It was always Harris

A Politics 101 primer on why your favorite Midwestern governor never stood a chance

It’s over before it even started: Kamala Harris has secured enough delegates for the Democratic nomination after just 36 hours in the race.

This came despite the frenzied speculation of a mini-primary, with a half-dozen candidates vying for delegates at the convention. Online politicos truly did think that non-Harris candidates might have the upper hand. On the night of Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance, it was Gavin Newsom, not Harris, who led in the betting markets as the most likely alternative nominee.

There’s a wild disconnect between political discourse on Twitter/X and how nomination fights play out in real life. Voters and party elites favor known quantities under normal circumstances. Unless they are politically damaged the way Mike Pence was with the Trump base after January 6th, a party’s sitting or most recent Vice President starts as the frontrunner in the next nomination battle. Now, throw in a party staring down the political abyss and there’s even less of appetit…