Opinion | Beware, Democrats. Sideline Kamala Harris at your peril.

I want to point out something that should be obvious: The Democratic Party, which assumes that black women are its most reliable voters, is underestimating how it will react if the first black female vice president is treated with such disdain.

I don’t know how Democrats will try to explain that leapfrog move, but it will take some high-level, hat-in-hand verbal voodoo to assuage the pain and anger that many black voters will rightly feel. “Party elites would commit suicide,” said Cornell Belcher, a pollster and political analyst who worked for both Obama campaigns.

This question should have been answered years ago, when Biden chose Harris as his running mate — and a majority of Americans voted to choose them as a team. Yes, Harris had a tough first year finding her voice, her anchor, and a team that best supports her leadership. But it’s clear that Harris has found her groove, especially since the Supreme Court Dobbs decision in 2022, while crisscrossing the country touting the long-term effects of that ruling. She has been steadfast in the weeks since Biden’s disturbing debate performance last month. She knows she has been in the spotlight, quietly auditioning for a job her boss was determined to keep until Sunday. Let’s just admit that walking That tightrope walking was not easy.

The pundit class and cable news armies are salivating at the prospect of an open primary that would boost ratings now. Democrats pushing for an open primary argue that the contest would increase voter engagement and also prevent the appearance of a coronation after Biden’s endorsement of Harris on Sunday. Besides, there simply isn’t time for that exercise.

But it’s long past time to stop underestimating what Harris can do for a party that’s in the ditch, thanks to this overlong Shakespearean drama about Biden’s wits. She has deep support among Democrats, has asserted herself on foreign and domestic issues in a way that few can because of her unique position, not to mention her daily access to classified briefings and her experience on key Senate committees.

And many of the things that were once criticisms are moving to the positive column. Some progressives have called Harris a “cop” because of her background as a prosecutor. She was attorney general of the most populous state, and in this presidential showdown, a lawyer could bring special skills to bear against a criminal still facing a mountain of legal charges and backed by an army of conservatives bent on eroding or wiping out our constitutional rights.

The criticism of her easy laugh — even her laugh — are the stuff of high school banter, and yet a youthful candidate who brings joy and light to the campaign trail while tackling tough issues will appeal to voters hungry for optimism after a long period of turbulence. Her multicultural background and marriage allow her to build a narrative around change while facing opponents whose outdated MAGA political message would take America backwards.

I know some people will say that I am arguing that the black vice president should automatically get the job to avoid upsetting voters of color. Let me correct that: perceived insult is only one factor. A vice president who has performed admirably should get the highest consideration for the job, because stepping up in an emergency is the central part of the job. And many of the people who would likely be insulted if she were passed over have a deep sense that a white man would not be fired so easily.

At a time when reproductive rights are such a pressing issue for female voters, the potential to treat Harris with contempt seems especially reckless. Doubts about the vice president’s ability to rise to the top stab a deep wound in the tissue that throbs in so many American women, who are forced to work twice as hard and be overqualified before they’re even considered for a role they’re clearly capable of.

It’s one of the reasons women over-index in college performance metrics and yet are grossly underrepresented in top corporate executives. Female CEOs run barely 10 percent of Fortune 500 companies. It’s why people so often look past shiny resumes and mountains of experience to ask questions about whether a woman is really the right person. It’s why so many people mask their own stubborn consternation about female authority by asking whether others will accept a woman in a top position.

Will voters accept her? Remember, people (including many black voters) initially asked the same question about Barack Obama. And yes, voters asked the same question about Hillary Clinton. But let’s also remember that not so long ago, people wondered whether women could handle their own credit cards or be trusted to vote.

If Democrats choose to go with an open primary, I hope they have a strong message to explain why they deviated from the succession protocol. Otherwise, they will not only underestimate Harris, but also a voting bloc that holds the key to their victory.

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