Category: Candidate Webpages (SWA#4)

Among many Democratic candidates for the 2020 Presidential election, there are Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren.  Kamala Harris is a Democratic member of the U.S. Senate from California.  When she was elected in 2016 to the Senate, she became the second African American woman and the first Indian American woman elected to serve in the United States Senate.  Harris was formerly the attorney general of California, where she became the first African American and Asian American female to have the position.  Harris was born in Oakland, California.  She earned her law degree and served as a deputy district attorney and eventually became the attorney general of California, before announcing her candidacy for president of the United States (Kamala Harris Ballotpedia).  Harris is a lifelong public safety and civil rights leader (Kamala Harris).  Elizabeth Warren is a Democratic member of the U.S. Senate from Massachusetts.  She was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and grew up in the middle class.  Warren eventually earned a bachelor’s degree in speech pathology from the University of Houston.  She then went to Law school soon after and began to teach law at several prestigious universities.  She became the Senator of Massachusetts in 2012 and formally declared her candidacy for president of the United States early this year.  Warren has a background in both government and academia (Elizabeth Warren Ballotpedia).

Warren and Harris have put emphasis on several of the same issues.  On her official website, Harris shows she is “For the People”, as this is her slogan, along with “Speaking Truth, Demanding Justice”.  These reflect her interests in issues and her background, as she makes it clear that she is a defender of American values and the American people.  She hopes to fix the broken criminal justice system and take on Wall Street banks for middle-class homeowners.  Warren’s slogan is “We Will” or “Fighting for America’s Promise for All of Us”.  Similar to Harris, Warren bases her campaign on her promise to fight for America and the American people’s best interests.  The pictures on her official website reflect her slogan and theme, because they include pictures of her with children of various ages and races, reinforcing her goal, “fighting to give every kid the same chance to succeed” (Elizabeth Warren).  Other pictures show her with supporters in the middle class fighting for union jobs or protesting Wall Street.  These support her themes, because she hopes to “rebuild the middle class” and “end Washington corruption” (Elizabeth Warren).  Harris’s pictures on her official website do not effectively represent her cause because the majority are solely of her.  One picture, though, may help support her theme because it shows her among the American people.

Both candidates are more issue-oriented, but Warren may be more personable than Harris.  Warren’s website has a list of her focus of issues, but reading into the issues and pictures, it seems that Warren takes a person-to-person approach.  Harris, differently, is mainly about issues.  Although her slogan is “For the People” she goes with a more issue-oriented approach, stating issues she feels need handling and stating her goals for America and American people.  In the media, Warren’s coverage lately has been less serious, jokingly referencing her chasing a train (Lang, Photo), but other stories cover her agenda for presidency (Patterson).  Harris has mostly positive coverage, reporting her plans to raise teacher salaries, and her use of small donors for fundraising (Goldmacher, Reilly, Scott).  It appears that both candidates put emphasis on being for the people and promise to work in the American people’s best interest.  Despite some differences, Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren are quite similar with their common themes and goals as President.

Kamala Harris uses a broad form of rhetoric in slogans and details that use veiled language to contrast her with current President Donald Trump. A banner slogan emphasizes the decency of those in power before fading out to her main page. Kamala Harris generally views her efforts as “fights” and emphasizes her commitment to justice, particularly for those who may be seen as oppressed in America. She is described as an “advocate for the voiceless,” and believes in fighting injustice through economic means as well. Both Harris and Cory Booker are people of color, and this is emphasized on their websites as parts of their backgrounds that give credence to their efforts to ameliorate gaps in society. For his part, Booker has stated on Twitter that he is not a fan of grandiose slogans, but his current slogan is “Together, America, we will rise.” This is a testament to his belief in overcoming racial divides, and the first information block on his site is dedicated to criticizing President Trump in veiled language regarding the divisions in the country. Just like Harris, he is using this to differentiate himself from Trump and appeal to the large portion of people dissatisfied with the current presidency. That is not to say that Harris does not wish to bring the country together, but she is more focused on exacting justice in American society for the underdogs, which is in line with her previous role as an Attorney General in California. Her slogan is, fittingly, “For the People.” Also of interest is that both candidates’ pages clearly state that they rely entirely on voter support, having refused to accept donations from corporations, political action committees, or lobbyists. This makes sense for Democratic candidates, who advocate against such practices for the most part.

Kamala Harris presents herself as someone who will take massive action for minorities and in the large schematics of government, almost like a prosecutor. To do so, she seems more issue-oriented. Her site under “Meet Kamala” immediately lists her accomplishments and ‘battles’ she waged in her political career. She would appeal to voters who see the current administration as complacent regarding the large but downtrodden echelons of society in the U.S. Still, though, she uses a picture of her with a smiling black child to ensure that she does not come across as just a policy wonk. While Booker certainly mentions his fights against injustice on his page, he is definitely a person-to-person candidate. This is difficult in presidential campaigning, but he features pictures of him walking and meeting with everyday people. It also describes how he opted not to join a large law firm after graduating, and instead fought against unfair landlord practices. His “about” section also speaks about how he “still lives in Newark’s Central Ward,” a historically urban and black section of New Jersey stricken with post-industrial poverty. This is definitely an appeal made by a person-to-person candidate.

News sources seem to follow the fairly new trend of Democratic presidential candidates joining a movement to reject PAC or lobbyist donations. Both Harris and Booker have received attention from news outlets for being parts of this movement. At a time when donations are crucial, both pages make it clear near the “donate now” sections that voters, not corporations, are responsible for their campaigns to generate funds.