The Patriot Post® · Kamala Harris Exit Not Due to Race

“The elephant in the room about my campaign,” Kamala Harris asserted back in October, is this question: “Is America ready for a woman and a woman of color to be president of the United States?” Well, it appears that even the party of the “woke” isn’t ready for a Harris presidency, as she announced on Tuesday that she is ending her presidential bid and returning full time to the Senate. While this news left many Democrats and Leftmedia pundits wringing their hands over the lack of “diversity” among the remaining leading Democrat presidential contenders, the truth is Harris’s failed campaign had nothing to do with her race. It had everything to do with Harris herself.

From the beginning of her run, Harris attempted to play up her minority “black” status by announcing her campaign on Martin Luther King Jr. Day with much fanfare. She brandished her “person of color” victimhood credentials when she attacked Joe Biden over his busing comments, but she was subsequently exposed by Tulsi Gabbard for her overzealous prosecutorial record as California’s attorney general. That didn’t play well with minorities.

While Harris’s talent as a prosecutor seemed to indicate she’d be a formidable candidate, it soon became apparent that she lacked the necessary managerial skills to run an effective campaign. As National Review noted, “Harris was also plagued with reports of campaign mismanagement that began to emerge after she announced dozens of layoffs in November. Many of the campaign staffers cited in the reports blamed campaign chair Maya Harris, the candidate’s sister, and campaign manager Juan Rodriguez, for a lack of clear direction.” Diversity of skin color does not equal competency. Merit remains the ultimate winnowing standard, and it’s color-blind. In fact, it was the foundation upon which MLK based his fight for equality.

The bottom line is that under the pressure of a presidential primary, Harris’s lack of leadership ability and consistent messaging were exposed. This is why her campaign ended. It had nothing to do with her being a person of color. Barack Obama’s election demonstrated this fact.

Exit question: Will Harris be considered as a running mate on the Democrat ticket? Given the challenge of Donald Trump’s growing popularity with black voters, Mark Alexander remains firm in his assertion that if Joe Biden is the nominee, he will choose Harris.