Ritu Jha-
Indian-American supporters who have invested in California Senator Kamala Harris, a 2020 presidential candidate, say it was sad learning she has suspended her bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, but welcome her wise decision.
Ashok Bhatt, a Democratic leader who has hosted several fundraising events for Senator Harris told indica, “She made a wise decision. It’s good she dropped or it would be worse picking up, now there is a chance to pick her up as a vice president by Joe Biden.”
Harris launched her presidential bid in March 2018 from her hometown of Oakland, CA which was attended by over 20,000 people.
Born to an Indian mother and Jamaican father, Harris in her statement on suspending the presidential bid says she is suspending her campaign.
“My campaign for president simply doesn’t have the financial resources we need to continue,” Harris said through a press statement.
“I’m not a billionaire. I can’t fund my own campaign. And as the campaign has gone on, it’s become harder and harder to raise the money we need to compete.”
She further stated, “I am not perfect. But I will always speak with decency and moral clarity and treat all people with dignity and respect. I will lead with integrity. I will speak the truth.”
Bhatt, who had lined up several fundraising events in California, Ohio, and New Jersey coming January for Harris told indica she is the perfect candidate but the problem was in her team.
“She came to the Indian community pretty late. But again, I hope she can be fit for the Vice President candidate.”
On raising enough money, she raised more than $36 million but, in the competition, what she really needed is that sufficient money for the long future. People were not standing behind her to give the money and that was her problem because she was not a fundraising person herself.
Another long-time supporter of Senator Harris, M.R. Rangaswami, the founder of Indiaspora told indica, “We are proud that someone from our community was a serious candidate for the highest office in the country!”
“As Senator, she will continue to be a strong voice for California. She is a fighter and I am sure we will see her again on the national stage in the future,” Rangaswami said.
Senator Harris in her statement stated, “And I want to be clear: although I am no longer running for President, I will do everything in my power to defeat Donald Trump and fight for the future of our country and the best of who we are.”
According to The Hill, although Harris stated the campaign began with a bang from her hometown which set her bar higher she soon struggled to convert the early enthusiasm into steady support, partially due to her unclear ideologies. She never found a way to capitalize on her two best assets: her home state, the largest single delegation to the 2020 Democratic National Convention, and her career as a tough prosecutor that fueled her fiery stage presence.
“As other candidates chose sides on how dramatically to overhaul the nation’s health care system, Harris tried to straddle warring camps. Once a supporter of Senator Bernie Sanders’s (I-Vt.) “Medicaid for All” bill, she dropped her co-sponsorship. On the debate stage, she could not concisely articulate her views on what was becoming a key dividing line within the Democratic Party,” The Hill reported.
Raj Goyle, co-founder of the Indian American Impact Fund, a political action committee that endorsed Harris’ campaign last year in April, did not return indica’s request for comments.
However, Goyal in his statement last year on endorsing Harris said, “In such a critically important election, one that will shape policy and politics for generations to come, Indian Americans can’t afford to stay on the sidelines. That’s why the IMPACT Fund is proud to be the first Indian American or Asian American political organization to endorse Senator Harris.” He continued, “In the coming months, we look forward to mobilizing our network of resources to ensure Senator Harris secures the Democratic nomination and is elected the next President of the United States of America.”