Today, amid record fundraising and meme-generating, it’s easy to forget that Kamala Harris’ first run for president flamed out almost before the campaign staff she attracted to had fully settled in. But those who worked on that abbreviated run for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, which ended in December 2019 before a single primary had been held, say the response to Harris’ current campaign shows they were just ahead of their time. “We already knew what everyone else has had to get ready to see,” said Julian Hamer, who worked as a video producer for Harris’ first campaign for president.
“I am just looking forward to her winning over the hearts of all Americans.” Hamer, 33, is among the alumni of that first presidential campaign who are flashing back to those intense months, and how it influenced the trajectory of their careers and lives. And, of course, that of the candidate herself: Joe Biden ultimately won the nomination, selected his former rival Harris as his running mate and the two won in November 2020.
Now, with Biden bowing out of his re-election bid and endorsing his vice president to take his place at the top of the Democratic ticket, Harris is poised to become the party’s presidential nominee and facing the candidate they had beaten last time, former President Donald Trump. How many members of Harris’ 2020 run will rejoin her for this year’s race remains to be seen; the campaign is barely a week old. But many have stayed in her gen.