Vice President Kamala Harris has confirmed she would run to replace President Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee for president hours after Biden gave her a crucial endorsement that will likely propel her to clinch the nomination at next month’s Democratic National Convention.
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign event on July 13, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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Key Takeaways
- Harris, 59, thanked Biden for his “extraordinary leadership” and said she was “honored” to have earned his endorsement. “I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party—and unite our nation—to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda,” Harris said in a statement.
- The Biden campaign in a Federal Election Commission filing Sunday evening changed its name to “Harris for President.”
- Her statement came after Biden announced he would “stand down” from the election in order to “focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.”
- Biden endorsed Harris shortly after, saying picking her as his running mate in 2020 was the “best decision I’ve made” and said he offers his “full support” to her as the Democratic candidate for president.
- By endorsing Harris, Biden has given her a substantial leg up in what could have been an otherwise wide-open nomination process that would allow delegates for Biden to vote for whomever they please at next month’s Democratic National Convention.
- Almost immediately, top members of the Democratic Party began to fall in line behind Harris, including former President Bill Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash.; and the Congressional Black Caucus PAC.
Crucial quote
“Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump,” Biden said. “Let’s do this.”
What did Harris say about Biden dropping out?
Harris made her first public comments about the decision in a statement Sunday afternoon. “With this selfless and patriotic act, President Biden is doing what he has done throughout his life of service: putting the American people and our country above everything else,” the vice president said. “We have 107 days until Election Day. Together, we will fight. And together, we will win.”
How will Harris become the Democratic nominee?
As the winner of the Democratic primary, Biden was set to receive the nomination for president at the Democratic National Convention set for Aug. 19 to 22. Of the nearly 4,700 delegates set to vote at the convention, more than 3,800 have pledged to vote for Biden as the nominee. There are no current Democratic party rules that allow Biden to pass on his votes to another candidate, according to PBS, but his endorsement will likely hold power. With Biden’s endorsement, it’s likely enough delegates will fall in line and choose Harris as the new nominee. Dozens of current and former delegates on Sunday signed a letter endorsing Harris, Politico reported.
What will happen at the Democratic National Convention?
It’s still unclear. Some Democrats have said they’d prefer an open convention, which would allow delegates to vote for whomever they like, but other ideas that have been floated include a mini-primary process of debates, public appearances and town halls before the convention to introduce potential candidates to delegates (an option that became less likely when Biden endorsed a successor) or a brokered convention, in which delegates would choose a nominee based on back-room deals “brokered” by local and state party bosses along with elected officials. Biden’s endorsement is likely to stop any major Democratic players from challenging Harris for the nomination.
What happens to Biden’s campaign money?
Harris is the only other person who would be able to access the Biden campaign funds with little fuss because his campaign account was registered with the Federal Election Commission under both candidates’ names, the Associated Press reported. Because donors technically donated to both Biden and Harris as running mates, she’ll be able to access the money for her own presidential push. The Biden campaign fund, which changed its name to “Harris for President” Sunday, had $96 million cash on hand as of June 1.
Key background
Calls for Biden to drop out of the presidential race have intensified for weeks following a presidential debate in which he appeared confused and unable to keep up with his opponent, former President Donald Trump. Many high-profile Democrats were open about their concerns he wouldn’t be able to win in November, and told him it was time to “pass the torch” to someone more capable. Harris was seen as the likely replacement for Biden if he did drop out, and she has performed about the same as Biden in head-to-head polls with Trump. Harris has also polled better than other Democrats commonly floated as replacement candidates to Biden. If she wins, Harris would be the first woman, first Black woman and first person of south Asian descent to hold the top federal office.
What we don’t know
Who Kamala Harris will choose to be her vice president. If Harris is chosen at the Democratic convention as Biden’s replacement, names that have been floated as potential running mates include California Gov. Gavin Newsom, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.
Chief critics
Trump on Sunday told CNN he thinks it will be easier to beat Harris in November than it would have been to triumph over Biden. Billionaire Bill Ackman on tweeted that Harris “was never qualified to be vice president.” Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), said he wasn’t ready to endorse Harris as the next president.
Surprising fact
Trump has personally donated money to Harris twice, back when she was the attorney general of California. He gave a total of $6,000 across two different donations, the Washington Post reported years ago, when Trump University was facing a class action lawsuit from students in California who said they’d been defrauded by the institution. Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, also gave $2,000 in 2014. The Attorney General’s office did not take action against Trump University while Harris held the position.
This article was first published on forbes.com and all figures are in USD.
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