Three journalists and a politician gathered Saturday at The Texas Tribune Festival to break down Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign for president and the impact she’s had on the political landscape since the campaign’s launch in late July.

The conversation included The 19th editor-at-large Errin Haines, NBC Capitol Hill correspondent Ali Vitali and former Houston mayor Sylvester Turner. The panel was moderated by Jelani Cobb, dean of the Columbia School of Journalism.

The four recapped how the current state of Harris’ campaign came to be. Haines said that after President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race, Democrats that would otherwise be major contenders for the presidency “fell in line” behind Harris.

Less than three days after Biden’s announcement, a majority of delegates had committed themselves to Harris as the Democratic candidate, making her the de-facto nominee.

The panel discussed how Harris’ nomination process this year was unusual. Democrats faced criticism for the lack of a primary, but this race has been anything but usual, Haines said. She added Harris has faced less scrutiny than vice presidents in previous administrations, who have gone largely unscrutinized by the media once in office, in large part due to the fact that she’s the first woman to serve in the role.

“This is a non-traditional person in a traditional role,” Haines said. “A lot of the country’s hunger for seeing this historical figure in this role that we traditionally do not care about (was overlooked by the press).”

Vitali said that the lack of a primary may have helped Harris overcome a previously lackluster public perception.

She said primaries can be the toughest points for many candidates, as gender and race are at the forefront of the decision making for voters, whether intentionally or subconsciously. Vitali said that voters may go with candidates that look similar to people who have traditionally held positions of power in the past, namely cisgender white men.

When Harris didn’t have to face the challenges and biases that can come with a primary race, a major barrier was removed, Vitali said

Turner echoed the sentiment, noting the importance of representation in earning power.

“If you don’t have a seat at the table, it’s hard for you to blossom,” Turner said.

The panelists agreed a major pivot in Harris’ public perception came when Roe v. Wade was overturned, leaving abortion rights in the hands of state governments.

Harris, Haines said, became the face of an extremely important issue that has the attention of at least half the country, if not more.

It was at this point, Vitali said, that expectations around Harris’ role began to shift. People began having unrealistic expectations for what a vice president could accomplish alone and held her to an unattainable standard that few vice presidents have had to face before.

“(People think) we should have an expectation that she should fundamentally change the vice presidency, but also not do anything to color outside the lines of being a vice president?” Vitali asked. “I mean this tight-wire, and she has walked it her whole career, was higher than anything I had seen.”

The group talked more generally about the campaign and its messaging challenges, but honed in on the aspects of the campaign that set it apart from others, namely the positivity the Harris-Walz ticket has become known for. Overall, the panel was very cognisant of the challenges Harris faces, but was also just as awestruck by the history the campaign has made already.

“Joy actually is a strategy,” Haines said. “Hope and fear get to be a strategy, why not joy?”