Democratic delegates swiftly give Harris enough support to clinch presidential nomination

By: - July 23, 2024 12:13 pm

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris attends an NCAA championship teams celebration on the South Lawn of the White House on July 22, 2024 in Washington, D.C. President Joe Biden abandoned his campaign for a second term after weeks of pressure from fellow Democrats to withdraw and just months ahead of the November election, throwing his support behind Harris. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Vice President Kamala Harris has won enough endorsements from Democratic delegates to make her the party’s presidential nominee, according to unofficial delegate trackers.

A delegate tracker from The Associated Press counted 2,688 delegates who had said by Tuesday morning they would vote for Harris on the first ballot of the party’s nominating vote. A candidate needs 1,976 delegates on the first ballot to secure the Democratic nomination.

If the delegates who have endorsed her follow through, Harris will officially become the nominee when the vote occurs next month.

Several state parties met Sunday and Monday after President Joe Biden — who had been the party’s presumptive nominee after racking up delegates by sweeping primaries and caucuses this year — took the unprecedented step Sunday afternoon of ending his reelection bid.

Biden endorsed Harris shortly after bowing out, as did many of the state parties holding emergency meetings, elected officials, unions and influential outside groups.

Harris claimed victory in the uncontested nomination race in a Monday night statement after her home-state California delegation endorsed her.

“Tonight, I am proud to have secured the broad support needed to become our party’s nominee, and as a daughter of California, I am proud that my home state’s delegation helped put our campaign over the top,” Harris said in the statement. “I look forward to formally accepting the nomination soon.”

The Democratic National Committee is scheduled to meet Wednesday to set up a nomination framework and virtual roll call to select a presidential candidate ahead of the party’s national convention from Aug. 19 to Aug. 22 in Chicago.

The pre-convention virtual roll call was meant to comply with an Ohio law requiring parties select a candidate 90 days before Election Day, which Democrats said would have caused problems with their convention schedule.

Harris will also need to select a running mate. The campaign has requested vetting materials from five potential picks, according to an MSNBC report. They are Govs. Roy Cooper of North Carolina, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Tim Walz of Minnesota and Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona.

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Jacob Fischler
Jacob Fischler

Jacob covers federal policy and helps direct national coverage as deputy Washington bureau chief for States Newsroom. Based in Oregon, he focuses on Western issues. His coverage areas include climate, energy development, public lands and infrastructure.

Kentucky Lantern is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.

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