Jim Clyburn declines to call Kamala Harris the future of Democratic Party

Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) stopped short of calling Vice President Kamala Harris the future of the Democratic Party on Sunday.

Clyburn, 81, praised Harris during an appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press about her prospects to lead the party long-term but declined to say for sure that she was the Democrats’ future.

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“I see her as a part of that future. Absolutely,” the Democratic lawmaker said.

“She could very well be [the future]. I think she is running a very good campaign. Her speech last night was great,” he continued. “I look to her as a successor to this president, but I also know the history of that as well. It’s not a given you don’t automatically move up. She’ll have to compete going forward with whoever may have dreams and aspirations, and I think she will acquit herself well.”

The South Carolina Democrat served in House leadership for nearly two decades before taking on an assistant role to help usher in a new generation of leaders. In addition to his influence in the House, Clyburn also wields enormous power within the Biden administration and South Carolina politics.

It was Clyburn’s endorsement in the 2019 South Carolina Democratic presidential primary that revived President Joe Biden’s candidacy and catapulted him back to front-runner status following dismal showings in Iowa and New Hampshire.

Clyburn has defended Harris in the past during the onslaught of criticism she’s faced over her handling of issues like the border crisis and voting rights.

When former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) declined to say whether she believed Harris was the best choice to be Biden’s running mate in 2024 earlier this month, Clyburn came to the VP’s defense.

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“I think that Kamala Harris has done a great job. People want her in her first term, first two years, to be the kind of vice president that Joe Biden was in the sixth and seventh year of his vice presidency,” Clyburn said in an interview at the time.

“Everybody gets a learning curve in this business,” he added. “You aren’t born a United States congressman. You aren’t born a vice president. You’ve got to learn the job. She got elected, she has learned the job. She is doing the job efficiently and effectively.”