Harris Announces Run for Democratic Nominee, Earns Endorsements

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign event at Westover High School in Fayetteville, N. C., on July 18, 2024. (Allison Joyce/AFP via Getty Images)

Vice President Kamala Harris accepted President Joe Biden’s endorsement to replace him as the party nominee after he stepped down from the ticket on July 21.

“On behalf of the American people, I thank Joe Biden for his extraordinary leadership as President of the United States and for his decades of service to our country,” she said in a statement posted to X on Sunday.

“I am honored to have the President’s endorsement, and my intention is to earn and win this nomination.”

The future of the Democratic ticket is uncertain after President Biden pulled out of the 2024 race and endorsed Ms. Harris. This unprecedented candidate shift so late in an election year is expected to bring challenges to the party ahead of its convention scheduled for Aug. 19–22 in Chicago.

Even with Ms. Harris accepting the president’s endorsement, the 3,896 pledged delegates that he won during the primary could support another candidate, although his backing of Ms. Harris could prove influential in the decisions.

So far, multiple Democrats have publicly supported Ms. Harris as the 2024 presidential nominee, including former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who said in a joint statement they “will do whatever we can to support her.”

The leaders of two major congressional caucuses endorsed the vice president on Sunday. Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Rep. Nanette D. Barragán (D-Calif.) support Ms. Harris. The Congressional Black Caucus PAC also endorsed the vice president as the new party nominee.

Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif), who had previously asked President Biden to withdraw before the convention, backed Ms. Harris on Sunday.

The vice president “is going to re-energize this race and I can’t wait to hit the campaign trail for Kamala Harris!” he wrote on X.

Rep. Andy Kim (D-N.J.), who’s running for New Jersey’s Senate seat, said he has “full faith” in Ms. Harris as the party’s presidential candidate.

“Her candidacy is historic, not just the opportunity to elect the first woman, the first AAPI President, and a Black woman, but to continue on the incredible progress we’ve started,” he wrote on X on Sunday.

“The time to unify is now. The stakes are high. Let’s move forward together.”

Other Democrats who have publicly endorsed Ms. Harris after President Biden stepped down include Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-Mich.), Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), former Secretary of State John Kerry, and Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.),

However, several key Democrats stopped short of supporting the vice president as the new party nominee in their statements.

Former President Barack Obama, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) all praised President Biden for withdrawing from the race on Sunday but did not directly endorse Ms. Harris as his replacement.

Several of the names previously floated as potential replacements for President Biden, including Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, all thanked the president in their statements but stopped short of officially backing Ms. Harris as the new Democratic presidential nominee.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who had also been speculated as a potential replacement for President Biden, endorsed Ms. Harris. In a statement posted on social media, he urged the Democratic Party to unite behind the vice presidency and “refocus on winning the presidency.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, another person floated as a possible candidate, also endorsed Ms. Harris later on Sunday. Calling her “tough, tenacious, fearless,” he said on social media that “no person is better able to prosecute” the case against former President Donald Trump than the current vice president.