However, Harris has been silent on race and gender during her first speeches, rallies and press conferences of her lightning campaign.
The 59-year-old Democrat also refused to engage with Republican rival Donald Trump and his allies as they tried to oust him by questioning his racial identity and making sexist attacks.
Instead, Harris appears to be focused on the wider excitement of her replacing President Joe Biden as the running mate, and on issues like the cost of living that she believes voters care about more.
His reluctance to rely on his trailblazing status as a selling point was on full display when he and teammate Tim Walz gave their first interview to CNN on Thursday.
Harris was asked about a photo that circulated of her niece watching her speech at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, which went viral as a symbol of breaking down racial and gender barriers in America. But Harris didn’t bite. “I’m running because I believe I’m the best person to do this job for all Americans, regardless of race and gender,” Harris told CNN.
Harris was also dismissive when asked about Trump’s inflammatory accusation that he is promoting black identity for political gain. “Same old, tired playbook. Next question, please,” he said with a laugh.
‘Precious time’
One reason for his approach is that Trump’s attacks so far have only drawn attention to his history-making status, rather than undermined him, said Jesse J. Holland, assistant professor of media and public affairs at George Washington University.
“Why do you spend precious time talking about something when your opponent is doing it for you – and perhaps unsuccessfully?” Holland told AFP.
Harris is also helped by the fact that he is already known as the first black, female and South Asian vice president, although voters are still accustomed to running for president.
She has not shid away from talking about her background as the daughter of a Jamaican-born father and an Indian-born mother.
He began his convention speech with a heartfelt tribute to his mother, “a five-foot-tall brown woman who taught her children to ‘not complain about injustice, but do something about it.’
But going further and clearly ramming the front of the message in the race and gender should not be the winner of the right vote on the board.
His candidate has fired up many young, female and Black voters, but there are the same voters who will be killed by a woman or a Black president, said Holland.
Meanwhile, Democrats believe issues like the economy and migration may play a bigger role in other elections.
Nancy Pelosi — the former Democratic House speaker who was instrumental in pushing Biden out of the race — supported Harris’ strategy of keeping a low profile on race and gender.
A female president would be “icing on the cake. But it’s not the cake,” Pelosi told a podcast with one-time strategist Barack Obama David Axelrod, adding that the “kitchen table” issue is more important.
‘Reject table’
Democrats have also been stung by what happened in 2016 to Hillary Clinton.
Clinton made becoming a potential first woman president a core part of her campaign with the slogan “I’m With Her” — but then lost to Trump in a shock result.
“Kamala Harris really doesn’t make her race and gender a rallying cry,” Zeeshan Aleem said in an opinion piece on MSNBC.
Aleem said Clinton’s slogan was “backwards: the president should be with us, not his way.”
There is also a personal element to Harris, who has avoided trying to be categorized during his career as a prosecutor, California attorney general and senator.
In her media interactions, Harris often comes across as guarded, giving deliberative answers that can be difficult to pin down.
But that same instinct could cost him politically as he seeks to fend off Republicans who have determined him in an aggressive election cycle with less than 10 weeks until decision day.
“At this second, they may be rejecting labels, they may be rejecting being tied down,” Holland said.
