US Washington correspondent Keith Duggan discusses the pros and cons of vice-president Kamala Harris leading the Democratic election ticket

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What are the pros and cons of Harris taking over as Democratic candidate in the race to the White House? Photograph: Cliff Owen/AP
What are the pros and cons of Harris taking over as Democratic candidate in the race to the White House? Photograph: Cliff Owen/AP

On Sunday evening, shortly before 7pm Irish Time, US president Joe Biden posted a letter on X confirming his intention to withdraw from the 2024 presidential election campaign.

With 21 of Biden’s fellow Democratic politicians publicly calling for him to step aside, the 81-year-old’s announcement was not unexpected – his candidacy had become untenable.

Shortly after his announcement, Biden formally endorsed Kamala Harris, his vice-president, to replace him on the ticket. However, other party voices are calling for an opening nomination process in advance of the Democratic national convention on August 19th.

What are the pros and cons of Harris taking over as Democratic candidate in the race to the White House? What does the former California senator stand for and could she beat Donald Trump?

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Quite simply, are Americans ready to elect a black, Asian-American woman to the White House?

Today, on In the News, Joe Biden is out, but is Kamala Harris ready to win the White House?

Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by John Casey.

Sorcha Pollak

Sorcha Pollak

Sorcha Pollak is an Irish Times reporter specialising in immigration issues and cohost of the In the News podcast