Kamala Harris is readying on Monday to certify the 2024 election outcomes, affirming President-elect Trump’s victory in addition to her decisive defeat to him after a whirlwind run for commander-in-chief.
After spending a lot of her marketing campaign warning of Trump’s risk to democracy, Harris, in her function as vice chairman, will now lead the ultimate step within the election course of that may ship Trump again to the White Home.
She is predicted to carry out her obligation with little fanfare however finally, the place places her in a clumsy spot by which her election loss may even be within the highlight.
Harris, nevertheless, shouldn’t be alone in historical past. Two vice presidents in latest a long time have confronted the identical predicament — Richard Nixon who was vice chairman when he misplaced to John F. Kennedy and Al Gore when he misplaced to George W. Bush.
“Being put in the position of certifying an election that you lost has to be one of the most difficult and humbling experiences that you could have in public life,” mentioned David Thomas, a Democratic strategist and former aide to Gore. “That said, I would fully expect that Vice President Harris will do her duty and perform it well.”
“Both Nixon and Gore did the same thing here, it’s one of the last things you have to do as vice president… and it’s an incredibly important function for a peaceful transition of power,” he added.
Harris recorded a video message on Monday forward of the certification, calling the obligation “a sacred obligation” and one she is going to “uphold guided by love of country, loyalty to our Constitution, and my unwavering faith in the American people.” She additionally mentioned within the message that “our democracy can be fragile.”
The vice chairman’s function in officiating the Electoral Faculty rely earlier than Congress – the ultimate step within the election course of earlier than a president takes the White Home – was recognized for a lot of cycles as one which was principally uneventful and largely ceremonious.
That every one modified on Jan. 6, 2021 when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol to contest President Biden’s 2020 victory.
Trump’s then-vice president, Mike Pence, cemented his function in historical past for his actions that day.
Pence was underneath stress by Trump to overturn Biden’s victory and refused. Because of this, rioters storming the Capitol chanted “hang Mike Pence,” turning on Trump’s second-in-command.
The connection between Trump and Pence, who ran for the 2024 GOP nomination, was by no means to be repaired, regardless of Pence at instances seemingly defensive of his former boss on coverage points. Nonetheless, the previous vice chairman condemned Trump’s actions and for endangering his household and others within the Capitol that day.
That riot turned a staple of Biden’s re-election run and later Harris’s stump speeches. Each repeatedly argued that Trump was a risk to democracy and shouldn’t be certified to return to workplace. Harris at instances agreed that Trump was a “fascist” and she or he delivered her closing argument of the marketing campaign from the Ellipse close to the White Home, the identical place the place Trump spoke to supporters the morning of Jan. 6, 2021.
However that messaging fell brief with the American voters. Trump gained November’s election, decisively beating Harris in each the Electoral Faculty and the favored vote.
Harris has hardly been seen in public since her election loss. She has given two main speeches, together with her concession speech at Howard College. She’s made a couple of appearances round Washington however total has stayed out of the limelight.
A former Harris aide mentioned she doesn’t see Monday’s certification as a “pity party.”
“Vice President Harris has made it clear to her team and supporters that it’s not time for a pity party. As she’s said: the fight continues. Certifying the election results is a part of keeping our democracy intact — and we’ve all heard her speak about how important that is,” the previous aide mentioned.
Biden, when he was vice chairman, licensed Trump’s 2016 victory in the identical ceremonious trend. A couple of Democrats tried to contest that rely, however Biden finally instructed them there was no level to take action after the resounding defeat of then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
In 2001, as Gore was certifying Bush’s win, he needed to gavel down a handful of Democrats who voiced their objection after he gained the favored vote however misplaced the election. That race resulted in a historic recount that was finally determined by the Supreme Courtroom.
Paul Thornell, Gore’s former congressional liaison who was with him the day of the rely, instructed The Hill that “one of the profound kind of moments that I came to admire from that day is he had to discourage people from extending the process.”
“He did it with a smile on his face,” mentioned Thornell, a associate at Mehlman Consulting. “The image I have in my head of him that day was — there was some point where he basically had to gavel the person down. And he started to and they continued speaking, and he stopped, and put his hands to his heart, nodded toward them, as if to say, ‘thank you.’”
Gore by no means ran for political workplace once more.
When Nixon in 1961 introduced from the Speaker professional tempe chair that Kennedy gained the earlier November, he took the chance to make a press release, calling the scenario an instance of the steadiness of the Structure.
“This is the first time in 100 years that a candidate for the presidency announced the results of an election in which he was defeated and announced the victory of his opponent,” Nixon mentioned. “
“I do not think that we could have a more striking and eloquent example of the stability of our Constitutional system and of the proud tradition of the American people of developing and respecting and honoring institutions of self-government,” he mentioned.
Nixon went on to win the presidency eight years later and later left workplace in shame following the Watergate scandal.
For Harris, 60, questions have swirled over what function she may have subsequent in politics. A run for California governor in 2026 has typically been floated in political circles and is commonly talked about amongst Democrats as a high possibility for her.
“I imagine she’d be a very formidable candidate for governor in California, which would be exciting for her… that’s a pretty powerful perch. It’s not the presidency, but it’s the biggest state in the country. And that would be an exciting prize for her to go after,” a longtime Democratic donor and bundler mentioned.
Whereas Harris has spent appreciable time in Los Angeles and a while in Hawaii since November’s elections, she’s additionally made sporadic appearances round Washington. On Friday, she was on the Capitol to swear in new senators on the primary day of the brand new Congress.
In the meantime, Democrats are working to rebuild the celebration within the wake of not solely her loss, however Republicans gaining management of the Senate and sustaining Home management.
They’re confronted with determining not solely what went improper in 2024, but additionally transfer ahead and who the faces of the longer term celebration shall be.
Democrats assume Harris must be part of that rebuilding course of.
“She has every right to participate in any way she wants to try to participate,” the Democratic donor and bundler mentioned. “She’s clearly a leader in our party.”
