What has Kamala Harris done as vice president?

President Biden's disappointing performance in his June 27 debate with Donald Trump has dragged his second-in-command, Vice President Kamala Harris, back into the spotlight. She was already struggling to prove her worth as a running mate despite her lackluster approval ratings and criticisms over how she has defined her role so far. Now, Harris is faced with defending her running mate while being floated as one of his possible replacements.

Harris has been "central to conversations among some Democrats about whether Biden should step aside," said The Hill, "a move that would likely move Harris to the top of the ticket in November." The situation has put Harris in a "tricky spot" as she tries to "reassure nervous Democrats about their chances in this year's election while positioning herself as a potential future leader of the party." 

It is not uncommon for the second-in-command to struggle to prove themselves in a role largely defined by behind-the-scenes work. Harris' "critics and detractors alike acknowledge that the vice presidency is intended to be a supporting role," The New York Times said, and "many of her predecessors have labored to make themselves relevant, as well." Still, those wary of Biden's age are putting more intense scrutiny on what the vice president has been up to. She has taken the lead on several critical contentious issues while Biden focuses his efforts elsewhere.

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Abortion rights

Abortion has become a central issue for Democrats following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn federal abortion rights. Harris spent much of the 2022 midterms appealing to voters with promises to prioritize and protect reproductive rights. Since Roe fell, she has "been subtly making herself the voice with a megaphone no one can ignore," said Philip Elliott at Time, adding that Harris has met with lawmakers from at least 18 states to discuss the issue. As Biden announced his 2024 candidacy, Harris gave a fiery speech at a reproductive freedom rally at her alma mater, Howard University. She blasted "extremist so-called leaders" for passing restrictive abortion bans.

She needs a serious reputation boost, "which explains why Harris has made abortion rights a central piece of her political identity," Elliott continued. After all, outrage over Roe v. Wade "powered Democratic candidates to unexpectedly strong showings in the midterm elections," and many believe Harris "played no small role in that accomplishment," Elliott said.

This year, Harris continued to put abortion at the forefront of her work. In March 2024, she toured a Planned Parenthood clinic in Minnesota that provides abortion services. The White House said it was the first time in U.S. history that a president or vice president has visited a clinic that provides abortion services. The tour was the sixth stop on her "Fight for Reproductive Freedoms" tour, which she started in January to "push for more abortion access in the wake of the overruling of Roe v. Wade," said NBC News.

Immigration and the southern border

Biden tapped Harris in the early months of their term to spearhead efforts to address the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border. It took her months to make her first and only visit to the area, and the delay elicited backlash from lawmakers on both sides. Her trip to Guatemala and Mexico was ultimately overshadowed by an interview with Lester Holt of NBC News where she "awkwardly downplayed the urgency" of the visit, The Washington Post said. Since then, Harris has borne the brunt of the criticism from Republicans as the border crisis worsens; Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) sent multiple buses of asylum seekers from the border to the VP's home in protest.

After withstanding the intense backlash of her perceived inaction, Harris is still attempting to address the root causes of the immigration problem. Her Central America Forward initiative has "yielded more than $4.2 billion in private sector commitments" to support creating local jobs and other measures to slow the flow of mass migration, CNN said last year. Some experts have lauded Harris' ability to secure the investments "as her most visible action in the region to date but have cautioned about the durability of those investments over the long term," CNN said.

Harris still has an uphill battle ahead of her to reverse public opinion about her work, or lack thereof, on the border. In January 2023, the Border Patrol union lambasted her lack of progress. "If you were given a job two years ago with the explicit goal of reducing illegal immigration, and then you sit around and do nothing while illegal immigration explodes to levels never seen before, you should be fired and replaced," the union said on X.

Voting rights

Harris was also at the forefront of the administration's pursuit to codify voting rights protections. She pushed for Congress to pass the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act, which would have extended the protections of the 1965 Voting Rights Act and required federal approval for some local election law changes. The VP "dove into" the "chance to make her mark on a hugely important issue," Eugene Daniels said in  Politico. To further that goal, Harris "helped craft political coalitions with civil rights leaders, built outside pressure on Congress, and engaged privately with lawmakers." Ultimately, her work "hit a brick wall" when Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and now-independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.) rejected proposed changes to Senate procedures to stop a Republican filibuster.

Harris' work leading up to the stalled legislation became "a microcosm of her stint as vice president: one defined by sharp moments, mishaps, public drama, private work and a touch of bad political luck," Daniels said.

What's next for Harris?

The vice president's political skills "will be put to the test" as the president runs for reelection, said Chris Megerian at The Associated Press. While the second-in-command is "rarely decisive in reelection efforts, Harris is poised to be an exception," especially because she is already leading the charge on abortion, "Democrats' most potent issue." As Biden ages, she'll face heightened "scrutiny over whether she's ready to step into the top job if necessary," Megerian said.

With such high stakes, "Biden needs to make the case to his party — and, more important, to independents and moderate Republicans — why Harris is the best choice to succeed him," Thomas Friedman said in The New York Times. "At the same time, Harris has to make the case for herself, ideally by showing more forcefully what she can do."

After a special counsel's report intensified scrutiny over Biden's "age and cognitive decline," Democrats need to discuss "the Kamala problem," said Mark Hemingway at The Federalist. Harris is "an almost complete nonentity" regarding policy but is still "actively disliked by voters." And while Democrats will not replace her, that would be "the smart political move," Hemingway said. A running mate "who's able to vigorously campaign could be the difference between Biden's reelection and Trump: The Revenging."

Biden hasn't shown interest in exiting the race following June's first presidential debate debacle, but if he did, the "likeliest alternative to the current ticket remains one led by Harris," The Wall Street Journal said. That path carries significant risk because "Harris' poll numbers are roughly as lackluster as Biden's," but she is "popular enough among Democrats — particularly among women and Black voters — that casting her aside could cause resentment and division within the party." If Biden chooses to stay on the ticket, Harris will be "under even more pressure to prove to voters she is ready to serve if needed."