At a time when a current president decides not to run for re-election and a past president is shot, what could possibly be an even more remarkable event? Certainly, the transformation and makeover of Vice President Kamala Harris from, at best, a second class politician finding difficulty in speaking plain English to Superwoman status wins that distinction even in these extraordinary conditions. Wow! How could this have happened? How could someone who was widely accused of being an inferior vice president and an extreme left wing progressive now has reversed the highly negative perceptions and bad press to become the darling of the media? Was this blind luck? Was it shrewd planning by the Democrats? Or are there other answers? About Vice President Harris, most people are not familiar with her background. She was elected San Francisco’s district attorney and twice as California’s attorney general. She was elected to the Senate in 2017 and as vice president in 2021. Democrats assert that this experience and background makes Harris an ideal candidate for president. In his initial reactions to Harris’s candidacy, Trump has stumbled badly. The brief against Harris was that she was an extreme progressive who supported radical programs to include the “Green New Deal,” defunding the police and ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement); and Medicare for all. The Hill recently reported that Harris was the second most extreme liberal Democrat to serve in the Senate. But since winning the nomination, Harris has reversed course of these and other policies, moving to the center with such alacrity that would induce whiplash in most ordinary people. Regardless of the reasons for her embrace of positions she once vigorously opposed, in the days since President Joe Biden stepped down as a candidate, Harris has run an immaculate campaign. So far, not only has she not made a misstep. She has put ex-President Donald Trump on his back foot as polls show a much tighter race in which Trump is behind in several key battleground states. Remarkable does not adequately describe this political reversal of fortune. In large part and surprisingly, the depth of despair Democrats held for Biden’s chances of winning was underestimated. The sense of intense relief led to raising over $300 million and 100,000 volunteers in the first few days. And characteristics such a cackling laugh and excessive use of body language to substitute for verbal failings became assets. Harris is a very attractive campaigner. That she smiles almost promiscuously turned out to project a very positive attitude in these difficult times especially when contrasted with Trump’s glower. While she has been assailed by Republicans for refusing to answer questions, those charges have not hit home yet. Perhaps that Harris is 59, very energetic and enthusiastic is a refreshing contrast withBiden. She also has been good in using the teleprompter to pass on her sound bites and zingers that have been well received by supporters. And the huge turnout at her rallies indicates the depth of support she has received in a very short period of time. People have speculated over her choice of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her vice president. My guess is that Harris felt very comfortable and congenial with Walz. Further, unlike Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Walz has no aspirations for the presidency and thus would be a very loyal vice president. Democrats have attacked Walz as another extreme progressive and have used his twenty-four years service in the Minnesota National Guard to “Swiftboat” him as exaggerating his rank and lying about wartime service. Frankly, many people see Walz as grandfatherly and even Santa Claus-like. That alone will deflect these allegations. Teamed with Walz, Harris has picked a partner whose good nature reinforces the positive nature of her campaign. It is still early days. And with the Democratic Convention less than a week away, Harris’s momentum will probably grow. But after Labor Day, the honeymoon will be over. Some argue it is Trump’s election to lose. In his initial reactions to Harris’s candidacy, Trump has stumbled badly. His vice presidential choice, JV Vance, likewise has subjected himself to foot in mouth political disease. If Trump does not make a major course change, Harris must be seen as the favorite. The FT’s perceptive US columnist Ed Luce argues that it is Harris’ election, not Trump’s, to lose. What he means is that Harris cannot realistically depend on Trump imploding, which he may well. She will come under intense scrutiny. If she survives that, against all odds, Kamala Harris may become America’s 47th president. The writer is a senior advisor at Washington, DC’s Atlantic Council and a published author.