Vice President Kamala Harris urged a group of young leaders on Tuesday to “stay in the fight” after November’s victory by President-elect Donald J. Trump, telling them to believe anything is possible in spite of her failure to win the White House.
“Over the past several weeks, since the election, I have received tens of thousands of letters from people across our nation,” she said. “Many of them young leaders. Americans from every walk of life. People of every age, race, faith, and political party. These letters share a common theme. Yes, there is disappointment, but there is also resolve for the future.”
In her first major address since conceding defeat, Ms. Harris confronted one of the deepest disappointments for Democrats this election cycle: the loss of support among younger voters who have long been viewed as a key part of the party core constituency.
The vice president, who at 59 was a generation younger than President Biden when she replaced him on the ticket last summer, had hoped to re-energize those voters. But some exit polls have shown that Mr. Biden’s coalition of younger voters shrunk in the 2024 election, and Mr. Trump gained ground among the critical voting bloc.
One of the trademarks of Ms. Harris’s tenure was serving as a bridge to the younger generation as a vice president to the oldest president to serve in the White House. Before Mr. Biden dropped out, she embarked on a nationwide college tour and met with young activists in the United States and overseas. Ms. Harris also took on issues important to young people such as climate change, gun violence prevention, reproductive freedom, voting rights and entrepreneurship.
For Ms. Harris, a future in national politics may depend on how well she is able to shape perceptions about the 2024 race. Democratic strategists have praised her shortened campaign but said she suffered from a muddled message and a refusal to make a clear break from some of Mr. Biden’s unpopular policies and approaches.
In her speech to high school and college students and recent graduates at Prince George’s Community College in Maryland, Ms. Harris displayed a pugnacious resolve that suggested she did not intend to fade into the background in the years ahead.
“We must stay in the fight. Every one of us,” she said. “Including the fight for an economy that works not just for those at the top, but for working people — for all Americans. The fight to make sure everyone has a fair shot to pursue their ambitions. The fight for our ideals, including the equality among us, the freedoms to which we are entitled.”
This post was originally published on here
