WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday succeeded in shoring up the support she needs to win the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination, potentially avoiding a bitter intraparty split a day after President Joe Biden announced he was withdrawing from his own White House campaign.
Harris, 59, has more than the 1,976 delegates needed to become the party’s nominee in the first round, according to a delegate tally by USA Today. The Democratic Party has 3,936 delegates in total, including former presidents, state and local party officials, members of Congress and governors, but only about half of them can vote in the first round.
California’s delegates voted unanimously to endorse the former senator from California for president on Monday night, giving her the win. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the vote.
“Tonight, I am proud to have secured the broad support I needed to be my party’s nominee, and as a Californian, I am proud that my home state’s delegation has led our campaign to success,” Harris said in a statement late Monday. “I look forward to formally accepting the nomination soon.”
She thanked Biden and the Democrats who supported her.
“I look forward to making our case directly to the American people,” Harris said. “This election presents a clear choice between two differing visions: Donald Trump wants to return our country to a time before many of us had full freedom and equal rights. I believe in a future that strengthens our democracy, protects reproductive freedom, and where all people have the opportunity to not just survive, but thrive.”
Texas Democrats quickly followed California’s lead, while New Jersey, Nevada and other states also endorsed Harris.
Biden, 81, endorsed Harris after announcing Sunday afternoon that he would no longer seek the nomination, a move that likely galvanized delegates who had pledged their support for Harris to Biden.
It’s ultimately up to delegates to choose a nominee. Democrats announced Monday plans to hold a virtual vote to choose a candidate by Aug. 7, weeks before the Democratic National Convention, scheduled to be held Aug. 19-22 in Chicago. Other candidates could put themselves forward at that point, but any challenge to Harris would be short-lived if she secures the necessary number of votes. The vice president has already largely garnered the support of state governors, congressional Democrats and others who will vote in the second round.
According to Democratic National Committee rules, a candidate must receive pledges of support from 300 delegates to appear on the convention ballot.
more:How will DNC delegates and superdelegates handle Biden’s withdrawal?
Harris has been negotiating by phone since Biden announced Sunday night that he would not seek the nomination. Tennessee on Sunday became the first state to pledge all of its delegates to Harris, followed by South Carolina, North Carolina, New Hampshire and Florida.
John Pitney, a political science professor at Claremont McKenna College, said he was still “pretty surprised” at how quickly Harris has gained delegates, adding that she would be better off heading to Chicago with the nomination in hand rather than getting caught up in a floor battle that has exposed rifts within the party over issues like Israel’s war in Gaza.
“The sooner she gets this over with, the better,” said Pitney, who has followed Harris’ career for decades, “and I think it’s going to happen sooner than anyone expected.”
On Monday, that list was expanded to include more than 250 Florida delegates, as well as those from Alabama, Maryland, Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Iowa.
At a press conference on Monday, Florida State Rep.s In endorsing Harris, state Democratic Representative Fentrice Driskell called her “battle-tested.”
“She is the most qualified vice president in history, arguably the most qualified president, and the trusted leader we need in these times,” Driskell said. “For the last four years, she has governed as the partner of the most experienced president in history, and she’s ready for a fight.”
A growing number of state governors and members of Congress have also endorsed her. So-called automatic delegates cannot vote in the first round of voting but can vote if no candidate wins the nomination in the first round. They are not included in USA TODAY’s tally.
more:Harris pays tribute to Biden in first public appearance since campaign kicks off: Live updates
“My enthusiastic endorsement of Kamala Harris for president is public, personal and political,” Pelosi, R-Calif., who played a pivotal role in pushing Biden out of office, said in a statement.
The two highest-ranking House Democrats have not yet endorsed Harris, but House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York both left the door open in a joint statement Monday saying they plan to meet with Vice President Biden in the near future.
“Vice President Kamala Harris is off to a great start by pledging to seek the presidential nomination in a grassroots, transparent process established by the Democratic National Committee, and she is rapidly garnering support from grassroots delegates across the country,” a joint statement from Jeffries and Schumer said.
By Monday night, Harris had secured the support of all 23 Democratic governors.
Overall, fewer than 50 Democrats did not directly endorse Harris or call for an open process at the convention that would allow them to consider other candidates.
