We are in unprecedented political times headed into the 2024 presidential election. Only one president, Richard Nixon, has resigned from office, in 1974 due to the Watergate scandal. Outside of a scandal or health issue, we have not had a president step down before re-election, until President Joe Biden recently chose not to run for a second term.

With this came the rise of Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party nominee for president. While President Biden’s stepping down caused the potential for possible chaos with possible new nominees, the Democrats have managed to avoid the turbulence and uncertainty and have quickly rallied around Vice President Harris to ensure her nomination. This quick and seamless succession has allowed for a sense of continuity in a political agenda around key areas like health care, climate change, economic recovery, housing, reproductive rights and others.

Congrats to Kamala for uniting one-third of a divided nation | COUNTERPOINT

Our country is facing many challenges: economic inflation, access to health care, rising global tensions, geopolitical dynamics, immigration and domestic infrastructure, to name a few. It is imperative we have a strong, levelheaded, leader who understands these needs and has the ability to navigate through them successfully.

Stay up to speed: Sign up for daily opinion in your inbox Monday-Friday

Though Vice President Harris may be an unprecedented candidate and a ceiling-breaker, it is important to note her extensive qualifications to lead our great nation. In addition to being our first female vice president, VP Harris served as District Attorney of San Francisco, Attorney General of California and an elected senator for California. In these roles she gained national recognition for her work on criminal justice reform, health care accessibility, economic justice and other areas where her sharp questioning, particularly those involving judicial nominations and investigations into federal misconduct, became famous.

Though we all have differing reasons to support or oppose particular candidates, it is imperative we, as a country, do better to lessen political polarization. We have grown apart as a society and have caused harm that’s led to gridlock in our governance. This social fragmentation has created deep divides and an “us versus them” mentality. The misinformation and distrust have continued to fracture communities and undermine our social cohesion as Americans. Regardless of who you feel is the best choice and for whatever reason that may be, let’s remember we are all Americans, and it is incumbent upon us to uphold our governance and institutions.

Lisa LaBriola is a principal at Husch Blackwell Strategies and was a Senate Democrat staffer for close to a decade. She served as chief of staff to former Senate Minority Leader Lucia Guzman and former Senate President Leroy Garcia. Opinions expressed here are her own and do not reflect the opinions of any other organizations.