Where Harris and Her Potential Running Mates Stand on Climate Change
If Kamala Harris clinches the Democratic nomination, Gretchen Whitmer and Josh Shapiro are among those who could be her vice president choice.
US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the COP28 climate conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Dec. 2, 2023.
Photographer: Hollie Adams/BloombergJoe Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race — bowing to weeks of pressure after a disastrous June debate and polls that showed worsening odds against his Republican rival, Donald Trump — upends the contest only weeks before Democrats meet in Chicago to confirm their nominee. Biden, 81, is the first sitting US president not to seek reelection for decades.
He’s been a uniquely consequential leader on climate, most notably by signing the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, the largest investment in reducing emissions and boosting clean energy in the nation’s history. Biden pledged that the US would halve its emissions by 2030. He rejoined the Paris Agreement after Trump pulled the US out of it and created the role of special presidential envoy for climate, among other actions. That presents a stark contrast to Trump, 78, who has called for gutting the IRA and frequently bashes electric vehicles and wind power.