Top Democrat and Kamala Harris ally says ‘everything is at stake’

As part of his new TVNZ+ documentary The Rise of Kamala Harris, US correspondent Logan Church speaks to leading Democrats and close friends of Kamala Harris in preparation for next week’s presidential debate.

The word “unprecedented” is overused in journalism, but I struggle to find an alternative to describe what’s happening in the Democratic Party in the United States.

Never before has a sitting president running for re-election withdrawn from the race months before the election date to be replaced by his replacement – ​​a woman of color – who has since turned the tide of the Democratic Party so quickly that the election could well go their way.

Experts from all sides of the political spectrum are shocked by this

“In American politics, the Democratic Party is not exactly known for its speed, agility or decisiveness, but that is exactly what has happened over the past two months,” said Regina Bateson, a political scientist at the University of Colorado Boulder.

“There was really a sea of ​​change — she raised hundreds of millions of dollars in a matter of days. She was able to rally the entire Democratic Party behind her and her candidacy.”

One prominent Democrat who has known Harris for decades is California Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis.

I spoke exclusively with her in my new documentary, The Rise of Kamala Harris, which chronicles Harris’s rise from state politician to world leader.

“As our District Attorney, she was our top law enforcement officer in the state of California

“She recognized that there have been historical flaws in our system that have resulted in many African-American and Hispanic people being sentenced to very long prison terms. She recognized that reforms were needed, but at the same time she always wanted to make sure that law enforcement was doing everything they could to keep communities safe.

“Fight transnational crime, organised crime, human trafficking and all these challenges that come together internationally,” she said.

I asked her what she thought was at stake in this election.

“Everything is at stake,” Kounalakis said.

“The future of the country is at stake. We have a vice president who, if she becomes president, will lead our country forward, who will honor our democracy, who will have respect, rule of law and care for her constituents.”

She said this was in contrast to what former President Trump promised, which she said consisted of “his negative vision, his rhetoric about American carnage and what a terrible country we are.”

“It’s a vision of the future that is optimistic and hopeful, rather than going back to very dark ideas about what this country should be.”

Watch the full documentary here on TVNZ+.

Logan Church’s documentary about Donald Trump and his ‘MAGA’ movement can be seen here.