Who Will Fill the Void Left By Senator Kamala Harris?

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) exited the presidential stage. In a tweet, she announced:

“To my supporters, it is with deep regret—but also with deep gratitude—that I am suspending my campaign today. But I want to be clear with you: I will keep fighting every day for what this campaign has been about. Justice for the People. All the people.”

Harris’s departure has hit us hard. It means the sixth debate has a void. At the Dec 19 event, there will be no Black presidential candidates. Sen. Cory Booker has not qualified for the debate, leaving only white candidates under the klieg lights. Fortunately, one Black woman is on stage: PBS White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor will serve as a co-moderator.

While Sen. Harris struggled in the polls to consistently hit double digits, she lifted up important issues, like civil rights, voting rights and race.  Her voice will be missed in the next debate. Harris created magical moments for Black women at a time when our civil rights are at risk. In Tyler Perry’s Theater in Atlanta, she was a unifier, stating:

I believe that what our nation needs right now is a nominee who can speak to all people. I’ve spent my entire career standing mostly in a courtroom speaking five words: Kamala Harris for the people. And it was about all the people, regardless of their race, regardless of their gender, regardless of where they lived geographically, regardless of the party with which they’re registered to vote or the language their grandmother speaks.

We need someone on this debate stage in November who has the ability to unify the country and to win the election. And I believe, again, I am that candidate.

After an electrifying launch and sparkling moments during debates and speeches, Harris ran out of money. In a video released on social media, she said, “My campaign for president does not have the financial resources to continue.” While there is no question that Harris is more than qualified to be a candidate for president, the message was a reminder of the traditional systemic barriers facing Blacks and women running for office. To put this in perspective,  in 2016, Hilary Clinton spent over $1 billion and for the 2020 general election Donald Trump has pledged to raise and spend $1 billion. Note that in both cases, neither candidate had to clear a competitive primary field that Democratic candidates face in 2020 primary election.  The short takeaway is that if you can’t raise money, it is hard to compete at the highest level.

Additionally, Harris had to navigate the new playing field littered with trolls spreading disinformation. Harris experienced two high profile attacks. Like President Barack Obama, she had to defend her ability to run for office. After that, she was labelled not Black enough because her mother was “Indian descent” and her father was Jamaican.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller and other investigators warned us about social media disinformation campaigns meddling in upcoming elections. But it is not just the candidates who are under attacked. Voters are too. According to a report on Russian Active Measures Campaigns and Interference in the 2016 U.S. Election by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Black voters were targeted more than any other group.

All of this is hard to believe in an election cycle where Black women are such a vital voting bloc for victory. We are the most reliable Democrats and the most reliable voters. According to the 2018 data from US Census Bureau, voter turnout for Black women was 55 percent, six points higher than the national number. We are the sistar warriors –  the soccer moms and NASCAR dads of the 2020 Democratic primaries.And we are looking to see who will step up to the plate and address our issues and consider our perspective.  As we prepare for the December 19^th debate, we ask ourselves 2 questions:

Who will speak to Black women? Who can beat Trump?

Holli L. Holliday is president of Sisters Lead Sisters Vote, a nonprofit c4 organization for, by and of black women.