Vice President Kamala Harris will campaign in Wisconsin on Tuesday for the first time as a US presidential candidate, having secured enough Democratic delegates to advance her nomination.
Harris has emerged as the presumptive nominee after President Joe Biden withdrew from his re-election bid on Sunday amid party dissent and declining support against Republican rival Donald Trump.
Just 36 hours after Biden endorsed Harris, she clinched the nomination on Monday night by gaining the majority of the party’s delegate support needed to secure the nomination, her campaign announced.
“Tonight, I am proud to have secured the broad support needed to become our party’s nominee,” Harris said in a statement late Monday. “I look forward to formally accepting the nomination soon.”
An Associated Press survey showed Harris with over 2,500 delegates, exceeding the 1,976 required to win in the upcoming vote. While delegates could still change their minds, no other candidates received votes in the AP survey, and 54 delegates were undecided.
Harris’s visit to Wisconsin provides a key opportunity for her to strengthen the Democrats’ campaign and argue her ability to defeat Trump. She is scheduled to speak at a political event in Milwaukee at 1:05 pm (1805 GMT).
In her remarks, Harris drew from her experience as San Francisco district attorney and California attorney general, vowing to challenge Trump, whom she described as a “predator” and “fraudster.”
Wisconsin, along with Michigan and Pennsylvania, is considered crucial for any candidate, and Biden had struggled in these states against Trump.
“There are independents and young people who were disillusioned with their choices, and Harris has a chance to win them over,” said Paul Kendrick, executive director of the Democratic group Rust Belt Rising, which conducts routine polling in key battleground states.
Harris’s campaign has seen a surge in fundraising, amassing $81 million since Biden’s withdrawal, nearly matching the $95 million the Biden campaign had at the end of June. Hollywood donors have also resumed their support, with celebrities like Cardi B, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Shonda Rhimes endorsing Harris.
Trump and his allies have sought to link Harris to Biden’s unpopular policies, with Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung criticizing her record and policies as failures.
Whether Harris can overcome the slumping polls in critical states remains to be seen. Democrats in Wisconsin view her as a potential reset for the party, appealing to voters who were dissatisfied with both Biden and Trump.
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley noted that Harris, as the first Black American and first South Asian American vice president, could help regain crucial Black voters who were turned off by Biden’s age and appearance.
With Biden’s departure, speculation has increased about potential vice presidential candidates for Harris, including Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
