Even Black Voters Found Kamala Harris to Be Obnoxious From the Start

Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) had solid debate performances. It’s what’s kept her in the running for a few months, but infrastructure matters. Staffing matters. And having an agenda and a message matter. All three were missing from Harris’ 2020 campaign and it led to the end of her presidential ambitions. No one really knew where she stood. By the Fall, the wheels from this shoddy operation quickly fell off the hinges. In December, The New York Times wrote about an operation that quickly devolved into chaos with warring factions. On top of that, the publication reported that Harris’ people are already worried that Tom Steyer, who is still running for president, could primary the senator in 2022. And yes, that jab by Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), another 2020 candidate, on her record as a prosecutor—and Harris’ inadequate response—is what many point to as the moment that marked her quick decline in the 2020 race (via NYT):

...[E]ven to some Harris allies, her decline is more predictable than surprising. In one instance after another, Ms. Harris and her closest advisers made flawed decisions about which states to focus on, issues to emphasize and opponents to target, all the while refusing to make difficult personnel choices to impose order on an unwieldy campaign, according to more than 50 current and former campaign staff members and allies, most of whom spoke on condition of anonymity to disclose private conversations and assessments involving the candidate.

Many of her own advisers are now pointing a finger directly at Ms. Harris. In interviews several of them criticized her for going on the offensive against rivals, only to retreat, and for not firmly choosing a side in the party’s ideological feud between liberals and moderates. She also created an organization with a campaign chairwoman, Maya Harris, who goes unchallenged in part because she is Ms. Harris’s sister, and a manager, Mr. Rodriguez, who could not be replaced without likely triggering the resignations of the candidate’s consulting team. Even at this late date, aides said it’s unclear who’s in charge of the campaign.

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