Third Way: Why Don't People Like Kamala Harris?

Michael M. Santiago

Kamala Harris has the lowest approval rating of any vice president in the last 30 years. Many people are unsure of her policy priorities and abilities as a leader. Her defenders chalk up all her criticism up to sexism and racism, but is that the case? While Harris faces far more sexism and racism than any of her predecessors, that is often not the reason for the critiques. Far left critics are unhappy with her record as a prosecutor and find she does not serve as a descriptive representative of the Black community. Further, many have found her ability as a politician to be limited, citing awkward and scripted speeches. Additionally, it appears the Biden administration has set her up for failure by placing her on policy issues that are incredibly complex and issues she lacks expertise in. It is clear the Biden campaign needs better approval ratings to win 2024, so finding ways to play to Harris’ strength is a necessity.

The Issue of Identity Representation

While Harris likely faces many sexist and racist criticisms, the criticism of her identity is more nuanced than people believe. She was picked largely because of her identity as a woman of color. This was seen as necessary for Biden to appeal to his base with largely minority voters. However, her voting record and record as a prosecutor conflict with this concept of representing her base. Just because she looks like the base does not automatically mean she best represents their interests. Often, she has lacked descriptive representation, or the ability to effectively translate the concerns of women and people of color into governing policies and achievements. If her identity does not bring policies supported by those groups, it appears that her identity was picked for the purpose of votes, not policy.

This issue of the Democratic party using identity to cover up and appeal to voters without any policy for the groups in question is that it shows a lack in understanding these groups in question. This implies that these groups merely want identity representation and not representation of their best interests. Many minorities do not see Kamala Harris as the best equipped person to represent Black interests. It is harder of course to then criticize this lack of descriptive representation without appearing critical of her race or sex. These optics of equal representation obscure the reality of continued systemic racism. Just because identity is being represented, does not mean substantial change is happening for these minority groups.

Harris’ Record

Beyond the lack of descriptive identity, many far left critics have been vocal about Harris’ record as a prosecutor years before she was elected to Senate. She defended the state against court orders to reduce prison populations, failed to take a stand on sentencing reform proposals, and obstructed efforts by California judges to hold prosecutors accountable for misconduct. She also brought criminal charges against parents of truant children. It is understandable to be frustrated by a person who does not support substantial criminal justice reform. Many far-left critics value criminal justice reform and wanted to see a vice president pick that was more sympathetic to these necessary reforms.

Politician Issues

Another criticism Harris has faced is her weaknesses as a politician. She has been stiff and scripted at many events, leading to trending moments online. Harris' problems have regularly been compounded by gaffes during one-on-one interviews and public appearances. There's talk of friction between her office and the rest of the White House. She has been unable to settle on a policy issue that she can make a positive political calling card. This is in opposition to her impressive ability in the Senate, where she grilled Kavanaugh, and memorable performance on the debate stage during the 2020 Democratic Debates. Therefore, it is surprising that she appears unable to speak well at these events. Further, she is more heavily criticized regarding this ability since she is younger than Biden and, in many ways, seen as his successor. The scrutiny has been far more intense as many view her not as a vice president, but as a future president, due to Biden’s advanced age.

The Issue as Veep

The last explanation for her poor approval ratings is the Biden administration setting her up for failure. This is unintentional, but it does not help her approval. Often, the president picks a vice president who brings expertise or experience in a particular policy area. The president can then rely on him or her to lead that policy issue. That is not the case here, as Biden has more experience than Harris. Therefore, it was unclear what her policy focus was going to be. The Biden administration placed her on dealing with the immigration crisis. The tasking of Harris to solve the root causes of mass migration to the southern border in 2021 was especially egregious. The most experience that Harris had dealing with Central America prior to the arrangement was arresting and prosecuting human and drug traffickers. She would inevitably be compared to Biden, who, perhaps unfairly, had himself been charged with playing migration bad cop by former President Barack Obama. Not only did she lack expertise in this area, but she was directly following in the footsteps of the current president.

Additionally, she has also been tasked with enacting national voting reform. Following Donald Trump's unsupported accusations of fraud in the 2020 presidential election, some Republican-controlled states have passed laws cutting back efforts to make voting easier, like voting by mail and ballot drop boxes. It became Harris' job to shepherd national reforms that would pre-empt these state-level actions through Congress. With unified Republican opposition and intransigence from some Democrats, however, the vice-president's efforts have been doomed to failure. The recent administration push on the subject is only making the futility of the effort more apparent - and being associated with futility is not a recipe for political success. While the administration itself does not want Harris to fail, they have put her on extremely difficult policy issues that only further emphasize her lack of experience. This then contribute to  her poor approval ratings as the public sees her as inept.

Kamala Harris’ 53% disapproval rate is a massive issue for the 2024 campaign. While her supporters are partially right about her experiencing more sexism and racism at her level, the disapproval number is likely the result of various factors. Harris’ record as a prosecutor and failure to be a descriptive representative has disappointed her base. Further, she seems unable to win over crowds and is stuck on difficult policy issues that she lacks expertise in. While her recent work on abortion has improved her perception, it might be too little, too late. It is unknown what can be done to improve her perception. However, it is clear the Biden administration must work quickly to find her strengths and play to them. Otherwise, she will seriously hurt the re-election campaign.