Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign earned a big boost when the highly anticipated endorsement from Barack and Michelle Obama was confirmed yesterday.
The Obamas are the latest prominent Democrats to rally around the vice president, adding influential support to her presidential campaign.
On Friday morning, the former president shared a message on X, stating: “Earlier this week, Michelle and I called our friend @KamalaHarris. We told her we think she’ll make a fantastic President of the United States, and that she has our full support.”
“At this critical moment for our country, we’re going to do everything we can to make sure she wins in November.”
While Obama’s endorsement was expected, it came after he initially voiced support for a nominee selection process without specifically endorsing Harris.
“I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges,” Obama earlier said in a statement.
In the days following President Joe Biden’s sudden withdrawal from the 2024 race, Harris has quickly emerged as the likely nominee of the Democratic Party, winning enough delegate support.
Many top Democrats, including Biden, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have rallied behind Harris as their favored candidate.
Additionally, Democrats who are in tight races this year and were concerned about Biden’s impact on their campaigns have begun to feel relieved with Harris at the top of the ticket.
Harris is nearly 20 years younger than Donald Trump, and hence she is expected to appeal to many undecided young voters. And because she is the daughter of immigrant parents, she is likely to resonate with minority voters as well.
However, she may struggle to secure the backing of male voters, particularly white and Latino men.
Trump is currently leading in the six battleground states likely to decide the election. It remains unclear how Harris will perform with working-class voters in the crucial swing states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
With only 100 days until the November election, the Harris campaign is gearing up for a weekend blitz, featuring events like potlucks, watch parties, trivia, and door knocking. More than 100,000 volunteers will be barnstorming across over 2,300 events in battleground states this weekend, the campaign said.
Harris pledged to unite the Democratic Party and win the 2024 election in her first campaign speech on Tuesday.
“I am so very honored, and I pledge to you: I will spend the coming weeks continuing to unite our party so that we are ready to win in November,” she told her supporters.
Harris’ campaign speeches will most likely center around Trump’s criminal charges, leveraging her background as a former prosecutor. She will also be advocating for women’s rights and abortion rights.
Meanwhile, she will likely face criticism regarding her record as vice president, particularly on issues like inflation and the border crisis.
Harris’s next important task will be choosing a strong running mate to round out the ticket.
Her campaign is reportedly vetting several potential candidates, including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper.
On Wednesday, Biden addressed the nation from the Oval Office to explain his decision to quit the 2024 presidential election, highlighting the need to “pass the torch to a new generation.”
He said the time for new, fresh, and younger voices has come.
Democrats have moved quickly in their process to choose their presidential nominee by adopting rules on July 24. The voting process to officially nominate Kamala Harris is expected to begin on Aug. 1.
Harris criticized former President Donald Trump for “backpedaling” on previous commitments to hold a debate with Biden in September.
“I’m ready. And I think the voters deserve to see the split screen that exists in this race on a debate stage,” she told reporters on July 25.
However, the Trump campaign indicated that the former president will not commit to a debate with Harris until she becomes the formal Democratic nominee for president, citing the “continued political chaos” within her party.
