Vice President Kamala Harris hasn’t always had the best image, but not because she hasn’t thought about it.
As the 59-year-old prepares to take the reins from President Joe Biden and accept the Democratic nomination for the top job, Harris is hoping that, contrary to the old advertising slogan, there really is a second chance to make a first impression.
Harris has, for most of her political career, vacillated between presenting herself as a tough prosecutor and a fun-loving lady who is quick to laugh. She made her bones talking about putting criminals away in California and grilling Trump administration officials during committee hearings as a senator.
Though the viral clips helped boost Harris’s profile, they did not always help her likeability. “Kamala the Cop” became a liability in 2019-20, as former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard assailed her prosecutorial record and progressives embraced criminal justice reform rather than law and order during the George Floyd summer.
Harris then sought to soften her image. Saturday Night Live’s Maya Rudolph, who portrays Harris in sketches on the long-running comedy show, summed up her rebrand well: “I’m also America’s cool aunt. A fun aunt.” Harris herself has used the nickname “Momala,” ostensibly given to her by her stepchildren, which also doubles as a useful reminder of how to pronounce “Kamala.”
But if tough prosecutor Harris wasn’t sufficiently likable, fun Aunt Momala was often seen as a lightweight. Her speeches were often dismissed as devoid of substance. She became better known for her laugh more than any accomplishments in the Biden administration. Her favorability ratings as vice president were persistently low. Nor did the unlikable charge go away completely. She was plagued by high staff turnover, with former employees complaining about her as a boss.
The last candidate to try to break the glass ceiling, in a campaign against the very same Republican Harris will face, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, struggled with how she was perceived. “You’re likable enough, Hillary,” was former President Barack Obama’s rejoinder when asked about her in a Democratic debate. Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) encountered similar problems when they ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020.
Likability has been a hurdle for politicians who are neither women nor liberal. But Harris does have a gendered understanding of the criticism as she has considered how to position herself.
“As a woman,” Harris told a crowd in an undated clip available on YouTube, “there’s a balance to be struck between being tough and being a b****.” She then erupted into her trademark laughter.
Harris is clearly trying to strike that balance now. She is returning to her roots as a former district attorney and attorney general as a way to contrast herself with the legal problems of former President Donald Trump. It is also a good way to run on something other than the unpopular Biden administration’s record.
At the same time, we no longer see the grim Harris admonishing people not to say “Merry Christmas” until her preferred legislative solution for illegal immigrants was enacted. “Joy” has famously been the theme of her campaign. She smiles as she taunts Trump on the stump.
Whether Harris can keep up this careful balancing act remains to be seen. She has faced criticism for being tightly scripted and declining to sit for extended interviews, though she has started taking the occasional brief question from the press.
But the Harris we will see onstage Thursday night at the Democratic National Convention to accept the nomination is going to try to mix firmness and exuberance. Her careful message will include L-words that Democrats of Biden’s generation were warned about.
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She’s likable enough. She’s liberal enough, but not too liberal. She might lock you up. She will laugh.
Psalm 30:5 says, “Joy cometh in the morning,” but Harris hopes it arrives on the Democrats’ final convention night and doesn’t leave until after Election Day.
