In Chicago, Kamala Harris' nomination energizes Democratic voters

A new name at the top of the Democratic ticket has given some Chicago-area voters a new outlook on the 2024 presidential race, Chicago Sun-Times interviews found — but not everyone in the deep blue region is sold on Vice President Kamala Harris’ prospects against former President Donald Trump.

The Sun-Times spoke with dozens of voters in the city and suburbs to take their electoral temperature as a chaotic summer of political news, from the assassination attempt on Trump to incumbent President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the race and expected replacement on the ticket by Harris, is heading toward to a pivotal Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

The vast majority of the 45 people interviewed identified themselves as Democrats. Most celebrated Harris’ entry in the race as a shot in the arm that could slow Trump's momentum. Some said they still need to learn more about Harris to make a final call. And several Republican-leaning voters said the Democrats’ new standard-bearer is just as bad as the old one.

Regardless of party affiliation, most are eager to see what happens next in an election year like no other.

“It’s all been kind of a blur,” Rogers Park resident Brian Hollingsworth said while walking to his job at a thrift store. “And now it’s completely flipped. Republicans thought they had it in the bag after Joe Biden screwed up the debate, and then they had a grand old time at their convention. And then Kamala completely reenergized Democrats.”

Hollingsworth, 33, said he was surprised at how quickly Democrats lined up behind Harris.

“Nobody thought it was coming because they just didn’t like Kamala as much," he said, but now Democrats appear to be solidly on board.

Hollingsworth said he still would have voted against Trump had Biden stayed in the race, “but now I'm actually enthused and not so gloomy about the whole prospect," calling Harris “a much more effective messenger.”

“It's definitely a weight off people's shoulders, not having to deal with the old man in the room,” he said. “Nobody wanted a rematch between the two. So I feel like Democrats are in good shape. Just shirking their octogenarian candidate, they kicked it into gear.”

‘New energy’

Greg Szkarlat, a retired teacher, said that, while he appreciated the job done by Biden, “I had no hope that he could beat Trump.”

Harris’ entry energized him enough to volunteer for her campaign, something Szkarlat hasn’t done since pitching in on former President Barack Obama’s run in 2008.

“There’s a certain similar energy,” Szkarlat, 67, said during a walk past Loyola Park. “You can feel it. I wasn't sure if the world was ready for a Black, Indian-American president, but just the energy that's come along from it now, I do believe it's the right time.”

Szkarlat said he was depressed about the state of the race before Biden dropped out.

“I didn't really want to hear anything about the election," he said. "I was concerned for our democracy. I was gonna still fight for Biden, but I really didn't feel there was as much hope as there is now. And that's why I wanted to get involved.

“To see the young people and to see how many people have registered to vote — there's new energy. The whole presidential election has come alive again. I think it was dead. It at least stirred in me a new hope, and I think, from what I'm seeing, that it's stirring a new hope and energy in other people.”

Szkarlat said that, if Harris wins, “That just says hope is back, and America's back. I think we need a woman in that position."

‘Better shot to win’

Whitney Harris said she was “pleasantly surprised” to see the Democratic Party united behind the vice president because "I feel like women of color and particularly Black women don't get the benefit of the doubt.

“I was actually a little nervous when Biden endorsed her,’” said Harris, who works in Evanston and is Black. "I stayed off social media for a while because I was just, like, ‘Oh, God, here we go. We’re gonna hear about how she's incompetent, hasn’t done this, hasn’t done that.'

“The mediocre white man has to prove nothing," she said. "You can just show up if you're straight, middle class, white, tall, reasonably attractive — all the things that give you privilege. I absolutely thought that there was going to be a push to nominate an undeserving person over her."

Whitney Harris related the vice president's ascension to the top of her party's ticket to her own experience as a higher education administrator: “You do have to work harder, and you have to be more competent, and you have to show up in ways that non-Black women don't have to show up. I am not saying that she is not up to the task because I'm certain that she is, given her previous roles and responsibilities. So that wasn't a fear for her. But that was just in my head.”

Kamala Harris’s nomination “gives everyone an opportunity to think you have a candidate that is not so incredibly contrary to what you believe,” said Harris, 38, who lives on the North Side. “Whether it's policy or morally, ethically, I think Kamala entering the race gives people an opportunity to have a candidate that is not so contrary to what they believe from a policy perspective and philosophically, morally and ethically. So that's really exciting.”

Evanston tech worker Romy Ransom, 59, said electing a woman for the first time as president “would be huge. It’s about time. And I think she gives us a better shot to win.

“I think, if you look at the polls, now they've changed," Ransom said. "It's a good sign. I’ve especially been seeing a lot of the white men getting involved, the white dudes in my life. So that momentum feels real."

Martina Bode, 59, a math professor, said Harris’ relative youth and energy would be a boon to Democrats.

“From my point of view, she has the right ideas,” Bode said while walking her dog, Slinky, in Evanston. “And she's a woman. She's a Black woman. I think she's able to energize the people that are in-between.”

Outside a Bronzeville grocery store, Englewood resident Stephanie Wilson said she needs to hear more from Harris on immigration reform before deciding who to vote for. Wilson said she usually leans Democrat, but “Biden has been a failure as far as I’m concerned.

“What has [Harris] done for the last three years? I haven’t seen much from her,” said Wilson, 45. “And I don’t just see color or sex. What is she actually going to do to fix things?”

Buying groceries in Calumet City, Shaun Lee, 66, said he, too, wants to learn more about Harris’ agenda, but “you never really know a person totally.” And what he’s seen so far sits well with him.

“She's more on top of it mentally, and she knows Trump," Lee said. "She's a former prosecutor, and she can stand her ground."

In Downers Grove, a man who gave only his first name, Paul, said he's among the minority of DuPage County voters who voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020 — but he’s likely to sit out this November.

“I think the guy's a loose cannon. The antics are getting old,” he said. “Kamala is too far left for me. There just aren’t any good choices.”

Susan Lanucha, 71, said she expects more of her neighbors in Downers Grove to rally behind Harris.

“We had two poor choices that nobody liked," Lanucha said. "At least, we have one better choice. We're looking for someone to move us forward.”