ATLANTA (AP) — Two years after Kamala Harris lost the presidential election to Donald Trump, she continues to energize Democratic donors and activists with her criticisms of the former president, describing him as "callous, corrupt and incompetent." She referred to Trump as the "decorator in chief" in reference to his luxurious White House renovations and extravagant gold decorations.
As she contemplates a potential run for office again, the former vice president has articulated her vision for the party, the electorate, and the nation. "This is the moment where we turn that anger into action," she emphasized throughout her vigorous campaign schedule during the lead-up to the midterm elections.
Harris traveled across seven states, culminating in a recent two-day visit to Georgia. Her engagement echoed the nostalgic tours often seen from former two-term presidents like Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, while also mirroring the grassroots campaigns of emerging contenders such as California Governor Gavin Newsom, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, and U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
As the first Black woman elected to nationwide office, Harris called on fellow Black Americans to "honor the ancestors" by voting, adopting a more transactional approach by demanding greater accountability from politicians. With her background as a California senator prior to joining Joe Biden in the 2020 election, she urged Democrats to adopt bold governance strategies. She proposed essential "structural work" to rejuvenate American democracy, advocating for U.S. Supreme Court expansion, statehood for the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and a reevaluation of the Electoral College.
"I think she’s hitting all the right notes," said Melinda Johnson, a retired nurse who attended a Fulton County Democratic Party fundraising gala where Harris was the keynote speaker in Atlanta.
Harris also made campaign stops in early primary states such as Nevada, New Hampshire, and Michigan, as well as in Mississippi, advocating for U.S. Senate candidate Scott Colom in a less conventional political landscape.
"The South is in play," she asserted. "When Democrats invest in the South, we can win in the South." In Georgia, she emphasized the historical significance of civil rights as she criticized the U.S. Supreme Court for its ruling that weakened the Voting Rights Act, enabling Republicans to redraw congressional district boundaries in ways that now marginalize nonwhite lawmakers.
During a Democratic dinner in Atlanta, she stated that "ruthlessness" is crucial in achieving political goals. While clarifying that she does not mean ruthlessness in a cruel sense, she explained that it involves being determined to use political power to fulfill commitments. Harris insisted that Democrats "can no longer let process stand in the way of progress."
Amid her campaign stops, Harris indirectly acknowledged her loss to Trump. "You know we've been spending the last year and a half, so many of us, going through a range of emotions," she said during a talk with students, listing feelings of anger, depression, and frustration.
Warning that Trump could interfere in the upcoming elections, she echoed one of his much-repeated slogans, urging the public to vote. "In this case," she remarked at Atlanta's Elizabeth Baptist Church, "we just need to turn out in really large numbers that would be too big to rig."
Bill Barrow, The Associated Press
