In a groundbreaking decision, presidential hopeful Joe Biden selected his running mate: Kamala Harris. This decision is significant as it marks the first time that a black and Asian woman has been on the ballot for a presidential position. While groundbreaking, it is important to analyze what the impact of the combination of these two politician’s policies will be. Moreover, how will their partnership play out against the Trump-Pence duo.

Joe Biden is a more moderate democrat and follows many of the policies outlined during the Obama administration. However, Kamala Harris—a democratic senator from California—often aligns herself with far-left wing and borderline socialists such as Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. For instance, Harris is a staunch supporter of the Green New Deal, an ultra-left-wing proposal by Ocasio-Cortez to a plethora of aspects of American society. The deal chiefly focuses on the following:” a call for single-payer health care, retrofitting every home and business building in the country, a new system of publicly-owned banks, free college tuition, “universal access to healthy food,” a federal jobs guarantee, the complete destruction of the fossil-fuel industry and requirements that would prevent Americans from purchasing gasoline-powered cars”. Unfortunately, this plan is expected to cost a whopping $94 trillion dollars, leaving many businesspeople skeptical of the proposal.

There seems to be a consensus on the right that Harris was the worst pick for Biden, but that same sentiment translates into happiness for conservatives. This excitement at Kamala Harris’ appointment stems from conservatives believing Harris is so far left that she alienates centrists. Thereby, right wingers contend that Trump will receive the center votes instead of Biden. Moreover, due to the intensely liberal nature of Harris, it is likely that her influence will engender difficulties for small businesses and corporations alike. This is a substantial issue for voters as the economic vitality of our nation largely rests on the success of small business.

In conclusion, Harris has positioned the Biden campaign in a precarious situation. On one hand his campaign has grown more attractive to former Bernie Sanders supporters due to the liberalization from Harris. But on the other hand, the very same liberalism has alienated center-left voters, in turn giving incumbent President Trump a competitive advantage. As of now the polls are neck in neck, so it will surely be difficult to predict who will win. Time is the only measure for assessing whether Biden’s selection was wise.