"Harris, Rising Like an 'Ottogi' at Every Turning Point in His Political Career"

WP "Unprecedented Challenge"
"Overcoming Each Crisis by Defying Expectations"

The political career of Vice President Kamala Harris, who has rapidly emerged as a leading presidential candidate following U.S. President Joe Biden's decision not to seek re-election, is drawing attention. Even if she is confirmed as the Democratic presidential nominee, with less than four months remaining until the election, she faces the challenge not only of uniting a divided party but also of defeating former President Donald Trump, the Republican candidate. Reports indicate that Vice President Harris has faced unprecedented challenges in her political life and has repeatedly revived her fortunes.

The Washington Post (WP) reported on the 21st (local time) that Vice President Harris has often encountered unprecedented challenges in her political career and has defied expectations to overcome them at critical moments.

WP stated, "Unprecedented battles are nothing new to Harris," adding that she has endured by defying expectations since her early days in politics.

Vice President Harris's political career has been a series of 'reversals' from the start. In her first elected office bid in 2003, she ran for San Francisco District Attorney against then-incumbent Terence Hallinan. In the first round of voting, Hallinan was first and Harris second. However, in the runoff, Harris defeated Hallinan by a wide margin and was elected.

After winning re-election and serving as San Francisco District Attorney for eight years, she ran for California Attorney General in 2010. She achieved a last-minute comeback against Republican Los Angeles (LA) County District Attorney Steve Cooley. In the weeks leading up to the election, Harris was trailing Cooley, and on election night, Cooley declared victory during the vote count. However, as counting continued, Harris took the lead, and after all votes, including mail-in ballots, were tallied, she won by less than one percentage point.

After serving as state Attorney General for six years, she was elected as a U.S. Senator from California. In 2019, she entered the Democratic presidential primary, facing the biggest crisis and opportunity of her political life. Initially, among about 20 candidates including President Biden, Senator Bernie Sanders, and Senator Elizabeth Warren, she was not very prominent.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

However, in the first TV debate in June that year, she gained attention by attacking Biden's record. She cited instances where Biden had cooperated with racially discriminatory Republican senators. Harris said, "You worked with them against bussing. There was a little girl in California who took the bus to school every day. That little girl was me," her voice trembling.

Bussing was a policy of transporting black and white students by bus to different school districts to promote integration where residential segregation had created separate school zones.

Harris recounted her experience as an elementary school student who took the bus every morning to attend a school in a white neighborhood, pressing Biden on the issue. She emerged as the biggest winner of that debate, and her support surged. However, increased recognition led to intensified scrutiny from other candidates, and due to financial difficulties and internal campaign conflicts, she withdrew from the race in December that year. Harris was revived in August 2020 when she was selected as Biden's running mate for vice president. Following their election victory, she became the first Black, Asian American, and female vice president in U.S. history.

Her tenure as vice president has not been without challenges. During her first overseas trip in June 2021 to Guatemala, she faced strong backlash after telling Central American migrants considering traveling to the U.S., "Do not come to the United States," at a press conference. Although her intent was to discourage dangerous journeys by assuring support for hope in their home countries, she was criticized both inside and outside her party.

One year into her term, with key staff such as her chief of staff and senior spokesperson departing, questions arose about her organizational management skills. However, when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision, leaving abortion rights to be decided by individual states, abortion became a central political issue. WP analyzed this as an event that allowed Vice President Harris to reestablish her position.

President Biden, a devout Catholic, supports abortion rights but hesitated to clearly state the party's position on abortion. Vice President Harris stepped forward on his behalf, firmly advocating for abortion rights and actively attacking former President Trump.

Based on this political trajectory, after President Biden's poor performance in the first presidential debate late last month, Vice President Harris was consistently mentioned as a replacement candidate. Ultimately, with Biden's announcement of a midterm withdrawal, an unprecedented reversal is expected, with Harris transforming from running mate to presidential candidate.