Kamala Harris has enough Democratic support to run for president: survey

Vice President Kamala Harris has secured nan support of capable Democratic delegates to go her party’s nominee against Republican Donald Trump, according to an Associated Press survey, arsenic apical Democrats rallied to her successful nan aftermath of President Joe Biden’s determination to driblet his bid for reelection.

The speedy coalescing down Harris marked an effort by nan statement to put weeks of internecine play complete Biden’s governmental early down them and to unify down nan task of defeating Trump pinch conscionable complete 100 days until Election Day. Prominent Democratic elected officials, statement leaders and governmental organizations quickly lined up down Harris successful nan time aft Biden’s exit from nan title and her run group a caller 24-hour grounds for statesmanlike donations connected Monday.

Several authorities delegations met precocious Monday to corroborate their support for Harris, including Texas and her location authorities of California. By Monday night, Harris had nan support of good much than nan 1,976 delegates she’ll request to triumph connected a first ballot, according to nan AP tally. No different campaigner was named by a delegate contacted by nan AP.

California authorities Democratic Chairman Rusty Hicks said 75% to 80% of nan state’s delegation were connected a telephone Tuesday and they unanimously supported Harris.

“I’ve not heard anyone mentioning aliases calling for immoderate different candidate,” Hicks said. “Tonight’s ballot was a momentous one.”

Still, nan AP is not calling Harris nan caller presumptive nominee. That’s because nan normal delegates are still free to ballot for nan campaigner of their prime astatine nan normal successful August aliases if Democrats spell done pinch a virtual rotation telephone up of that gathering successful Chicago.

Harris, successful a statement, responded to nan AP tally, saying she is “grateful to President Biden and everyone successful nan Democratic Party who has already put their religion successful me, and I look guardant to taking our lawsuit straight to nan American people.”

Worries complete Biden’s fittingness for agency were replaced by caller signs of unity aft a seismic displacement to nan statesmanlike title that upended some awesome governmental parties’ cautiously honed plans for nan 2024 race.

Speaking to run unit successful Wilmington, Delaware, Harris acknowledged nan “rollercoaster” of nan past respective weeks, but expressed assurance successful her caller run team.

“It is my volition to spell retired and gain this information and to win,” she said. She promised to “unite our Democratic Party, to merge our nation, and to triumph this election.”

She quickly leaned into nan themes that will beryllium salient successful her run against Trump complete nan coming 100 days, contrasting her clip arsenic a charismatic pinch Trump’s felony convictions — “I cognize Donald Trump’s type,” she said — and casting herself arsenic a defender of economical opportunity and abortion access.

“Our conflict for nan early is besides a conflict for freedoms,” she said. “The baton is successful our hands.”

The president called into nan gathering from his location successful Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, wherever he is recovering from COVID-19, to lend his support to Harris. He planned to talk astir his determination to measurement speech successful an reside to nan federation later this week.

“The sanction has changed astatine nan apical of nan ticket, but nan ngo hasn’t changed astatine all,” Biden said successful his first nationalist remarks since announcing his determination to measurement aside, promising he was “not going anywhere” and plans to run connected Harris’ behalf.

Biden said of his decision, “It was nan correct point to do.”

As he handed disconnected nan mantle of activity to Harris, Biden added: “I’m watching you kid. I emotion you.”

Harris was headed to nan battleground authorities of Wisconsin connected Tuesday arsenic her run for nan White House kicks into precocious gear. The arena successful Milwaukee will beryllium her first full-fledged run arena since announcing her candidacy.

The AP tally is based connected interviews pinch individual delegates, nationalist statements from authorities parties, galore of which person announced that their delegations are supporting Harris en masse, and nationalist statements and endorsements from individual delegates.

Locking up nan information was only nan first point connected nan staggering governmental to-do database for Harris aft learning of Biden’s plans to time off nan title Sunday greeting connected a telephone pinch nan president. She must besides prime a moving mate and pivot a monolithic governmental cognition that had been built to reelect Biden to boost her candidacy instead.

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On Sunday afternoon, Biden’s run formally changed its sanction to Harris for President, reflecting that she is inheriting his governmental cognition of much than 1,000 staffers and warfare thorax that stood astatine astir $96 cardinal astatine nan extremity of June. She added $81 cardinal to that full successful nan first 24 hours aft Biden’s endorsement, her run said — a statesmanlike fundraising grounds — pinch contributions from much than 888,000 donors.

The run besides saw a surge of liking aft Harris took over, pinch much than 28,000 caller volunteers registered since nan announcement — a complaint much than 100 times an mean time from nan erstwhile Biden reelection campaign, underscoring nan enthusiasm down Harris.

Big-name Harris endorsements Monday, including from Govs. Wes Moore of Maryland, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, J.B. Pritzker of Illinois and Andy Beshear of Kentucky, near a vanishing database of imaginable rivals.

House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, who had been 1 of nan notable holdouts, initially encouraging a superior to fortify nan eventual nominee, said she was lending her “enthusiastic support” to Harris’ effort to lead nan party.

Harris, if elected, would beryllium nan first female and first personification of South Asian descent to beryllium president.

The Democratic National Convention is scheduled to beryllium held Aug. 19-22 successful Chicago, but nan statement had announced earlier Biden dropped retired that it would clasp a virtual rotation telephone to formally nominate Biden earlier in-person proceedings begin. The convention’s rules committee is scheduled to meet this week to finalize its information process pinch a virtual ballot arsenic soon arsenic Aug. 1, nan statement announced connected Monday, pinch nan process completed by Aug. 7.

“We tin and will beryllium some accelerated and adjacent arsenic we execute this nomination,” Jaime Harrison, nan Democratic National Committee’s chair, said connected a convention telephone pinch reporters.

The statement said nan virtual rotation telephone would characteristic aggregate rounds of voting connected nominees if aggregate candidates meet nan qualification threshold. To qualify, candidates must person nan physics signatures of 300 normal delegates.

AP writers Seung Min Kim and Will Weissert successful Washington and Chris Megerian successful Wilmington, Delaware, contributed.