After Joe Biden withdrew his candidacy for a second term with just four months to go before Election Day, Vice President Kamala Harris appears to have ended the brief period of uncertainty by garnering enough promises of support from delegates to secure the Democratic presidential nomination.
Harris Garners Support from Delegates
In less than a day after announcing her candidacy, Harris secured 2,688 delegates, surpassing the necessary 1,976 delegates, according to an Associated Press report published Monday night.
States Declare Support for Harris
Since President Joe Biden made the historic statement on Sunday that he would be ending his candidacy, more than thirty states have already declared their support. The first states to do so were Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, New Hampshire, and Florida. By unanimous voting, the majority of the delegations supported Harris. Significantly, some potential rivals chose not to participate in the race and have further extended their backing to the vice president.
Harris Responds to Support
“I intended to go out and earn this nomination when I announced my campaign for president,” Harris stated in a statement on Monday, not long after the AP broke the story. “I am honored to have received the widespread support required to advance as our party’s nominee tonight.” “I look forward to officially accepting the nomination soon,” she continued.
States’ promised support is not enforceable until their representatives—who were freed by Biden—cast their ballots.
A draft schedule provided by the Democratic National Committee on Monday suggests that voting for the presidential and vice presidential candidates might begin as early as next week, even though the convention officially opens on August 19.
DNC Chairman’s Announcement
DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison told reporters during a meeting on Monday that a nominee will be presented by August 7 following a virtual roll call. This procedure was originally scheduled to take place in order to avoid any issues with Ohio’s possibly complex ballot access situation.
Schedule for VP Nomination
On Wednesday, the rules committee is scheduled to debate the draft proposal. Voters may notice a new name next to Harris on the ticket as early as the middle of the following week if the idea is approved. Following discussion about the possibility of an early roll call, party authorities announced that the nomination process for Harris’s running partner will now take place from August 1–7 for all eligible candidates.
Campaign Momentum and Financial Support
There is still time for a rival to challenge Harris, even if she is still the front-runner, until her nomination is confirmed. However, the likelihood of a credible rival is now all but nonexistent as she keeps surpassing financial targets and obtaining important endorsements.
On Tuesday, her campaign declared that since Sunday, it had received contributions from over a million people, totaling over $100 million. The announcement was made soon after the campaign claimed that she had raised the most money ever in a presidential campaign in only her first day of running, raising $81 million.
