Kamala Harris expressed her deep honor upon securing the necessary delegate votes to become the Democratic presidential nominee, marking a historic achievement as the first Black woman and person of South Asian heritage to lead a major party ticket.
Jaime Harrison, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, made the announcement, stating that the vice president had garnered the majority of delegates’ votes to challenge Donald Trump in the upcoming November election. Although her nomination will only be official at the end of the virtual roll-call vote on Monday, the overwhelming support for Harris was clear.
“I am honored to be the presumptive Democratic nominee,” Harris declared during a live online meeting with her supporters. This significant milestone in her political career comes after a turbulent few weeks in U.S. politics, which saw the party’s former presumptive nominee, Joe Biden, withdraw his bid for re-election. His decision followed a poor debate performance that led to a widespread call from elected Democrats, donors, and activists for him to step aside.
“With the support of more than 50% of all delegates just one day into voting, Vice President Harris has the overwhelming backing of the Democratic party and will lead us united in our mission to defeat Donald Trump in November,” Harrison announced in a statement. “But I want to be clear – there is still time for delegates to cast their ballots. I encourage every single delegate across the country to meet this moment and cast their ballot so that we head into our convention in Chicago with a show of force as a united Democratic party.”
During the video call, Harrison emphasized the unprecedented speed at which the party had rallied behind Harris and promised that the party would demonstrate its strength and unity at the upcoming convention in Chicago. Initially, the party had planned a virtual roll call to formally nominate Biden before the convention, to meet an Ohio ballot deadline. However, with Biden’s withdrawal, Harris will now formally accept the nomination in person at the convention scheduled from August 19 to 22.
Meanwhile, the Republican Party formally nominated Donald Trump as their presidential candidate for a third consecutive time at their convention in Milwaukee last month. This event occurred shortly after Trump survived an assassination attempt. At the convention, Trump announced his running mate, the hard-right Ohio senator JD Vance.
Harris is expected to reveal her running mate next week following an expedited vetting process. Among the top contenders are Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Harris will interview the potential candidates over the weekend to finalize her choice.
In another significant development, Harris’s campaign reported a massive fundraising success, raising $310 million last month. This impressive amount was largely driven by a surge in donations from women and young voters, with two-thirds of the contributions coming from first-time donors. Remarkably, over $200 million was raised during Harris’s first week as a presidential candidate, highlighting the strong support she received following her elevation to the top of the ticket.
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