The American two-party system has once again spat out a pair of unlikeable candidates, much to the displeasure of the American electorate. 

On Nov. 5, voters such as myself will embrace the quadrennial tradition of slumping to the polls, and most of us will feel greatly underwhelmed, even by the candidate we choose. Regardless of November’s eventual winner, America is in dire straits.

However, there are levels of incompetency, and in that respect, our two candidates are not equal. Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, is a deeply flawed candidate, and a potential victory would do little to push the country in any meaningful direction.

A win for Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump, on the other hand, could completely dismantle our crumbling democracy. 

For the sake of the working class and the country’s most marginalized citizens, I encourage everyone, especially young people, to vote for Harris.

While I urge everyone to cast their ballot for Harris, I’ll be honest about the former California senator’s shortcomings. On an economic level, she masquerades as a working-class champion, even though she’s spent her brief campaign presenting herself as an ally to big business.

She’s spoken with numerous corporate leaders, giving them perks such as speaking roles at the Democratic National Convention, likely in exchange for financial support. It’s hard to trust she’ll prioritize working-class needs when a healthy heaping of her funding comes from wealthy backers.

Almost no political candidate is as antagonistic to corporatism as they claim to be; however, Democrats have, in recent years, actually pushed for pro-worker and union legislation. Harris’ insistence on buddying with big business, alongside her paltry proposed tax raises for the wealthy, puts such progress in jeopardy.

Harris frequently allows right-wing framing to dictate her stances in a misguided attempt to sway right-leaning voters. Notably, she’s completely flipped on issues such as fracking and immigration from her 2020 presidential run. 

After strongly opposing the oil drilling technique and anti-immigration legislation four years ago, she’s suddenly against a fracking ban and has vocally supported a failed right-wing immigration bill from earlier this year. 

Most appalling to me is her stance on the Palestinian genocide. Like most Democrats, she refuses to label the violence in Gaza as a genocide, and while she’s called for a ceasefire, she incessantly touts her support for Israel and its “right to defend itself.” 

There’s no such assertion of righteous self-defense for the thousands of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces over the last year, and the violent occupation of their land during the 76 years before October 7, 2023.

It’s disappointing to see Harris and the Democrats continuously fail to support popular humanitarian policies. She doesn’t even have the guts to condemn genocide, which is incredibly disheartening, in my view. 

Her weaknesses are a reflection of the Democrats’ inability to provide genuine pushback against Republican fascism. A stopgap against fascism is preferable to fascism, yes, but they should pose more of a threat to the Republicans. While we should vote for Harris, it’s mostly because we have no other choice.    

Despite my criticisms, Harris has her strengths. I commend her for her largely unshakeable stances on abortion and LGBTQIA+ rights, which resonate well with young voters.

Besides her proposed capital gains tax raise, I generally support her economic agenda, especially her plan to provide first-time homebuyers with $25,000. If implemented, this policy will provide much-needed assistance to millennials and Gen Z, as rising housing costs and stagnating wages have strained young people’s ability to purchase homes. 

Also, if she wins, she’ll be the first woman and second Black person to become U.S. President, which would be a monumental feat. I’m Black, after all; I’m not fond of her, but I’d be swept up in the majesty of having a Black woman at the country’s helm.  

Beyond Harris, I really like her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. He seems more genuine than most politicians and his political views align closely with mine. He emerged onto the national scene from the Midwest, the country’s current bastion of progressive policymaking.

As Minnesota’s top official, he has a tremendously progressive executive record, including signing a universal free lunch program into law in March 2023, providing every Minnesota child with multiple free meals every school day. 

That’s the type of empathetic politics I want to see from Democrats. He’s far from perfect, but his presence on the ticket eases some of my concerns, and I trust he can help push Harris a little more to the left should they win the White House. 

Harris is a lackluster candidate, but she is our only hope against Trump and fascism. The former president’s third national campaign is more troubling than his previous attempts, as a 2024 victory would bring forth Project 2025, the 900-page conservative playbook on installing an ultra-conservative government. 

Project 2025 wishes to reshape the federal government in its image, substantially reducing its size while funneling much of its power to the president. Among its many policy proposals, Project 2025 aims to: 

• Eliminate the Department of Education 
• Institute mass deportation of immigrants
• Severely limit abortion access
• Cut back funding for renewable energy
• Eradicate LGBTQIA+ rights 
• Institute Christian Nationalism 

While he’s attempted to distance himself from the document, it was written by several former Trump staffers who wanted him as president to install their policies.

Of course, I loathe Trump, as he’s a racist, bigoted pathological liar, but 2024 feels much more concerning, given the weight of Project 2025. Also, he has a legion of fascists throughout federal and state governments who will help him subvert democracy to see out his wishes, just as they attempted to in 2020. 

The Republicans wish to eliminate our fragile democracy and institute Christian nationalism, where regressive, discriminatory policies become the law of the land. The rights of all marginalized people would be eliminated, and the working class would suffer even more under the oppressive weight of the wealthy.  

As much as I dislike Harris, the country and its most vulnerable people will not survive another Trump presidency fueled by fascist policies. Current polling suggests the election will come down to the wire. We’re tiptoeing to the edge of fascism; whether we plummet to the bottom or prevent calamity depends on our vote.

On Nov. 5, I will vote for Harris in my first presidential election, and I implore everyone to do the same. The Democrats provide very little resistance against Republican fascism, but they’re realistically our only hope of keeping them at bay. 

When you head to the polling place next month, remember to research and vote in your local and state races as well. 

Building community and progressive coalitions beyond the Democrats is essential to our survival under capitalism. We have to vote for them, but the Democrats will not save us. If working-class prosperity is our ultimate goal, we must lean on each other.