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Trump faces a tighter race with Kamala Harris
Kamala’s candidature almost certain with Biden's endorsement
Washington: President Joe Biden's endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee for President has set the stage for a much tighter and uncertain race in November, according to experts.
Biden stepped down from the race late on Sunday as top Democrats pressured him to drop out following a disastrous debate performance and as Republican nominee Donald Trump was leading in the polls.
The Democrats had been headed for a "landslide defeat" in November, but now, they stand a chance, said Ian Bremmer, founder and president of Eurasia Group.
"They've turned (this race) around, and President Biden has given the Democrats a fighting chance," he told a channel on Monday.
Harris now finds herself on a glide path to the Democratic nomination, though she will still need to win many delegates ahead of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August. While some other contenders might throw their hat into the race, "it is very clear that Kamala Harris is the prohibitive favorite to become the nominee," Bremmer said.
If Harris wins the nomination, she will offer the Democrats a "total reset," said Steven Okun, senior advisor at McLarty Associates. "If the Democrats can be unified, come out of this convention, speaking with one voice, energized, excited, then they have a good chance to win in November," he said.
Allan Lichtman, a presidential historian who has correctly predicted the winner of every presidential election since 1984, told CNBC’s “Capital Connection” that Harris would be in a “strong position to win the upcoming election” in a matchup with Trump. He will wait until the Democratic convention to make his official prediction.
Harris said in a post on social media platform X that she was looking to work to “earn and win” the nomination while uniting Democrats.
According to experts, Harris comes with several advantages in comparison to her former running mate.
While Republicans have been gaining ground on the economy, inflation and immigration fronts, abortion is a salient issue where she will have an edge, Okun said. Harris has been outspoken on reproductive issues as the first woman Vice President.
“The fact is that Biden and Trump are too old to be running and serving for another four years, and this is now the top vulnerability for Trump,” said Eurasia’s Bremmer.
A recent poll showed that some 85% of the population believed Biden was too old to serve another four years. The same poll found that 60% of Americans thought Trump was too old.
