How Kamala Harris’ path to the nomination started in Utah

This article was first published in the On the Trail 2024 newsletter. Sign up to receive the newsletter in your inbox on Tuesday and Friday mornings here. To submit a question to next week’s Friday Mailbag, email onthetrail@deseretnews.com.

Hello, friends. Offering solidarity to the Republican delegates — including several from Utah — still traveling home from Milwaukee after the tech outages. I’ve heard of folks sleeping in airports for three straight nights or renting cars to drive cross-country. Blessings to you all.

3 things to know

• Joe Biden is out, after three weeks of fallout following the June 27 debate. President Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee, who inherits the campaign infrastructure and war chest. Now, speculation swirls around Harris’ possible running mates. Reactions to Biden’s decision ran the gamut: anger (from Donald Trump), shock (from Utah Democrats) and gratitude (from Sen. Mitt Romney and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox).

• Speaking of Cox: the Utah governor, a longtime Trump critic, endorsed Trump on Friday, we scooped. Cox sent a letter to Trump two days after the attempted assassination, encouraging him to “turn down the temperature” and “unify the country.” On Friday, that became a formal endorsement. Read more here.

• The Secret Service is taking heat as more details come out about the Trump assassination attempt. In a hearing before the House Oversight Committee Monday, Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle admitted her agency “failed.” Lawmakers — including Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the committee — are calling for Cheatle’s resignation. Read more here.

The big idea

Kamala Harris’ first step

In the hours following President Biden’s miserable debate performance, Democrats were spiraling. Biden’s surrogates in the post-debate spin room offered half-hearted defenses. A flash poll showed most Americans doubted Biden could lead the country. Top pundits, including Biden’s self-described friends, were already calling on him to drop out.

Harris did her best to quell the concerns. Moments after the debate’s conclusion, she appeared on CNN from Los Angeles, urging Americans to not focus on Biden’s debate showing, but on his “last 3½ years of performance.” The next morning, she was in Las Vegas, defending the president. That afternoon, less than 24 hours after the debate, she was in Utah, repeating the same message.

In that Park City fundraiser, Harris made her first post-debate pitch to Democratic donors on why they should stick with Biden. In the three subsequent weeks, Harris has gone from being Biden’s strongest defender to the presumptive Democratic nominee for president.

That path began in Park City: as Harris spoke, several attendees told the Deseret News they began envisioning the 2024 ticket with Harris’ name on top.

Standing in front of over 200 Democratic donors inside a Snyderville Basin mansion, Harris spoke about the Biden-Harris administration’s legislative accomplishments and warned about Trump’s agenda. She admitted the president had a “slow start” the night before, but she pivoted quickly to describing the “stakes” of the 2024 election. Standing in front of a large, stone fireplace, she rested her hands on a lectern, but used no teleprompter. She spoke for over an hour.

By the end of her speech, several attendees were on board with the possibility of Harris as the presidential nominee.

“I think there was a conversion process there that happened with everybody in the room,” said Scott Howell, the former Utah Senate minority leader and a top Biden-Harris surrogate in Utah. Within a week, Howell — perhaps Biden’s staunchest defender in Utah — publicly said Biden should drop out “if he’s not up to the rigors of the job.”

Howell wasn’t alone. Mark Gilbert, the fundraiser’s host, said he was “incredibly impressed” by Harris and said he’d like to see her as the party’s nominee, should Biden drop out. On Sunday, hours after Biden announced his decision to suspend his candidacy, Gilbert described it as a “sad day” and said the way the party treated Biden was “really pretty harsh.” But he expressed confidence in Harris, who he thinks “will make a remarkable nominee for the party.”

“I like judging things by seeing them firsthand,” Gilbert said. “I was incredibly impressed (by her speech at the fundraiser). I think people left fired up and energized, asking what more they can do.”

Gilbert, the former U.S. ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa during the Obama administration, said Harris spoke at length during the fundraiser about foreign policy. She detailed her interactions with foreign leaders — over 150 of them since 2021, she said — and spoke about the Biden administration’s work to strengthen NATO. “She has shown she can build relationships on the world stage,” Gilbert said. “As a former diplomat, I see the value of that.”

Patrice Arent, a former member of the Utah Senate and House of Representatives, said she was also impressed by Harris’ “really in depth experience and understanding of foreign policy,” she said.

“She’s clearly qualified to be an outstanding president,” Arent said.

Whether Harris will become the Democratic nominee is not a foregone conclusion, but it is increasingly likely. Democrats have quickly rallied behind the vice president, led by Biden, who offered his endorsement Sunday. By Monday night, Harris had secured over half of the delegates necessary to secure the nomination, The Associated Press reported. In the 24 hours after Biden’s announcement, the Harris campaign raked in $81 million — a presidential fundraising record. Speculation has not focused on whether Harris will be the nominee, but on who she will pick as her running mate.

Attendees at Harris’ Utah fundraiser did not hesitate to express their support for Harris. Howell endorsed her Sunday, saying she will be “an excellent leader for our country and the world.” Gilbert did, too, saying Harris “has earned the president’s trust, and she will make a remarkable nominee for the party.” Arent said she will support her, calling her “inspiring.”

In the coming weeks, when Harris is likely cemented as the Democratic nominee for president, it will be the culmination of a three-week process of winning over Democrats — that began in Park City.

What I’m reading

The chief reaction among Democrats after Biden’s announcement: exultance. Democrats widely view the Biden-Harris administration to be hugely popular, and they can now make the arguments for their policy successes without having to answer to the president’s competence or fitness for office. It was a rapid pivot from “relief to hope to certainty,” Jonathan Martin writes. Inside the Democratic Reboot: Joy, Hope and Fear (Politico)

The people not cheering the Biden news? Republicans — and particularly, Trump’s team. I wrote in this newsletter on Friday about congressional Republicans’ desires for Biden to stick around. They view Biden to be a weak, and beatable, candidate. But even more dire for the Trump camp — they’d spent over a year building a machine against Biden, and less than four months before Election Day, they have to pivot. Even Trump joined the lament Sunday night: “Now we have to start all over again.” This Is Exactly What the Trump Team Feared (Tim Alberta, The Atlantic)

Curious about Harris’ faith? Here’s a good breakdown of Harris’ unique background: She is a member of the oldest African American church in San Francisco, led by Rev. Amos Brown. Harris mother was Hindu; her husband is Jewish. 5 Faith-facts about VP-elect Kamala Harris, a Black Baptist with a Hindu family (Yonat Shimron, Religion News Service)

See you on the trail.

Editor’s Note: The Deseret News is committed to covering issues of substance in the 2024 presidential race from its unique perspective and editorial values. Our team of political reporters will bring you in-depth coverage of the most relevant news and information to help you make an informed decision. Find our complete coverage of the election here.