- “A lot of big dominoes have fallen,” says David Axelrod.
- Governors of California and Pennsylvania endorse Harris.
- Pelosi and Obama praise Biden, but stop short of endorsing Harris.
Support poured in quickly on Sunday for Kamala Harris as the Democratic presidential nominee following Joe Biden's extraordinary announcement that he was dropping out of the race.
The current vice president of the United States also supported a variety of heavyweights of the party, as well as numerous governors and other officials previously considered potential rivals of the candidate, but who now have possibilities of becoming her running mate.
“A lot of important dominoes have fallen, including nearly every major potential candidate who could have challenged her. It's hard to see any other outcome than her nomination,” former White House Democratic strategist David Axelrod wrote in X, calling Harris's sudden push a “shock and awe campaign.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro on Sunday endorsed Harris to lead the Democratic ticket, eliminating themselves as potential contenders.
“With our democracy at stake and our future at stake, no one is better able to prosecute the case against Donald Trump's dark vision and guide our country in a healthier direction than Vice President @KamalaHarris,” Newsom wrote on X.
Meanwhile, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said Harris “should be the next president,” and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who like Harris sought the Democratic nomination in 2020, said he would “do everything I can to help her win this election.”
Democratic standard-bearers including Bill and Hillary Clinton, John Kerry and a host of Democratic members of Congress, including left-wing star Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, also endorsed Harris.
Some prominent figures, including former President Barack Obama and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, praised Biden for his decision but stopped short of endorsing Harris so far.
Money was also pouring in: Democratic fundraising group ActBlue announced that small donors had raised $46.7 million in the hours after Harris's campaign launched, “the largest fundraising day of the 2024 cycle.”
Biden endorsed Harris as his replacement shortly after announcing his withdrawal, saying that choosing her as his running mate in 2020 had “been the best decision I've ever made.”
The delegates line up
The formal process of nominating a candidate occurs at the party's summer nominating convention, where delegates chosen from all 50 states, the U.S. capital, and overseas territories officially anoint a candidate chosen by voters during the primaries.
Biden overwhelmingly won the primary vote, and the roughly 3,900 party delegates heading to the convention, scheduled to begin Aug. 19 in Chicago, have pledged to back him.
Following Biden's surprise announcement, however, all delegates from several states, including Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina, quickly pledged to support Harris. A large number of delegates from other places also began to join in.
“I hope we don't get to a situation where we're Democrats looking for an opportunity to make a name for ourselves, to try to get noticed and become candidates in this race,” Hendrell Remus, chairman of the Tennessee Democratic Party, told AFP.
“I think now is the time for us to support Kamala Harris as a candidate.”
