Kamala Harris’s campaign was seen by many of her supporters, and others across the world, as having the potential of saving American democracy from an existential threat and a sign that US politics might be returning to a more normal state of affairs.
With a Donald Trump victory on Wednesday morning, that potential disappeared.
After the shock exit of Joe Biden following his disastrous debate performance raised questions about his mental acuity, Harris and her team ran a campaign that by American standards was incredibly short. Despite having had support by stars like Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, gathering more than a billion dollars in fundraising, and criss-crossing the country in relentless rallies, Harris’s bid to win the White House ended in defeat.
Here are some key moments, issues and events from the campaign:
The surprise Biden endorsement that started it
When Joe Biden announced he was stepping down from the race for the White House, it was after immense and growing pressure from a Democratic establishment panicked by his disastrous showing in the first presidential debate. It had felt for weeks that his decision to end his re-election bid was inevitable. What was less certain was whether or not the Democrats would carry out some form of mini-primary to pick a new candidate. Biden’s virtually immediate decision to endorse Harris put an end to that debate quickly and the party rapidly fell in line.
Kamala is brat
One of the surprise early themes of Harris’s campaign was triggered by the British pop singer Charli xcx, who tweeted: “kamala IS brat.” It became an instant meme in an early campaign that was defined by a wave of web-based humor over the summer. As Charli explained on TikTok, brat is “just like that girl who is a little messy and likes to party and maybe says some dumb things sometimes, who feels herself, but then also maybe has a breakdown, but kind of parties through it”. It was fun while it lasted. But by the end of the brutal campaign – as election day drew near – the joy of brat largely retreated from view.
A Democratic convention of ‘joy’
At a Democratic national convention once intended for Joe Biden and now portrayed as a coronation for Kamala Harris, the one emotion that seemed to sweep the hall was one not usually associated with America’s political landscape in 2024: joy. The mood of enthusiasm for a fresh face in a race previously dominated by two elderly white men who had fought an election before was palpable. The event passed off seamlessly, cementing Harris’s rising power in the polls as she clawed back Biden’s losses and started to move ahead.
A crushing debate performance beat Trump
If Donald Trump was expecting anything akin to his experience with Joe Biden when he turned up to debate Harris, he was soon brought back down to earth. Harris, an experienced prosecutor, rapidly grew in confidence and stature during the debate. She was poised and combative, alert and in control and – crucially – she knew how to bait Trump into losing his temper. Which he did. Despite the protestations of his supporters, Harris easily emerged as the winner – so much so that Trump refused a rematch.
Keeping a distance from Joe Biden
Joe Biden picked her for vice-president, endorsed her as his successor and ran by many accounts a significant presidency with a remarkable economic recovery from the wreckage of the pandemic. However, Harris and her campaign have kept a clear distance from the current occupant of the White House. Harris has always been deeply respectful of Biden and reluctant to criticize him but his campaign events have been rare. One incident highlighted why. In the wake of a row over racist comments about Puerto Ricans at a Trump rally in New York City, Biden seemingly insulted the very people Harris was trying to win over when he claimed: “The only garbage I see floating out there is his [Trump’s] supporters.” Although he swiftly clarified his comment, it gifted the Republicans a talking point at a moment of weakness for them and also seemed to prove the wisdom of the Harris campaign’s attempts to politely keep Biden away from its election effort.
The Walz pick that soared and then swooped
Harris picked the Minnesota governor, Tim Walz, early on in her campaign, cementing a wave of excitement, especially on the progressive left. The genial former high school football coach had come to prominence as a highly successful surrogate for Harris, with his midwestern charm, plain speaking and knack for an insult. That charmed the campaign early on, especially as Walz was happy to dub his Republican opponents as simply “weird”. But as the Harris campaign wore on and adopted more planned and traditional strategies, Walz became less visible. By the time he debated his opposite number, JD Vance, a less combative Walz was widely seen as having been bested by the Maga favorite.
Harris courted Republicans aggressively
As the Harris campaign grew into itself and became more traditional as it spread across the country, it adopted a strong strategy of trying to peel off Republican voters it believed did not want to vote for Trump. Key to that was campaigning with the former Wyoming congresswoman Liz Cheney, who had taken a strongly anti-Trump stance, especially around her work for the congressional committee investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol. It was a classic Democratic strategy of triangulating for the center and soft Republicans, rather than energizing the base, and stood in contrast to the more freeform style of the campaign in its early weeks.
The gender gap exposed as Harris courted women
The Harris campaign bet on the idea that the loss of federal abortion rights when the US supreme court overturned Roe v Wade would be a powerful motivator with women of all backgrounds. This was especially true in states where abortion was back on the ballot in 2024 as various states made efforts to protect rights. In the final days of the campaign there were numerous signs that women, especially white women, were starting to turn out in large numbers and favoring Harris by impressive margins. The Harris campaign even launched ads directly reminding women that the ballot box was a private space and they could hide their choice from their husband.
A defining speech in Washington focuses on the threat to democracy
The climactic big event of Harris’s campaign was a speech given on the Ellipse in Washington DC – the same spot from which Trump had helped launch the January 6 attack on the Capitol in 2021. Harris used the event to highlight the main theme of her campaign: Trump is a threat to US democracy and to vote for him is to invite someone with autocratic sympathies back into the White House. More than 75,000 spectators flocked to hear her dire warning of the threat that the US faces.
A last-gasp appearance on Saturday Night Live
Harris took a last-minute break from the campaign trail to re-embrace her reputation as a “joyful warrior” with a surprise appearance on the late-night comedy sketch show Saturday Night Live. Harris played herself, appearing in a mirror opposite the actor Maya Rudolph doing her best Harris impression. Dressed identically in a black suit and pearls, the two traded comic variations on Harris’s first name. Rudolph took Harris’s hand and gave her a pep talk. “Now Kamala, take my palm-ala. The American people want to stop the chaos …” Harris replied: “And end the drama-la.”
Read more of the Guardian’s 2024 US election coverage
