The unforeseen defeat of former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election against Donald Trump has been a startling revelation.
According to Fox News, Kamala Harris's unexpected loss and the internal dynamics that influenced it are discussed in the recent publication "Fight: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House".
According to "Fight," penned by journalists Amie Parnes and Jonathan Allen, the election result caught both Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, off guard. This book delves into the chaotic aftermath following former President Joe Biden’s decision not to seek re-election, which propelled Harris to the forefront of Democratic candidates.
On the pivotal night, the disbelief was palpable. "She was completely shocked, and [Harris' running mate] Tim Walz was shocked," Amie Parnes recounted during a podcast appearance on "Somebody's Gotta Win with Tara Palmeri."
Following the surprising outcome, both Harris and Walz questioned the results. Amie Parnes described the scene: "He has no words. And people are kind of explaining to him, same thing with her. And she's like, are you sure? Have we done a recount? Should we do a recount?"
The possibility of victory had seemed within reach for Harris and her team. "They thought that they were going to win. And so, you know, when they come back now and say, 'Oh, no, we didn't have a chance.' No, that's not what they were thinking. They thought they were going to win," Parnes noted.
The campaign atmosphere had suggested a strong performance by Harris. "Kamala Harris was looking at her crowd size, and they felt like the vibe was strong and people were saying, 'Oh, we have more boots on the ground. We're doing better in fundraising," Parnes elaborated.
Harris herself believed that the electoral timing affected her chances. According to the book, she voiced to friends, "She could have won, she told friends, if only the election was later in the calendar—or she got in earlier."
"In other words, Joe Biden was to blame," reflecting her frustration with the timing of her campaign launch.
However, not everyone agreed with Harris's assessment. A friend of hers described the idea of a later election benefiting her as "f---ing bonkers," while a Harris advisor critiqued the campaign's substance, stating, "I don't think we needed more time… We needed more substance. And she did not have more substance."
Furthermore, former President Barack Obama showed hesitancy towards endorsing Harris. Co-author Jonathan Allen revealed, "He didn’t think that she was the best choice for Democrats, and he worked really behind the scenes for a long time to try to have a mini-primary, or an open convention, or a mini-primary leading to an open convention, did not have faith in her ability to win the election."
This lack of endorsement from a prominent Democratic figure added another layer of difficulty for Harris’s campaign.
Despite the detailed analysis and striking revelations in "Fight," Harris's office has refrained from commenting on the specifics of the book.
Ultimately, "Fight: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House" exposes a tumultuous campaign filled with high stakes, unmet expectations, and stark revelations. It offers a profound look into what might have been for Kamala Harris and paints a complex picture of the unpredictable nature of U.S. presidential elections.
