Betting on Biden

During the 2014 midterm elections, several key Democrats, especially in swing states, distanced themselves from Obama due to his low approval ratings and broader dissatisfaction with his administration, particularly following the problematic rollout of the Affordable Care Act. These Democrats believed that a close association with Obama could negatively impact their electoral chances.

Fast forward to today, VP Kamala faces similar challenges with Biden’s low approval ratings and concerns over his age and key decisions done on Israel, Gaza, Ukraine, and Russia, which puts her campaign in the spotlight. The question now is whether it would be a strategic move if she will independently distance herself with Biden just as what the Midterm Democrats had done in 2014, or should Kamala continue to align closely with Biden, after all she’s the incumbent VP in a Biden administration, everything that Biden did or decide on will always connect to her. Recent campaign stops, like Biden’s appearance in Pittsburgh, suggest that Harris is choosing the latter approach—aligning with Biden while also independently courting voters in critical swing states.

Here’s the rundown, Kamala recognizes the importance of Biden's long political career and the established connections he built through those years, and leveraging those accomplishments and connections could be central to her campaign’s success. But the other approach that Kamala can take may offer her an even stronger path to victory in November, by stepping outside Biden’s shadows and building her own brand, for starters, she needs to take a stronger position when it comes to Gaza: permanent ceasefire, and upholding the findings of the International Court that the Gaza Genocide has consequences on key parties from Israel to Hamas.