Harris faces crucial challenge with biggest speech of career | TheHill

The California senator, 55, is the first woman of color on a major party’s presidential ticket, and her background, age and gender all contrast with the top of the Democratic ticket.The nod was also welcomed warmly by large parts of the Democratic Party, including the leading progressive presidential candidates, Sen. Elizabeth WarrenElizabeth WarrenNYT security guard who went viral for interaction with Biden will have prominent role at convention: report Overnight Defense: Trump rejects major cut to military health care | Senate report says Trump campaign's Russia contacts posed 'grave' threat Progressive Bowman endorses Markey ahead of Massachusetts primary MORE (D-Mass.) and Sen. Bernie SandersBernie SandersThe Memo: Democrats pitch Biden as the back-to-normal candidate Obama congratulates Biden on formal nomination Ocasio-Cortez seconds Sanders nomination at convention MORE (I-Vt.).Yet among the young progressives who have been the most difficult group on the left for Biden to win over, doubts are still audible about whether a Biden-Harris ticket will come through.This is especially true given the fact that Black voters put Biden over the top in the Democratic primary race.“From a power perspective for Black people, if Black people are going to put Biden in the White House, then we also have to demand that our agenda be front and center in the first 100 days of the administration,” Color of Change PAC executive director Arisha Hatch told The Hill.Data from the Democracy Fund + UCLA Nationscape project back in May revealed that young Black voters were considerably less on board about voting for Biden than older Black voters.While 91 percent of Black voters 65 and up said they plan to vote for Biden, just 68 percent of Black voters ages 18 to 29 said that same thing.Robert Griffin, research director of Democracy Fund’s Voter Study Group, told The Hill that while Biden’s numbers have improved since then, the presumptive Democratic nominee “is still showing signs of relatively low support among younger Black Americans.”“According to data … collected between July 16 and August 12th, senior Black registered voters are nearly universal in their support for Biden (95 percent),” Griffin wrote in an email.