Former Ohio Rep claims Kamala Harris should be Dem nominee for 2024

Former Ohio representative and 2020 Dem presidential primary candidate Tim Ryan claimed that Vice President Kamala Harris should be the Democratic Party’s nominee for the 2024 election, not President Joe Biden. This comes as Biden has faced increasing calls to step aside following a dismal debate performance in late June. 

"I ran for President in 2020. I was the first Presidential candidate to endorse Joe Biden in 2020. I love America. I love our Party. I love Joe Biden. The Democratic Nominee in 2024 should be Kamala Harris," Ryan wrote in Newsweek.  

Ryan called Biden’s Thursday debate performance "deeply troubling," but added that "it isn't just about a 90-minute debate and a terrible performance," rather, "this election needs to be about generational change—something about which I have been shouting for more than a year now." 

Ryan said he had supported Biden "because I believe he is a good and honorable man," and said that he was still "very happy with my decision," adding that Biden is "the most pro-union, pro-manufacturing president in my lifetime." 

"He also promised to be a bridge President to the next generation. I liked that idea. I envisioned him defeating former President Donald Trump, stabilizing the country, and passing the torch to the next generation. Regrettably, that bridge collapsed last week. Witnessing Joe Biden struggle was heartbreaking. And we must forge a new path forward." 

Ryan said that after "deep reflection," he "strongly" believes that the Democrats' "best path forward is Kamala Harris," adding that she was the "highlight of a historically dreadful night" and her performance across cable news stations was "stellar, a ray of light in the darkness." When she faced Ryan, and others, on the Democrat primary stage in 2020, she garnered only 3% in polling.

The former representative said that Harris "should be the Democratic nominee because she can energize the electorate and govern effectively as our next president. She has honed her raw talent and intelligence through a tough national campaign and three and a half years of experience that have her steeped in the knowledge of domestic and international issues. All of this while joyfully operating in our toxic and complicated political environment." 

"In short, she is ready for the job. And, more importantly, she deserves a chance to go to the American people and show us her mettle," Ryan wrote, adding that it was "insulting" for people to say that "a Harris candidacy is a greater risk than the Joe Biden we saw the other night." 

Ryan claimed that Harris "could carry a much more convincing Democratic message than President Biden," including "boldly" telling "Donald Trump that his hands have been on enough women's bodies without their consent and ensure that American women are protected from his attempts to control their health care decisions" in relation to abortion. 

"She would energize the Black, brown, and Asian Pacific members of our coalition. (Read Philadelphia, Atlanta, Detroit, Charlotte, Miami and Milwaukee.) She would immediately pull the dispirited youth of our country back into the fold. And a vibrant campaign that shows her strength, personality and intelligence will have Democratic and Republican suburban women feeling much more comfortable with her than either Donald Trump or Joe Biden. They will give her a chance." 

Ryan also noted that a Harris campaign "would not be the traditional, tired Democratic campaign featuring our 10-point plan on the various issues," but rather "aspirational, a bold and challenging call to action for all Americans to elevate our political expectations of what can be for us. She would come with vision, values and energy." 

The Party’s "Achilles heel," Ryan wrote, "has been a lack of upward mobility for fresh, young leaders," noting that when young candidates like Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, or John F Kennedy Jr "carry the torch for Democrats, we win. Now a fresh, charismatic candidate can do it again. We must help her." 

"America is craving this generational change. You can feel it in the air. It's time for the Democratic Party to let go of the past and give the American people what they want. And they want to be excited about America again. They want to come together. They want to heal. And they want to be asked to help usher in a future of renewal and reform. That future begins with Kamala Harris."