# Was Kamala Harris a below average Democratic Presidential Candidate? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [February 18, 2026, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-kamala-harris-a-below-average-democratic-presidential-candidate/1027801 "2026-02-18T19:03:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2026, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-kamala-harris-a-below-average-democratic-presidential-candidate/1027801/181 "2026-02-25T23:20:02Z")
> [@Culling\_The\_Herd](#): > > Independents now comprise the largest block of voters A lot of “independents” are not formally affiliated with a party, but consistently vote for one or the other parties. There are a whole lot of liberals who do not self-identify as Democrats, but will rarely, if ever, vote for a Republican candidate, and vice-versa with conservatives. There’s a difference between what you are describing – a “swing voter” who is well-informed, and doesn’t really like other party or its candidates – and a voter who is just generally disengaged, but still does vote. Again, I’m not denying that the former exists, but looking at polls, and my own gut, tells me that there are a whole lot of the second group, too. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2026, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-kamala-harris-a-below-average-democratic-presidential-candidate/1027801/182 "2026-02-25T23:22:04Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Harris is a highly competent person, and so was Hillary Clinton. The bar to be better than Trump is on the floor. Walter Mondale was more competent than Ronald Reagan, and both Al Gore and John Kerry were more competent than George W. Bush. The bar to beat Republicans isn’t set by competence alone. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2026, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-kamala-harris-a-below-average-democratic-presidential-candidate/1027801/183 "2026-02-26T01:16:26Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > The fact that she did so poorly in 2020 tells you about how democratic voters felt about her. No, it just tells you she was very canny politically. Let me give you that cite again- [https://www.newsnationnow.com/politics/2024-election/benefits-running-for-president/#:~:text=“It’s%20a%20way%20of%20cultivating,an%20issue%2C”%20Belt%20said](https://www.newsnationnow.com/politics/2024-election/benefits-running-for-president/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CIt's%20a%20way%20of%20cultivating,an%20issue%2C%E2%80%9D%20Belt%20said) \*“It’s a way of cultivating a donor base of support, as well as support at the polls,” Panagopoulos said. \* _Putting one’s name out there for the highest office in the country can put them into consideration for high positions in the private sector._ _“There are corporations who like to put these people on boards of directors, and there are universities who look for presidents and other administrators,” Belt said. “If you can run for president and show that you can raise a good deal of money, then there’s a lot of people out there who want you to work for them.”_ Harris was probably not running for the Dem nomination, more likely she was looking to increase name recognition, and get a show at either AG (she would have bee a good choice) or Veep- in which she was massively successful. > [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > or because Bidens ego was so gigantic he wouldn’t step down like he promised. Biden made no such promise. He was likely banking on being more healthy. > [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Harris is a highly competent person, and so was Hillary Clinton. True. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2026, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-kamala-harris-a-below-average-democratic-presidential-candidate/1027801/184 "2026-02-26T01:22:42Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Biden made no such promise. As noted upthread, he made a statement or two which _alluded_ to him maybe being a one-term president, and may have had staff members do the same to the press, prior to the 2020 primaries. But, yes, he never flat-out publicly promised, “I will not run for a second term.” ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2026, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-kamala-harris-a-below-average-democratic-presidential-candidate/1027801/185 "2026-02-26T01:25:13Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > As noted upthread, he made a statement or two which _alluded_ to him maybe being a one-term president, Sure, but not even close to being a promise- as you said. IMHO it all was depending on his health. Other than that debate, his health was good enough to remain in office- but not do that and campaign also- which is exhausting. He was not senile, as some here have claimed. ---
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2026, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-kamala-harris-a-below-average-democratic-presidential-candidate/1027801/186 "2026-02-26T01:50:57Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Clinton himself once said “No matter what, you have to campaign as if you are 10 points behind in the polls. Too bad his wife didn’t take this advice to heart. Then we wouldn’t be where we are today. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2026, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-kamala-harris-a-below-average-democratic-presidential-candidate/1027801/187 "2026-02-26T14:53:33Z")
Agree with that in 2020 she never really tested herself before the primary _voters_, but rather did put herself before the strategists, pundits and donors and heeded their feedback when they said “not your time” — and that put her in good standing as someone who listens to counsel and keeps party discipline, when the time for VP choice came. That discipline though will always come back to bite a VP who wants to run on their own, fairly or not. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2026, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-kamala-harris-a-below-average-democratic-presidential-candidate/1027801/188 "2026-02-26T15:08:13Z")
I think her decision to withdraw had more to do with her terrible polling numbers than with any feedback from strategists. I guess “your polling numbers suck” is a kind of feedback, but not one that requires any special expertise to give. ---
**Author:** ![DeadTreasSecretaries](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deadtreassecretaries/32/4817_2.png) [@DeadTreasSecretaries](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadTreasSecretaries)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2026, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-kamala-harris-a-below-average-democratic-presidential-candidate/1027801/189 "2026-02-26T16:18:20Z")
She dropped after her campaign ran out of money and desperate measures like suspending her campaign in New Hampshire to go all in on Iowa and abruptly layong off staff weren’t enough. Candidates don’t drop before the first primaries out of party loyalty or to get picked by the eventual nominee - most running mates are picked from people who dropped after Iowa. The only time party loyalty comes into it is in a case like 2008 where the president was in the same party and veey few people ran against his preferred candidatein the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Calder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e99b99/32.png) [@Calder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calder)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2026, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-kamala-harris-a-below-average-democratic-presidential-candidate/1027801/190 "2026-02-26T23:01:11Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > > [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > > > The fact that she did so poorly in 2020 tells you about how democratic voters felt about her. > > No, it just tells you she was very canny politically. I can understand your argument that Harris was running in 2020 to raise her profile and didn’t really expect to win the nomination. That is a pretty normal thing to do. But the idea that she was being politically canny by deliberately running a bad campaign so she had to drop out before a single state held its primary is really bad logic. No other Vice presidential candidates ran for president in the same cycle and dropped out before a single vote was cast. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2026, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-kamala-harris-a-below-average-democratic-presidential-candidate/1027801/191 "2026-02-27T01:18:47Z")
> [@Calder](#): > > But the idea that she was being politically canny by deliberately running a bad campaign so she had to drop out before a single state held its primary is really bad logic. No other Vice presidential candidates ran for president in the same cycle and dropped out before a single vote was cast. A total of 18 did, and a couple were really hoping for Veep. And there is no evidence that she was "deliberately running a bad campaign " unless the other 17 were also. Not to mention the losers that didnt win a single state, nor any significant number of votes- Yang ,Bennett, Steyer, Patrick- all of whom are gone and forgotten now. > **[2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries | Withdrew before the primaries](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Democratic_Party_presidential_primaries#Withdrew_before_the_primaries)** > > Other notable individuals who were not major candidates terminated their campaigns before the primaries: > 1.Ben Gleib, actor, comedian, satirist, and writer | > 2.Ami Horowitz, conservative activist and documentary filmmaker (endorsed Donald Trump) | > 3.Brian Moore, activist; Green nominee for U.S. Senate from Florida in 2006; Socialist and Liberty Union nominee for president in 2008 | > 4.Ken Nwadike Jr., documentary filmmaker, motivational speaker, and peace activist\[failed verification\] > A numbe... ---
**Author:** ![DeadTreasSecretaries](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deadtreassecretaries/32/4817_2.png) [@DeadTreasSecretaries](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadTreasSecretaries)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-kamala-harris-a-below-average-democratic-presidential-candidate/1027801/192 "2026-03-02T16:37:28Z")
Most candidates in any crowded field primary would make below average general election candidates. One of the good things about primaries is that a lot of people who aren’t good enough at running a campaign get weeded out. And 2020 had a particularly weak democratic crop. Harris was much better than most of the pre-Iowa drops, which isn’t good enough. She needed to be among the best in the primaries to be an above average general election candidate. Her actual campaign wasn’t good en. She dropped when she did because she wasn’t able to fundraise enough to keep her operations in Iowa and New Hampshire afloat, which is less than you can say about Warren, Klobuchar, Buttigieg and Sanders. Comparing her to rhe next tier down she looks fine but that’s the minor leagues. ETA: I’m not even sure who if any of the candidates I mentioned are above average. Buttigieg is probably average and with Sanders and Warren they are very different from any presidential nominees in recent history so its tough to know. Klobuchar has a track record winning in swing states but she didn’t really carve out any particular brand in the presidential campaign. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-kamala-harris-a-below-average-democratic-presidential-candidate/1027801.md?page=9)