Democrats are rallying around Harris as she vows to ‘earn and win’ party nomination for president
Democrats quickly rallied behind vice president Kamala Harris as their likely presidential candidate Sunday after President Joe Biden ‘s groundbreaking decision to withdraw from the 2024 race. But the rapidly changing political situation remained volatile just months before the Elections in November.
Shortly after Biden stepped aside he strongly supported Harris, who Make history as the country’s first Black and South Asian woman to become a major party’s presidential nominee. Other endorsements came from former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, the first major female presidential candidate, as well as prominent U.S. senators, numerous House representatives and members of the influential Congressional Black Caucus.
As Democrats rush to confront Republicans Donald Trump This fall, Biden said that choosing Harris as his vice president was the “best decision” he had ever made. “Let’s do this,” he said.
“It is my intention to earn and win this nomination,” Harris said in a statement.
Still, the political and logistical situation for the Democrats is difficult and highly uncertain, as the party that expected Trump to sail into the November elections as a quasi-authoritarian leader and a threat to American democracy now has to reshuffle the top of its ticket in a matter of weeks – before the Party Nomination Convention starts on August 19th.
There appeared to be a groundswell of support for Harris as party leader: Within hours, Biden’s campaign officially changed its name to Harris for President, signaling that she would inherit his political assets. Still, there are notable detractors.
Former President Barack Obama and Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi, who are widely seen as designing Biden’s withdrawal out of the race because they were concerned not only about keeping the White House but also about winning control of Congress, did not explicitly endorse Harris, and Pelosi favors an open primary.
Key Democrats believe Harris would benefit from a “mini-primary.” They argue that a quick primary campaign would show the American people, party donors and skeptics that Harris is the best candidate for the job, and would give potential candidates a chance to compete — or at least debut as a potential running mate.
Harris called members of Congress late in the day, including Rep. Annie Kuster of New Hampshire, chair of the New Democrat Coalition, a moderate faction on Capitol Hill. Kuster also endorsed Harris on Sunday.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison promised a “transparent and orderly process.”
With early voting just months away, Democrats have no time to waste if they want to compete with an energized GOP that has embraced Trump’s return. They must move quickly to unite a shaken Democratic Party, refocus an entire campaign apparatus on a new presidential ticket and organize the ground game to turn out the vote.
Trump’s team faces a daunting challenge of its own, shifting its relentless attacks from Biden’s age, stamina and ability to govern to an as-yet-unnamed Democratic nominee, who could be Harris or any number of possible contenders, including critical swing state governors Roy Cooper of North Carolina and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, as well as Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona.
But Republicans have also signaled that they want to criticize Harris in their early strategy for being complicit in supporting Biden despite his mistakes. They are working on legal action against the 2024 election.
“Not only would Harris be a disaster in the White House, but she helped Biden cover up his declining health while in office, which destroys her credibility,” said a statement from Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley and Co-Chair Lara Trump.
Even as Biden endorses Harris, there is an active debate about her rise among Democratic heavyweights: lawmakers, wealthy donors and former senior officials from the Biden, Obama and Clinton administrations, according to a Democrat with close ties to the Biden-Harris administration.
The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal discussions, said a mini-primary would help Harris cement her credentials as a strong, sharp candidate and reduce criticism that she was elected undemocratically, something the Trump campaign has already tried to use against her.
But for many Democratic lawmakers who immediately backed Harris for her nomination, it would be untenable for the party to ignore her historic candidacy.
Washington Sen. Patty Murray said she is “100 percent” behind Harris. Virginia Sen. Mark Warner said Harris “has the experience, energy and determination to lead our country.” Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy said he “will enthusiastically support my friend.”
Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota, Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia and Sen. Laphonza Butler of California also said they would support Harris, as did a growing number of Democratic lawmakers in the House of Representatives.
Yet other Democrats have remained silent about their support for Harris, or their push for an open trial.
Democratic Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont said in an interview with The Associated Press that he believes the party “has to make our decisions first and foremost about who can best represent us so we can defeat Trump.”
Donors are weighing in. Chad Griffin, a member of the campaign’s national finance committee and a top Democratic fundraiser in the Los Angeles area, said the party is fortunate to have Harris. “She is the trusted, tested leader we need to lead us to victory in November,” he said in a statement.
The Democratic convention in Chicago, which was supposed to be a coronation for Biden, is now turning into an open contest with nearly 4,700 delegates responsible for choosing a new standard-bearer.
The path forward is neither easy nor obvious. Biden won every primary and caucus in the state earlier this year, losing only the territory of American Samoa. At least 3,896 delegates have pledged to support him.
Current party rules do not allow Biden to pass them on to another candidate, but politically his endorsement is likely to be very influential.
The immediate burden is on Harris to shore up the support of nearly 4,000 delegates from the states, territories and the District of Columbia, plus more than 700 so-called super delegates including party leaders, certain elected officials, and former presidents and vice presidents.
__ Associated Press writers Bill Barrow in Atlanta and Mary Clare Jalonick, Aamer Madhani and Chris Megerian in Washington contributed to this story.