Harris has a daunting to-do list as she starts up a presidential campaign

WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s a daunting to-do list. Vice President Kamala Harris suddenly needs to whip up a presidential campaign almost from scratch.

It’s a process that usually takes months, even years. Harris has only about two months before early voting starts. And, of course, nothing is guaranteed, despite her getting the endorsement of President Joe Biden __ and significant pieces of his campaign __ after he exited the race on Sunday.

That means she is in a rush to raise money, figure out a strategy, hire staff, win delegates, set up a website, make some ads, plan a convention and on and on. The checklist is long, but at least, as of Monday morning, she has a campaign logo.

And Harris does have a big advantage in that she’s already on the Democratic ticket as the vice presidential nominee and had run previously in 2020 for the presidency. With Biden’s endorsement, she’s piling up delegates at a rapid pace.

“It’s less of a lift to do it with Harris, who has been on the national stage,” says Democratic pollster Cornell Belcher.

She needs to haul in cash.

Even if the campaign is something of a start-up, Harris does have a leg up. That’s thanks to the existing Biden campaign infrastructure that she will inherit. There are campaign offices already in Wilmington, Delaware. The official campaign committee has been renamed for her, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission. She can retain much of Biden’s campaign staff and layer in her own people.

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