The vice presidency comes with many humiliations, but perhaps none more so than the humiliation Kamala Harris will endure in Monday's defeat certification hearing.
Under the Constitution, the vice president is supposed to take the gavel when the House and Senate meet to formally count the Electoral College votes for the president. Not all vice presidents choose to fulfill that duty, but Ms. Harris signaled her intention to carry out the undoubtedly painful task of declaring that Donald J. Trump had defeated her. .
While it may be awkward and uncomfortable for Ms. Harris, whose political future remains uncertain, it is calmer and less deadly than it was four years ago, when Mr. Trump refused to accept defeat and fought his way through. That's right. He seized power after voters decided to remove him from office. The mob he inspired marched to the Capitol and stormed the building to prevent Vice President Mike Pence from carrying out the mission now assigned to Harris.
Unlike Mr. Trump, Ms. Harris did not seek to cast doubt on the election, instead graciously accepting defeat. Neither he nor President Biden are trying to pressure the Justice Department, members of Congress, governors, state legislators or election officials to cancel lost votes, as Trump did four years ago.
She has not filed dozens of lawsuits that would have been dismissed by judges as frivolous or unfounded. She has not repeated false fraud allegations or outlandish conspiracy theories that her advisers have told her are untrue.
Also, use his role as president to deny votes to Trump and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance, just as Trump tried to get Pence to do to Biden and Harris in 2021. I'm not even thinking of doing that. (Mr. Pence denied that he had such authority, and Congress subsequently passed legislation reaffirming that interpretation.)
The contrast between the two events of January 6th could not be more striking. Four years ago, a mob that ransacked the Capitol chanted “hang Mike Pence,” prompting the Secret Service to quickly evacuate the outgoing vice president to safety. Harris, then a senator and about to be sworn in as vice president, was at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the time, but was forced to evacuate after a pipe bomb was discovered near a park bench outside.
Harris largely stayed out of public view after the election amid speculation about what her future holds. Some allies want her to run again for president in 2028, while others think she should instead run for governor in her home state of California next year.
She has not publicly indicated her thoughts beyond saying she plans to continue working. In a video message released Monday, she focused on her duty to preside over election certification, with an implicit nod to the differences from four years ago.
“The peaceful transfer of power is one of the most fundamental principles of American democracy,” Harris said in the video. “This, as well as other principles, is what distinguishes our system of government from monarchies and tyrannies.”
“Today at the United States Capitol, I will fulfill my constitutional duty as Vice President of the United States to certify the results of the 2024 election,” she continued. This duty is a sacred one, and I will continue to uphold it guided by love of country, loyalty to the Constitution, and unwavering faith in the American people. ”
Today, I will fulfill my constitutional duty as Vice President to certify the results of the 2024 election. This duty is a sacred one, and I will continue to uphold it, guided by love of country, loyalty to the Constitution, and unwavering faith in the American people. pic.twitter.com/w21HzdNxGs
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) January 6, 2025
Harris is not the first vice president to preside over the certification of a defeated presidential candidate. In modern times, two incumbent vice presidents who lost painfully close presidential elections, Richard M. Nixon in 1960 and Al Gore in 2000, have had to stand at her podium and count the votes against them. I had to.
Hubert Humphrey, another vice president who ran for president in 1968, missed the ceremony to attend the funeral of the first Secretary General of the United Nations, and left the vote counting to Georgia Democratic Sen. Richard Russell and interim president. I left it to you. Senate. Other vice presidents, such as Walter F. Mondale in 1981 and Dan Quayle in 1993, have had to preside over vote-counting efforts to certify their defeats for re-election.
Both Mr. Nixon and Mr. Gore had ample motivation to object to the results they certified. Mr. Nixon lost to John F. Kennedy by about 118,000 votes out of about 69 million cast. Advisers urged him to contest the results, but he refused, arguing it would tear the country apart.
Forty years later, Gore actually won the popular vote by more than 500,000 votes out of 105 million cast, but fell short in the Electoral College. After the Supreme Court concluded a five-week recount in Florida, Gore accepted the justices' decision and congratulated George W. Bush.
Both vice presidents carried out the task of certifying defeat with determination, humor and grace, drawing a standing ovation from members of both parties.
Noting that it was the first time in 100 years that a presidential candidate had finalized the results of an election in which he lost, Nixon called the situation “a striking and eloquent example of the stability of our constitutional system and our system of self-government.” ” he called. . “In our campaign, no matter how hard-fought, no matter how close the election, the loser accepts the verdict and we support the winner,” he said.
When his turn came, Mr. Gore repeatedly denied out-of-order efforts by several House Democrats to challenge Florida's vote. After declaring Bush the winner, Gore said, “God bless our new president and our new vice president,” and added, “And God bless the United States of America.” said.
