Good morning, Broadsheet readers! New U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer appoints a record number of women to his cabinet, Marine Le Pen's party is upset in French elections, and this may just be Kamala Harris's moment. Enjoy your Monday!
- Put her in, coach? The United States’ path to a possible female president has been anything but easy. From the shattered illusion of Hillary Clinton’s thwarted 2016 White House bid—with a still-intact Javits Center glass ceiling and poignant white pantsuits—to this past week-and-a-half, when talk of replacing President Joe Biden with Vice President Kamala Harris atop the Democratic ticket suddenly turned serious.
Following Biden’s lackluster debate performance, Harris is back in the spotlight as a viable alternative amid increasing concern from voters, fellow Democrats, and donors about Biden's age (81) and mental fitness. The list of Democrats calling for Biden to step down and pass the baton to the next generation of Democrats has grown, including from an anonymous coalition of business leaders, a handful of members of Congress, Hollywood donors, and some other big-name supporters like donor Abigail Disney. While pundits endlessly debate Biden’s ability to serve a second term and to defeat Donald Trump—and Biden declares an unequivocal, “I’m running,” reiterated in a letter to Democrats this morning—Harris has remained focused on the Biden-Harris ticket against Trump. She spoke at Essence Fest on Saturday, where she did not address calls for her to replace her boss on the ticket.
