VP Kamala Harris sparks new excitement among San Francisco Democrats
SAN FRANCISCO — Vice President Kamala Harris continues to rally a re-energized base of Democratic supporters after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race Sunday.
"In the next 105 days, we have work to do. We have doors to knock on, we have phone calls to make, we have voters to register, and we have an election to win," said Harris.
The Vice President's call to service was heard loud and clear at the Harvey Milk Democratic Club, where a renewed sense of hope, energy, and purpose was palpable.
"Kamala Harris is someone that the club is familiar with from her work as both District Attorney in San Francisco and then Attorney General of California, so there's a personality that we have known in the last decades, ever since she's been part of the San Francisco political scene," said Jeffrey Kwong, President of the Harvey Milk Democratic Club.
Just last week, Kwong told KPIX that because of Biden's abysmal debate performance, concerns about his age, and policy towards the war in Gaza, they could not support his candidacy. But with Harris at the top of the ticket, that's all changed.
"I think most of us are very relieved, happy, overjoyed over President Biden's decision, and I think it was very courageous of him, and we certainly appreciate his decades of public service," Kwong added.
The same sentiment is echoed at the SF Latinx Democratic Club.
"I feel like there's a shift where people are ready to mobilize. They see what's happening, and people are ready to hit the ground, that means whether it is canvassing, reaching out to voters, and even recruiting," said Michael Rouppet, President of the SF Latinx Democratic Club.
Political Analyst Russell Drew believes this might be the wake-up call the party needed. He points to Harris's surge in donations since Sunday as a sign that Democrats have a chance.
"Kamala Harris is from California. She will be the first Californian on any presidential ticket, I believe, since Ronald Reagan last ran for reelection in 1984, and because she will be on the ticket in California, you can expect it will be a surge of Democratic voters in California coming out, which is a really good thing for House Democrats working to regain the majority and that majority goes through California," said Drew.
This excitement is exactly what Kwong expects to see, especially since Harris would be the first African American and Asian American woman to become president.
"As an Asian American, I think it's very exciting that she has Asian American roots, so I think the focus will turn to how she would bring another appeal in choosing a vice-presidential candidate," Kwong said.
Ultimately, local Democratic clubs are working to maintain this excitement ahead of the Democratic Convention next month in Chicago.