Kamala Harris Should Be the Democratic Nominee for President in 2024 | Opinion

I ran for President in 2020. I was the first Presidential candidate to endorse Joe Biden in 2020. I love America. I love our Party. I love Joe Biden.

The Democratic Nominee in 2024 should be Kamala Harris.

Joe Biden's debate performance was deeply troubling. But it isn't just about a 90-minute debate and a terrible performance. This election needs to be about generational change—something about which I have been shouting for more than a year now.

I supported Joe because I believe he is a good and honorable man. I'm still very happy with my decision. He is the most pro-union, pro-manufacturing president in my lifetime. He understands the working class people—regardless of race or gender—that I represented in my Northeast Ohio Congressional District for 20 years.

He also promised to be a bridge President to the next generation. I liked that idea. I envisioned him defeating former President Donald Trump, stabilizing the country, and passing the torch to the next generation.

Regrettably, that bridge collapsed last week. Witnessing Joe Biden struggle was heartbreaking. And we must forge a new path forward.

After deep reflection over these past few days, I strongly believe that our best path forward is Kamala Harris.

Kamala was the highlight of a historically dreadful night. Across cable news stations, the Vice President's performance was stellar, a ray of light in the darkness. Those who questioned her chops over the past several years were rebuked by a polished, confident leader communicating clearly in the throes of a political meltdown of epic proportions. I loved watching it. Our Vice-President was masterful.

During the 2020 presidential race, our paths crossed many times. She is a joy to hang out with. She is brilliant, compassionate, engaging, funny and totally down to earth. My wife and our young son loved her.

But the fact that she is cool isn't reason enough for her to be our nominee. Kamala Harris should be the Democratic nominee because she can energize the electorate and govern effectively as our next president. She has honed her raw talent and intelligence through a tough national campaign and three and a half years of experience that have her steeped in the knowledge of domestic and international issues. All of this while joyfully operating in our toxic and complicated political environment.

In short, she is ready for the job. And, more importantly, she deserves a chance to go to the American people and show us her mettle.

Those who say that a Harris candidacy is a greater risk than the Joe Biden we saw the other night and will continue to see are not living in reality. It is not just utterly preposterous for the haters to say that, it is insulting.

Vice President Harris could carry a much more convincing Democratic message than President Biden, especially on the abortion issue, which will be a decisive topic in the fall. She would boldly tell Donald Trump that his hands have been on enough women's bodies without their consent and ensure that American women are protected from his attempts to control their health care decisions.

She would energize the Black, brown, and Asian Pacific members of our coalition. (Read Philadelphia, Atlanta, Detroit, Charlotte, Miami and Milwaukee.) She would immediately pull the dispirited youth of our country back into the fold. And a vibrant campaign that shows her strength, personality and intelligence will have Democratic and Republican suburban women feeling much more comfortable with her than either Donald Trump or Joe Biden. They will give her a chance.

Her presence at the top of the ticket will help Democratic congressional candidates in swing suburban districts and states, too.

A Democratic presidential campaign will succeed if and only if it brings in working class Americans of all shapes, sizes, and colors. The Vice President would be able to make the case better and more clearly than President Biden ever could, about how the Democrats have re-industrialized America through the infrastructure, Chips and Science, and Inflation Reduction Act laws. Kamala's candidacy would have a plethora of campaign stops at union battery and car plants, clean tech companies, and new chip manufacturers in swing Midwest states.

A Harris campaign would not be the traditional, tired Democratic campaign featuring our 10-point plan on the various issues. I've listened to Kamala over the past year; her campaign would be aspirational, a bold and challenging call to action for all Americans to elevate our political expectations of what can be for us.

She would come with vision, values and energy.

She would tap into her tough on crime record as California Attorney General and get Democrats back in the right spot on Law and Order and border security. Her toughness would be highlighted as American and world democracy face increasing threats from autocratic dictators. I can picture her on the world stage making friends with our allies and not taking any sh*t from our adversaries.

The Democratic Party's Achilles heel for years has been a lack of upward mobility for fresh, young leaders. When young candidates like JFK, Bill Clinton, or Barack Obama carry the torch for Democrats, we win. Now a fresh, charismatic candidate can do it again.

We must help her.

President Kennedy asked us what good is a national political party if it is not serving a great national interest? The most pressing national issue is to keep Donald Trump out of power and provide an optimistic and dynamic vision for the next great iteration of America.

The Democratic Party needs to meet this moment and lead.

America is craving this generational change. You can feel it in the air. It's time for the Democratic Party to let go of the past and give the American people what they want. And they want to be excited about America again. They want to come together. They want to heal. And they want to be asked to help usher in a future of renewal and reform.

That future begins with Kamala Harris. I hope the powers that be in our party have the guts and vision to make that happen.

Tim Ryan is a 20-year former congressman from Ohio and president of We The People Action Fund.

The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.