[Source: Reuters]

In the five weeks since U.S President Joe Biden abandoned his flailing reelection bid, the Democratic Party’s fortunes have changed dramatically, and this week the change will be on full display.

Vice President Kamala Harris, now the party’s candidate, is heading into the Democratic National Convention riding a historic whirlwind: her campaign has broken records for fundraising, packed arenas with supporters, and turned the polls in some battleground states in Democrats’ favor.

Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz – have turned “joy” into a campaign buzz word, a pithy reminder of the despair the party felt just weeks ago. The two publicly accept their party’s nomination at the convention in Chicago that starts Monday.

With less than 80 days to go to Election Day, the party is hoping to ride that wave of enthusiasm to victory.

That would make Harris, the first Black person and person of Asian descent to serve as vice president, the nation’s first female president.

But pollsters and strategists from both major parties warn that the “sugar high” of Harris’ initial surge will wear off, leaving simmering divisions among Democrats on issues like the economy and Israel-Hamas war along with a fierce battle against Republican candidate Donald Trump.

Harris’ historic personal story is “lovely and fine, but it’s the issues that are going to ultimately decide this election. Those issues include inflation, security, leadership and the world stage,” Republican pollster Adam Geller predicted.

Harris had her first major economy-focused speech on Friday and laid out proposals to cut taxes for most Americans, ban “price gouging” by grocers and boost affordable housing, an early nod to the party’s progressive flank.

She will face increased public pressure to provide more details on policy in the upcoming weeks. Aides have signaled that she is unlikely to provide many specifics in some areas like energy to avoid alienating the moderate and progressive wings of her party.

Harris may also have to navigate intra-party squabbles over U.S. support for Israel’s war against Hamas and familiar divisions between progressives and moderates on a host of policy questions such as energy, healthcare and immigration.

About 200 social justice organizations plan to march at the Democratic National Convention on Monday to protest the Biden administration’s continued support of Israel in a war that has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza.