Election 2024: Harris seeks Democratic nomination as Biden drops out

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris He then moved quickly to lock up Democratic delegates behind his campaign for the White House President Joe Biden stepped aside There have been concerns from within his party that he will not be able to defeat Republican Donald Trump.

Biden’s exit on Sunday, fueled by Democratic concerns about his fitness for office, was a seismic shift in the presidential race that upended the two major political parties’ carefully reviewed plans for a 2024 race.

Aiming to put weeks of internal party drama over Biden’s candidacy behind them, popular Democratic elected officials, party leaders and political organizations quickly Lined up behind Harris Hours after Biden announced his resignation His re-election campaign.

Biden’s departure Releases his representatives Vote for whoever you choose. Harris, who Biden endorsed after ending his candidacy, is the only candidate announced so far and is working to quickly secure endorsements from a majority of delegates.

On Monday, additional endorsements including Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Illinois Gov. JP Pritzker and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear kept Harris’ list of potential challengers dwindling.

After Biden’s decision to drop out of the race, which he learned on a call with the president Sunday morning, winning the nomination was only the first item on his political to-do list. If he succeeds in locking up the nomination, he will have to choose a running mate and launch a major political campaign to boost his candidacy to replace Biden, who is more than 100 days away from Election Day.

On Sunday afternoon, Biden’s campaign formally changed its name to Harris President, reflecting that he is inheriting his political operation of more than 1,000 employees and a war chest that stood at nearly $96 million at the end of June. By Monday morning, it had gotten bigger: Harris had raised $49.6 million in donations in the first 15 hours after Biden’s endorsement, campaign spokeswoman Lauren Hitt said.

Harris spent much of Sunday surrounded by family and staff, fielding more than 100 calls to Democratic officials in support of his candidacy, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the effort. It comes as he tries to move past the painful, public infighting that has defined his party in recent weeks. Biden’s disastrous June 27 debate With Trump.

Speaking to party leaders, Harris thanked Biden for the endorsement but insisted he wanted to seek the nomination in his own right, the person said.

In a sign that the Democratic Party is moving to unify behind him, Harris quickly won endorsements from the leadership of several influential caucuses and political organizations, including the AAPI Victory Fund, which focuses on Asian American and Pacific Islander voters, The Collective PAC. Black Political Empowerment, and the Latino Victory Fund, as well as the chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the full Congressional Black Caucus. If elected, Harris would be the first woman of South Asian descent and the first person to be sworn in as president.

Notably, a handful of men already discussed as potential drivers for Harris — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly – They too were quick to issue statements supporting him. Aides to Shapiro and Cooper confirmed that Harris spoke with them Sunday afternoon. In his brief call with Cooper, the North Carolina governor told Harris he would support him as the Democratic nominee, Cooper spokeswoman Sadie Weiner said.

But former President Barack Obama held off on an immediate endorsement, as some in the party expressed concern that a quick transition to Harris would seem like a coronation, instead pledging his support behind the eventual party nominee.

West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, who left the party earlier this year but is considering re-registering as a Democrat to run for the vice presidential nomination, told CBS News on Monday that he will not be a candidate.

In a sign of how he will balance his day job and his new role as a candidate, Harris made his first public appearance at the White House on Monday morning, where he opened his speech to the National Collegiate Athletic Association championship teams and praised Biden as “unrivalled.” ” legacy, he said, “deeply grateful for his service to our nation”.

Harris attended the event for the recovering Biden at his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Covid-19 infection Last week.

He was then set to travel to Wilmington, the headquarters of the Biden campaign, to meet with his new campaign staff.

Harris, in a statement, praised Biden’s “selfless and patriotic act” in deciding to drop out of the race and said he wanted to “earn and win” his party’s nomination.

“I will do everything I can to unite the Democratic Party — and our country — to defeat Donald Trump. His radical plan is Agenda 2025,” she said.

Biden plans to discuss his decision to step aside in an address to the nation later this week. In a letter sent to his X account on Sunday, he said, “I believe it is in the best interest of my party and country that I step down and focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.”

Less than 30 minutes after delivering the news that he was folding his campaign, Biden threw his support behind Harris.

“Today I want to give my full support and endorsement to Kamala as our party’s candidate this year,” he said in another post by X. “Democrats – it’s time to unite and defeat Trump.”

Democratic National Convention It was scheduled to take place in Chicago from August 19-22, but the party announced that it would be held A virtual roll call Bidan should be properly prescribed before starting individual proceedings. The convention’s rules committee is scheduled to meet this week to finalize its nomination process and it’s unclear how it will be adjusted to reflect Biden’s exit.

Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Nanette Barragan insisted she was “everyone” behind the vice president, who said she spoke Sunday with Harris, who said he wants to forgo a virtual roll call for the nomination process and instead hold an adherence process. For regular order.

Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison said in a statement that the party would “undertake a transparent and orderly process” to select “a candidate who can defeat Donald Trump in November.”

___

Follow AP’s coverage of the 2024 elections https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024.