Part One: New Energy Among Democrats Explodes With Harris Nomination

By Leonard E. Colvin
Chief Reporter Emeritus
New Journal and Guide

President Joseph R. Biden “has passed on the torch” to Vice President Kamala Harris to lead the Democratic party in its fight to defeat Donald Trump in this year’s General Election.

If she wins, Harris will be the first woman and the first female of African, Asian, and Indian descent to be elected President of the United States.

Before becoming Vice President, Harris, a graduate of Howard University, was a Prosecuting Attorney in San Francisco, California Attorney General, and U.S. Senator from that state. She was then selected by Biden to be his Vice President.

Biden’s faltering poll numbers, doubts among young and Black members of his party’s base, and physical and mental status have placed her in a position she earns by incumbency and the Democratic party’s rules.

Three weeks after the June 27 Presidential debate between Biden and   Trump, ardent Democrats and the media believed the party was trapped in a dark and depressing space.

Biden’s stiff and addled performance standing next to an almost incoherent Trump did not go well.

Biden’s physical and mental impairment was on display before them and millions of others.

Post-debate polls showed   Trump was ahead in the handful of battleground states that would decide the elections.  In 2020 Biden won Virginia by 10 points, but polls showed him with a slim 3-point lead, and the debate was eroding that margin.

Black and young supporters, despite the benefits they may have reaped from three years of the Biden presidency, deemed him too old and did not connect with them.

A damning sign came two weeks ago when Senator Charles Schermer, the majority leader of the Senate, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries met with   Biden and told him his weakness would drag the party to defeat come November.

On July 20, while campaigning in Pennsylvania, a would-be assassin nearly turned the course of the campaign when Trump was struck in the ear by his bullet.

He hoped to secure some sympathy from supporters fearing opponents to his reelection were targeting him.

This incident was days before the    Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee, where the Grand Old Party (GOP) launched a scathing attack against the weak Biden campaign.

Trump chose U.S. Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio as his Vice President. Vance, the author of the book “Hillbilly Elegy” was once a stark critic of the ex-president and denounced him as a threat to democracy.

Vance, a political analyst said, would help the GOP with white working-class voters, who typically won in national elections, especially in the north-central industrial “rust belt” anchored by Ohio (which is Red) and Pennsylvania, which may be more competitive.

However, Vance, who is married to a woman of Indian descent, was once critical of Trump. Now, and, a portion of the GOP base may be souring on Vance. Trump still supports him.

But cries for Biden to step aside grew, and then he began isolating himself and missing important gatherings and rallies. Then it was announced he had COVID-19, and the calls grew louder.

Trump’s campaign and some analysts believed the Republicans were on a path to a landslide victory.

Not expected but welcomed, on July 21, Biden, after hours of talks with staff, former President Barack Obama, congressional leaders, and state leaders, said he would pass the torch to Vice President Harris.

Hours after Biden’s announcement, according to Wanda Farrow Camm, a friend, excited by the President’s decision, invited her to an upcoming call of about 1500 Black women to discuss how they could support Vice President Harris.

Camm, who is retired, said that Zoom typically maxes out at 1,500 participants, but a female executive at the video conferencing company called her boss and persuaded him to increase the capacity. 

Eventually, 40,000-plus women joined Zoom organized by the #WinWithBlackWomen network.

Camm said the meeting was streamed to thousands of other women also on other platforms.

The call “that started it all” was organized by Jotaka L. Eaddy, a seasoned strategist with more than 20 years of experience in policy, advocacy, and movement building. She is the founder and CEO of Full Circle Strategies, LLC – a social impact consulting firm committed to advancing transformative change and global impact. Eaddy is also the Co-Host of the award-winning OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network) Television series – “Speak Sis!”

“So instead of 1,500, there were over 45,000 women on that Zoom and many more,” Camm said, “and they were excited. They wanted to know what they could do to help her win. I and other friends want to volunteer. We have not been this excited since 2008 when Obama ran.”

Camm said she is among the 170,000 people who signed up to volunteer during the first seven days of the Harris campaign effort.