Kamala Harris, who notoriously underperformed in the past presidential election, is oddly scheduled to receive the NAACP Chairman’s Award during an upcoming ceremony. All the while, her track record in the election was nothing short of underwhelming, to say the least.
Despite a run riddled with loss after loss, Harris secured fewer votes than Joe Biden in all states. Strangely enough, she only managed to outperform Biden in a mere 58 counties. It goes without saying that the failure didn’t stop there. She proceeded to lose in every swing state to then-President Donald Trump, and the popular vote was also not in her favor.
Regardless of a noticeable lack of public support as demonstrated by the election results, the NAACP National Board of Directors Chairman, Leon W. Russell, defended the inexplicable decision to honor Harris with the award. Only a fraction of the populace might go along with such a move, an apparent deviation from the democratic ethos.
Despite her dismal performance, Harris has managed to join the ranks of Chairman’s Award recipients, which include Obama and the late Rep. John Lewis, who were honored for a wide range of achievements. The rush decision for her award left several observers in disbelief.
As a ceremony largely targeting media accomplishments rather than the true merit of political achievement, the Image Awards will feature Harris accepting the award. The event is set to be broadcast in front of a captive audience at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in California, more popularly known as Harris’ home state.
A former prosecutor with an impressive conviction rate on face-value, Harris has a career long tinged with controversy. Among the charges she successfully prosecuted in San Francisco are an 87% conviction rate for homicides and an eyebrow-raising 90% for all felony gun violations within her initial years in office.
Later in her career, she went on to serve as California’s attorney general. Afterward, she assumed the role of a senator. The most baffling aspect of her career to many is the fact that she eventually went on to hold the vice-presidential office – a decision that a significant majority of the population found questionable.
Harris, a woman etched in the memory of many as the first of Afro-Asian descent to occupy the Vice-Presidential office, has had the rumor mill abuzz. Speculations are brewing as Californians toy with the idea of her potentially running for governor in the future.
Despite reservations from a well-conscious part of the populace, a somewhat bewitching poll from Emerson College Polling-Inside California Politics-the Hill suggests that 57% of primary voters in Harris’s party would back her in a hypothetical election. It leaves a lot to question about their belief system.
Primarily in the limelight, trailing by a considerable margin, is former Rep. Katie Porter. She managed a meager 9% backing. There is a significant chunk of the population – nearly a fifth, 17%, who remain undecided. Such indifference surely speaks volumes about Harris’ lack of command over her potential voter base.
Earning significant consideration is Harris’s husband, Doug Emhoff. He recently joined the law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher. The firm holds its offices in New York City, where Harris and Emhoff share an apartment on the ritzy Upper West Side.
However, Emhoff’s involvement with the law firm does nothing to drown out the cacophony of ridicule being faced by Harris, as they jointly maintain a residence in Los Angeles, California. While being in close proximity to the entertainment capital, Harris quasi-celebrity status appears to do little to help her political cause.
Despite the glamour and prestige attached to their residence in Brentwood, California, her plunging public appeal remains a subject of intense debate among the populace. The shine of their homes is seemingly dimmed by the shadows of her controversial political run.
The prospect of her being a gubernatorial contender might be tempting to a portion of Californians. However, the unpopularity of her past initiatives and her lack of support in pivotal swing states does raise questions about her future abilities to garner support in the state’s political landscape.
From a poorly performed presidential race to rumors of grand political aspirations in her home state, Harris still has a long path ahead in the political world. Her controversial past and wavering public support warrant skepticism. Is she the beacon of leadership that parts of California appear to believe?
Possessing the NAACP Chairman’s Award is far from suggestive of Harris excelling politically. If the divergent public opinion is anything to go by, the award appears to be a poor reflection of Harris’s political career thus far.