President Harris? VP will need to banish ghosts of 2019published at 16:14 British Summer Time 22 July
Sean Seddon
Live reporter
Much was expected of Kamala Harris when she launched her first White House bid in front of 20,000 supporters in her native California back in January 2019.
The hype around her candidacy saw her surge in early polls and Harris gained further traction after attacking frontrunner Joe Biden in a televised debate.
However, she struggled to maintain momentum in a race packed with other big names like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, while other debate moments were deemed lacklustre by commentators.
Harris’s attempts to appeal to both the centrist and progressive wings of her party meant she struggled to make inroads with either, while some questioned her record as an attorney general in California.
That scrutiny included her decision to prosecute people for cannabis offences - an issue which animates many younger left-leaning Democrats who favour legalisation - despite having admitted to trying the drug herself.
When Harris dropped out 11 months later, she told supporters it came down to the one commodity no US politician can do without: money.
“I’m not a billionaire,” Harris said, weeks after being forced to lay off campaign staff due to a lack of donations.
If Harris is installed quickly as her party’s nominee this time around, money should be less of an issue - but there will still be lessons to be learned from her failed 2019 bid.