Kamala Harris looks to seal Democratic nomination after Joe Biden’s exit

Vice President Kamala Harris moved swiftly to fastener up Democratic delegates down her run for nan White House aft President Joe Biden stepped speech amid concerns from wrong their ain statement that he would beryllium incapable to conclusion Republican Donald Trump.

Biden’s exit Sunday, prompted by Democratic worries complete his fittingness for office, was a seismic displacement to nan statesmanlike title that upended some awesome governmental parties’ cautiously honed plans for nan 2024 race.

Aiming to put weeks of intraparty play complete Biden’s candidacy down them, salient Democratic elected officials, statement leaders and governmental organizations quickly lined up down Harris successful nan hours aft Biden announced he was dropping his reelection campaign.

Biden’s departure frees up his delegates to ballot for whomever they choose. Harris, whom Biden backed aft ending his candidacy, is frankincense acold nan only declared campaigner and was moving to quickly unafraid endorsements from a mostly of delegates.

It’s only nan first point connected a staggering governmental to-do database for her aft Biden’s determination to exit nan race, which she learned astir connected a Sunday greeting telephone pinch nan president. If she’s successful astatine locking up nan nomination, she must besides prime a moving mate and pivot a monolithic governmental cognition to boost her candidacy alternatively of Biden’s pinch conscionable complete 100 days until Election Day.

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 a warfare thorax that stood astatine astir $96 cardinal astatine nan extremity of June. It sewage bigger by Monday morning: Campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt said Harris had raised $49.6 cardinal successful donations successful nan first 15 hours aft Biden’s endorsement.

Harris spent overmuch of Sunday surrounded by family and staff, making much than 100 calls to Democratic officials to statement up their support for her candidacy, according to a personification acquainted pinch nan matter who said connected nan information of anonymity to talk nan effort. It comes arsenic she tries to move her statement past nan painful, nationalist wrangling that had defined nan weeks since nan Biden’s disastrous June 27 statement pinch Trump.

Speaking to statement leaders, Harris expressed gratitude for Biden’s endorsement but insisted she was looking to gain nan information successful her ain right, nan personification said.

In a motion that nan Democratic Party was moving to coalesce down her, Harris quickly won endorsements from nan activity of respective influential caucuses and governmental organizations, including nan AAPI Victory Fund, which focuses connected Asian American and Pacific Islander voters, The Collective PAC, focused connected building Black governmental power, and nan Latino Victory Fund, arsenic good arsenic nan chairs of nan Congressional Progressive Caucus and nan Congressional Hispanic Caucus and nan full Congressional Black Caucus. Harris, if elected, would beryllium nan first female and first personification of South Asian descent to beryllium president.

Notably, a fistful of men who had already been discussed arsenic imaginable moving mates for Harris — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly — besides swiftly issued statements endorsing her. Aides to Shapiro and Cooper confirmed that Harris said pinch them Sunday afternoon. In her little telephone pinch Cooper, nan North Carolina politician told Harris he was backing her to beryllium nan Democratic nominee, according to Cooper spokeswoman Sadie Weiner.

But erstwhile President Barack Obama held disconnected connected an contiguous endorsement, arsenic immoderate successful nan statement person expressed interest that nan speedy displacement to Harris would look to beryllium a coronation, alternatively pledging his support down nan eventual statement nominee.

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Meanwhile, West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, who near nan statement earlier this twelvemonth to go an independent, is considering re-registering arsenic a Democrat to vie for nan information against nan vice president, according to Jonathan Kott, a longtime advisor to Manchin.

Harris was to make her first nationalist quality Monday greeting astatine nan White House, wherever she is scheduled to speak astatine an arena honoring National Collegiate Athletic Association title teams. She is filling successful for Biden, who is recovering aft contracting COVID-19 past week.

Harris, successful a statement, praised Biden’s “selfless and patriotic act” successful deciding to time off nan title and said she intends to “earn and win” her party’s nomination.

“I will do everything successful my powerfulness to merge nan Democratic Party — and merge our federation — to conclusion Donald Trump and his utmost Project 2025 agenda,” she said.

Biden planned to talk his determination to measurement speech later this week successful an reside to nan nation. He wrote successful a missive posted Sunday to his X account, “I judge it is successful nan champion liking of my statement and nan state for maine to guidelines down and to attraction solely connected fulfilling my duties arsenic President for nan remainder of my term.”

Nearly 30 minutes aft he delivered nan news that he was folding his campaign, Biden threw his support down Harris.

“Today I want to connection my afloat support and endorsement for Kamala to beryllium nan nominee of our statement this year,” he said successful different station connected X. “Democrats — it’s clip to travel together and hit Trump.”

The Democratic National Convention is scheduled to beryllium held Aug. 19-22 successful Chicago, but nan statement had announced 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 and it is unclear really it will beryllium adjusted to bespeak Biden’s exit.

Congressional Hispanic Caucus chairwoman Nanette Barragan, who emphasized that she was “all in” down nan vice president, said she said Sunday pinch Harris, who communicated that she preferred to forego a virtual rotation telephone for nan information process and alternatively clasp a process that adheres to regular order.

The Democratic National Committee’s chair, Jaime Harrison, said successful a connection that nan statement would “undertake a transparent and orderly process” to prime “a campaigner who tin conclusion Donald Trump successful November.”