Democratic Presidential Nomination
US Vice President Kamala Harris secured the support of a majority of delegates to the Democratic National Convention on Monday, likely ensuring she will become the party’s nominee for president next month, according to multiple sources.
President Joe Biden threw his support behind Harris on Sunday, withdrawing from the race amid questions about his age and health. Biden pledged to remain in office until his term ends on January 20, 2025.
An Associated Press survey of delegates showed Harris had the backing of 2,538 delegates, well beyond the 1,976 needed to win the delegate vote in the coming weeks.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison stated on Monday that the party would confirm a presidential nominee by August 7. While delegates could still change their minds before then, nobody else received votes in the AP survey, and 57 delegates remained undecided.
In her first public appearance since the announcement, Harris rallied supporters with a campaign speech on Monday, vowing to challenge Republican nominee Donald Trump with the same tenacity she displayed as a courtroom prosecutor.
“I took on perpetrators of all kinds. Predators who abused women, fraudsters who ripped off consumers, cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain,” Harris said, addressing campaign workers just 28 hours after Biden, 81, withdrew from the 2024 race and endorsed her.
“So hear me when I say I know Donald Trump’s type. In this campaign, I will proudly put my record against his,” declared Harris, who previously served as California’s attorney general and a US senator before becoming Biden’s vice president.
The Trump campaign swiftly responded to Harris’ remarks. “Kamala Harris is just as incompetent as Joe Biden and even more liberal,” said Karoline Leavitt, the campaign’s national press secretary.
“Not only does Kamala need to defend her support of Joe Biden’s failed agenda over the past four years, but she also needs to answer for her own terrible weak-on-crime record in California.”
Trump is due to be sentenced in September after being found guilty of falsifying business records to conceal hush money payments to a porn star. He also faces criminal charges related to his efforts to overturn Biden’s 2020 victory, which he falsely claims was due to election fraud.
Recovering from COVID-19 at his home in Delaware, Biden called into Harris’ campaign event, sounding hoarse but appreciative of his vice president. Biden said he believed he made the right decision by withdrawing. As the oldest person ever to occupy the Oval Office, Biden confirmed he would serve out his term until January 20, 2025.
Harris, 59, outlined several policies she promised to pursue, including laws to protect abortion rights, ban assault rifles, and focus on rebuilding the middle class.
Following Biden’s endorsement on Sunday, Harris began consolidating Democratic support for her presidential bid, securing commitments from hundreds of convention delegates, announcing a significant fundraising haul, and earning endorsements from top party figures, as reported by Reuters.
These endorsements included former speaker Nancy Pelosi, who remains influential since stepping down as the House of Representatives leader in 2022. The AFL-CIO labor union federation, representing 12.5 million workers, also endorsed Harris for president on Monday.
Harris’ campaign reported raising $81 million in the 24 hours following Biden’s exit, the highest single-day fundraising total for any candidate in the 2024 campaign for either party.
Virtually all prominent Democrats who had been considered potential challengers to Harris declared their support for her, including Governors Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Gavin Newsom of California, and Andy Beshear of Kentucky. Whitmer announced on X that she would serve as co-chair of Harris’ campaign.
Biden’s departure was the latest shock in a tumultuous White House race, which included his poor debate performance against Trump on June 27 and the July 13 near-assassination attempt on Trump during a campaign stop.
At a White House event to honor college athletes earlier on Monday, Harris praised Biden for his service to the country, stating, “Joe Biden’s legacy over the last three years is unmatched in modern history.”
Harris is scheduled to travel to Milwaukee, the largest city in the battleground state of Wisconsin, on Tuesday. Milwaukee recently hosted the Republican National Convention, highlighting Trump’s dominance over his party.
Harris, who is Black and Asian American, presents a stark generational and cultural contrast to Trump, 78. The Trump campaign has been preparing for Harris’ potential rise, distributing detailed critiques of her record on immigration and other issues, accusing her of being more liberal than Biden.
Eric Holder, former US attorney general in the Obama administration, and his law firm Covington & Burling LLP will vet Harris’ potential running mates, according to sources.
Trump, whose false claims of election fraud inspired the January 6, 2021, assault on the US Capitol, questioned Democrats’ right to change candidates on Monday. “They stole the race from Biden after he won it in the primaries,” Trump claimed on his Truth Social platform.
