Reports of the death of Kamala Harris’ political career have been greatly exaggerated, Wall Street donors told On The Money.
While it may sound far fetched to many, some Wall Streeters have quietly begun to place bets on the historically unpopular veep for a 2024 White House bid.
Harris — who has suffered dismal ratings following reports of complaints from staffers about a toxic work environment and a botched handling of the southern border — is now the darling at fundraisers.
While former Democratic favorite Gavin Newsom has created some buzz over the last six months, Pete Buttigieg has been bogged down with the Ohio train disaster.
Meanwhile, sources close to President Biden say he believes Harris is doing an excellent job. The two are close, he is strongly supportive of her, and she will remain on the ticket in 2024, the sources say.
“People wrote her off, but she’s still the vice president,” a source said. “One way or another, with an 80-year-old president, she is the most likely to be the next Democratic president.”
“She is the one who went to the Munich Security Conference and called Russia out for crimes against humanity,” the source added. “She is the one who stood at the podium during Tyre Nichols’ funeral. And she is the one who has been at the forefront of the fight to protect women’s freedoms. No one else can match her growing resume.”
Nearly half of Americans still disapprove of Harris, versus 42% approving of her, according to FiveThirtyEight. Still, Harris’ approval rates among Democrats has hovered at around 80% according to a CBS News/YouGov poll last year — that’s high enough she could pull out a victory if Biden were to withdraw during the election, sources speculate.
Insiders add that Harris has been and will continue to be the sole fundraiser for the campaign until Biden launches his re-election bid, possibly as soon as April.
“Kamala and Wall Street had a decent relationship in 2020 so they’re picking up where they left off,” the source adds.