NYT Columnists Rank Kamala Harris As Least ‘Electable’ Among 10 Potential Dem Candidates

Vice President Kamala Harris is the least “electable” presidential candidate among 10 Democrats, according to a compilation of rankings from New York Times columnists.

Eight columnists used a scale of 0-10 on the areas of excitement and electability to rate 10 potential Democratic presidential nominees. The electability scale shows how the columnists believe candidates would measure up against Trump, while the excitement scale focuses on voters’ enthusiasm for each candidate. The final results, which considered each of the columnists’ ratings, showed Harris as the least likely to beat former President Donald Trump.

Harris scored 4.6/10 on electability, which was slightly worse than California Governor Gavin Newson, who came in at 4.9/10. The columnists also gave Harris a rating of 5.8/10 on excitement.

“A mediocre politician from a deep-blue state with low national approval ratings, she may find a way to win, but she would be nobody’s top choice were she not the top choice of the president. Relief at Biden’s exit will generate a lot of professed enthusiasm, but it will be fake,” wrote political analyst Ross Douthat, who gave Harris a rating of 3 for electability.

“Even Biden fans see Harris as one of the weakest elements of his administration,” wrote opinion columnist Pamela Paul, who also gave Harris an electability rating of 3. “A country desperate for change would bristle at the feeling that once again, real democratic choice is being sidelined in favor of the most deserving insider. And Harris is a fundamentally weak candidate. She fizzled out early in her first presidential run and floundered in the vice presidency.”

Harris’ 2020 presidential campaign faded quickly as the then-California senator dropped out before the first votes were cast in the Democratic primary. Joe Biden selected Harris as his running mate after promising voters that his vice president would be a woman, and being urged by those close to him to choose a black woman. The president announced on Sunday, less than four months before the 2024 election, that he was ending his campaign and endorsed Harris to take his place as the Democrats’ nominee.

According to the New York Times columnists, the Democrats’ best option for defeating Trump would be Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who scored a 7/10 electability rating and a 5.9/10 excitment rating. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) was the second most electable candidate, per the opinion writers, followed by Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Harris scored lower on electability than Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Maryland Governor Wes Moore, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, and Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT).

Each of the candidates floated by the Times has endorsed Harris’ presidential bid. The vice president has also secured enough delegates to become the Democratic Party’s nominee as the party prepares for its convention next month.