Vice President Kamala Harris has struggled with likability throughout her political career, and the issue does not seem to have gone away during her first year and a half with the Biden administration.
According to Breitbart, Harris was scheduled to attend a Woman’s Leadership Forum fundraiser in May, where she would have been available to pose with fans for a photo for $15,000.
However, the event was postponed until the fall because the Democratic National Committee did not sell enough tickets.
Now, the DNC has reportedly slashed prices for a photo with Harris at an upcoming fundraiser in California.
According to Puck News reporter Tara Palmeri, the DNC will charge $5,000 for a picture with the vice president. That is a decrease of 66 percent from the price it planned to charge in May.
According to an average of approval polls from FiveThirtyEight, Harris had a net approval rating of -13.1 percentage points as of Friday. This was only slightly above President Joe Biden, whose approval rating was -15.1 percentage points as of Tuesday.
As the midterms approach, Harris’ inability to raise money and her abysmal approval rating are a serious concern for Democrats. Yet possibly even more concerning for Democrats is the 2024 presidential election.
In May, Intelligencer reported that many Democrats were hoping to find a replacement for Biden, whose age figures to be a big question with regard to a potential second term.
Do you approve of Harris’ performance as vice president?
While Harris was originally assumed to be the heir apparent, her widespread unpopularity has put Democrats in a tough position.
Some sources close to Harris reportedly believe she would be in a better position if it weren’t for Biden, CNN reported in November. California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis said she felt Harris was not being given enough meaningful tasks by the president.
“She’s very honored and very proud to be vice president of the United States,” Kounalakis said. “Her job as the No. 2 is to be helpful and supportive to the president and to take on work that he asks her to take on.
“It is natural that those of us who know her know how much more helpful she can be than she is currently being asked to be.”
However, this argument ignores the fact that Harris has been largely unable to handle the issues Biden has given her. For example, when asked about her failure to visit the southern border after Biden tasked her with addressing the invasion happening there, she got defensive.
Wow @KamalaHarris is that sneaker still in your mouth? ? This is absolutely cringe. “I’ve never been to Europe either” (when asked about the border). Cause that’s the same. I mean wow. #BorderCrisis #alpolitics pic.twitter.com/Ry7ybZ5n8l
— Jessica Taylor (@JessicaTaylorAL) June 8, 2021
Harris finally visited the border on June 25, 2021 — 94 days after Biden appointed her to lead the administration’s response to illegal immigration, the New York Post reported.
When she did so, she went to El Paso, Texas, which is hundreds of miles away from the sites where most of the illegal crossings are happening. A year later, the crisis at the southern border rages on.
Failures like this one, as well as Harris’ refusal to acknowledge them, have led to her widespread disapproval. That is an issue not only for her but also for the future of the entire Democratic Party.
