Accelerating support for Kamala Harris among Democrats is being increasingly compared to the excitement around former President Barack Obama in 2008.
After Joe Biden withdrew from the 2024 presidential election on July 21 and publicly endorsed the vice president, Harris has energized Democrats, building increasing support as the presumptive nominee, as well as gaining support from voters, according to recent polls.
Social media users have taken to X, formerly Twitter, to reflect and comment on how the public energy mimics what they remember from 2008, which saw Obama receive a sudden wave of support ahead of the primaries and go on to win the election — something that 2007 polls did not predict.
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One post that included footage of the vast crowd of around 3,000 people waiting for Harris to deliver a speech at the first rally of her White House campaign in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, featured the caption, “The energy for Kamala feels like Obama in 08.” It received almost 100,000 likes.
Another user wrote, “Kamala absolutely on fire in Milwaukee right now. Takes me back to Obama’s first run when the energy absolutely vibrates out of the room and through the screen.” Another posted, “Ok so the first 48 hours of Kamala’s campaign really has some Obama ’08 energy. Where was this Kamala during the last 3 years? Or in 2020? It’s crazy.”
Democratic senator for Michigan Debbie Stabenow echoed the sentiment in an interview with MSNBC, saying that she hasn’t seen “this kind of excitement” in the state since 2008.
One X user even predicted a landslide win for Harris based on the similarities in “energy” with Obama’s 2008 campaign, although the polls do not indicate such a drastic shift.
While on stage at her first rally, Vice President Harris said, “Hear me when I say I know Donald Trump‘s type. In this campaign, I promise you, I will proudly put my record against his any day of the week.”
Many attendees reportedly chanted “lock him up” at the mention of Trump’s name, seemingly in reference to his felony convictions and the use of the phrase by his supporters during the 2016 campaign against Hillary Clinton.
Harris has now secured the support of enough Democratic delegates to become her party’s nominee and run against Trump, according to an Associated Press survey which showed 3,107 delegates supported her — she only needed 1,976 to be nominated.
Harris’ fundraising campaign hit $81 million in the 24 hours after Joe Biden withdrew from the presidential election and publicly endorsed her. It’s now reached more than $100m.
Harris’ first rally came just one day after she went to her Wilmington, Delaware, headquarters on Monday to address key campaign issues with her staff. She focused on reproductive rights and criticized Trump’s stance on the topic.
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