(5 July 2024) The US election campaign has entered a new, chaotic phase. Despite increasing doubts about the viability of Joe Biden’s candidacy, the president insists that he will not withdraw from the race. Meanwhile, betting markets suggest that vice-president Kamala Harris is now slightly favoured to win the nomination as big money Democrat donors are expressing concern about Biden’s chances. While no prominent Democrats have yet come out against him, the inability to raise money would seem to be a major setback for Biden. The writing is on the wall now.
If Kamala Harris is the heir apparent, what are her chances of securing the nomination at the convention on August 22? As I have already mentioned, her chart doesn’t look great for winning. The main problem is a very close opposition of Saturn to her natal Venus in the 4th house. Saturn-Venus aspects are typically connected with disappointment and loss, although there can be exceptions when other chart factors obtain. The Saturn-Venus opposition has been within close range for a few weeks now and will remain within range through July and into August. This is one very big reason why she is less likely to win the nomination.
On the other hand, her rise in fame and profile is likely the result of the close conjunction of Uranus to her natal Jupiter at 0 Taurus. Uranus-Jupiter alignments often coincide with sudden windfalls and rewards as Biden’s debate collapse has created a unique career opening for her. Uranus has moved one degree past this conjunction but will remain within effective range for the rest of the summer. The continuing Uranus-Jupiter conjunction will likely keep her in the public eye for a while yet and she could well become the presumptive nominee heading into the convention.
As is often the case in astrology, we have to take into account both positive and negative influences before arriving at a prediction. In the short term, Ms. Harris could see her fortunes rise further as Venus aligns with Uranus-Jupiter and her Ascendant at 1 Gemini early next week. The fact that this transit coincides with a difficult Mercury-Rahu-Saturn transit in Joe Biden’s chart raises the possibility that he could face even more significant calls to drop out of the race. And I would not be surprised if he did finally throws in the towel next week.
But we need to monitor the effects of transits on her overall chances. Next week’s Venus transit looks good and could see her betting odds rise further. But the approaching Mars conjunction to her Jupiter and the Mars-Mars square could coincide with some complications to her possible candidacy. One possibility might be an announcement by Joe Biden that he will drop out but will not throw his support behind her. The DNC could also announce that it will have an open convention where the delegates are free to decide the nominee.
While Kamala Harris may be the strong favourite to be the nominee, she will still have to convince a majority of the 4672 delegates to cast a vote for her. It is not unreasonable to think that the next few weeks will be a whole new campaign as she will need to appear as presidential as possible to garner enough support to win at the convention. Currently, her approval ratings as vice-president are among the lowest in history as she has failed to establish a base of support.
The transits for the final day of the convention on August 22 do not look particularly good for her. Mars is coming up on her Ascendant after recently squaring her Venus while Venus is conjunct its natal position. The Mars-Mars square will provide another layer of affliction to the ongoing Saturn-Mars opposition. Also, the conjunction of retrograde Mercury with natal Mars (28 Cancer) does not look positive. Overall, it looks tense and difficult and not particularly conducive to a win. By contrast, Gavin Newsom’s chart looks much better around the time of the convention, at least by standard transit reckoning.
Right now, I would say that her chances of winning the nomination are quite low. However, we should revisit her chart next week in order to take stock of the effects of the Venus and Mars transits. If she is able to withstand the negative effects of the Mars-Jupiter conjunction and Mars-Mars square, then she may have a more solid position from which to launch her own campaign leading into the Democratic convention.
Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore
