When 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden selected Kamala Harris as his running mate, Harris immediately joined the short list of prospective future presidents. When the Biden-Harris ticket won the 2020 election, Harris became, perhaps, the most likely to succeed Biden as the Democratic standard-bearer.

Granted, Harris was never a sure thing – but vice presidents have a fast track to the presidency. Just ask Joe Biden. Or George Bush 41, Gerald Ford, Richard Nixon, Lyndon B. Johnson, or Harry Truman.

Harris was exceedingly fortunate when Biden chose her. At the time, Harris was essentially down and out, fully removed from the presidential conversation. California’s senator was licking her wounds after a once-heralded presidential campaign ended impotently, out of money, and with polling numbers in the low single digits. But Biden resurrected Harris, vaulting her to the top of the shortlist.

And now, with Biden visibly in mental and physical decline, the oldest president ever to serve, Harris’s vice presidency has taken on an increased urgency. Of course, any vice president is always on the cusp of becoming the president.

But Kamala Harris seems a little bit closer, than say Al Gore or Joe Biden, whose bosses appeared to be outwardly healthy and were, undeniably, full of vigor. Harris, on the other hand, serves a boss who appears skeletal, who often mumbles and grasps for words.

Joe Biden is old. And Harris is next in line, leaving many to ask a practical question: what would a Kamala Harris presidency look like?

President Kamala Harris

My sense is that Kamala Harris, like most politicians, will adjust her policies and objectives to suit the public’s mood – which makes gauging a prospective Harris presidency more difficult than were she, say, operating in accordance with a rigid set of principles.

Like I said, most politicians are malleable. I’m not calling out Harris as some especially malleable sort. Just look at Harris’s boss, Joe Biden’s, in-office evolution on immigration. Biden has hardened on immigration as public opinion has hardened on immigration. Harris would likely follow a similar playbook.

Aside from giving way to public fluctuation, when necessary, I suspect Harris would mostly be a status quo Democrat. What does that mean? Harris would likely endorse a pro-interventionist foreign policy; a pro-business platform (that was laced in a lot of talk about boosting the middle-class and lifting people out of poverty); a heavy emphasis on racial and gender equality. You know the drill.

Big talk about sweeping change, and yes, we can, but without much passion or specificity.

Internally, a Kamala Harris presidency would possibly look something like her vice presidency – which has been hectic and featured lots of staff turnover. Perhaps Harris has and/or will evolve as an office manager, and her future staffs will have less turnover and higher morale.

I couldn’t say. But the early days of the Harris administration were marked with turmoil and disgruntlement – so much so that outside critics suspected Harris’s inability to generate political productivity stemmed from her inability to keep her staff happy.

Harris, like her boss, has not enjoyed public popularity, nor the benefit of the doubt. Harris’s lack of popularity, and subpar vice-presidential job performance, has many constituents concerned over the premise of a Harris presidency.

Now, Kamala Harris may never become president. But at the moment, Harris is still one of the most likely successors to Biden.  

About the Author 

Harrison Kass is a defense and national security writer with over 1,000 total pieces on issues involving global affairs. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, Harrison joined the US Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.