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Kamala Harris Exit Points to Hurdles Facing Minority Candidates

Associated Press

   Kamala Harris cloaked her presidential campaign in the promise of
   becoming the first black woman in the White House. That wasn't enough
   for donors and supporters, including black voters.

   The California senator abruptly withdrew from the race on Tuesday after
   her once-promising campaign failed to coalesce around a message that
   would resonate with voters. And without clear support from voters,
   Harris couldn't raise the money needed to keep going.

   Responsibility for the collapse of a presidential campaign almost
   always rests with the candidate. But Harris' exit also demonstrates the
   unique challenges facing candidates of color in the 2020 campaign. As
   Democratic voters of all races almost singularly obsess over who is
   seen as best positioned to defeat President Donald Trump next year,
   candidates who aren't white are largely seen as not fitting the bill.

   With less than two months before voting begins, those judgments --
   right or wrong -- are becoming fatal as donors watch these cues to
   decide when to pull back.

   "It's the money, it's the support, it's the polls... It's an assumption
   for black candidates that their campaigns are long shots," said Quentin
   James, the founder and executive director of CollectivePAC, an
   organization aimed at building black political power. "We're left to
   wonder why is it that a candidate's race still impacts how much money
   they can raise or how much support they get from institutional
   Democratic donors."

   Of course, Barack Obama, the first black president, is one of the most
   successful Democratic fundraisers, still collecting millions of dollars
   for the party nearly three years after he left the White House. And
   plenty of white candidates have had money problems this year.

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