politics and politicians. The way people talk about political figures is really important to get right.”
Harris’ entry into the presidential election offers voters a new choice as they decide who will run and lead the future direction of the country.
Students can register to vote at vote.gov.
