Endorsements poured in swiftly on Sunday for Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee following Joe Biden’s surprising announcement that he would step down from the race.
Support for the current US vice president came from a variety of party heavyweights, as well as numerous governors and other officials who were previously considered potential nominees but now stand a chance of becoming her running mate.
“A lot of big dominos have fallen, including almost all of the major, potential contenders who might have challenged her. Hard to see any other outcome here than her nomination,” Democratic former White House strategist David Axelrod wrote on X, describing Harris’ sudden momentum as a “shock-and-awe campaign.” California Governor Gavin Newsom and his Pennsylvania counterpart Josh Shapiro endorsed Harris on Sunday, removing themselves as possible contenders.
“With our democracy at stake and our future on the line, no one is better to prosecute the case against Donald Trump’s dark vision and guide our country in a healthier direction than America’s Vice President, @KamalaHarris,” Newsom wrote on X.
Meanwhile, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said Harris “should be the next president,” and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, who like Harris sought the Democratic nomination in 2020, said he would “do all that I can to help her win this election.”
Democratic leaders including Bill and Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, and a number of Democratic members of Congress, including progressive star Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, also endorsed Harris.
Some notable figures, including former president Barack Obama and ex-House speaker Nancy Pelosi, praised Biden for his decision but stopped short — for now — of endorsing Harris.
The money was also pouring in, with Democratic fundraising group ActBlue announcing that small donors had raised $46.7 million in the hours after Harris’s campaign launch — “the biggest fundraising day of the 2024 cycle.”
Biden endorsed Harris as his replacement shortly after announcing he was bowing out, saying choosing her as his running mate in 2020 had “been the best decision I’ve made.”
Delegates fall in line
The formal nomination process for a candidate occurs at the party’s summer nominating convention, where delegates chosen from all 50 states, the US capital, and overseas territories officially anoint a candidate chosen by voters during the primaries.
Biden overwhelmingly won the primary votes, and the party’s roughly 3,900 delegates heading to the convention — scheduled to begin August 19 in Chicago — are pledged to back him.
However, following Biden’s shock announcement, the entirety of delegates from several states including Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina had swiftly pledged their support for Harris. A slew of delegates from elsewhere were also beginning to fall in line.
“I hope that we don’t see a situation where we’re Democrats who are looking for an opportunity to make a name for themselves, try to grandstand and become candidates in this race,” Hendrell Remus, chair of the Tennessee Democratic party, told AFP.
“I think now is the time for us to get behind Kamala Harris as a nominee.”
