Kamala Harris has secured the support of a sufficient number of delegates at the Democratic Party convention – at least 1,967 – to be held in Chicago in August, and is now considered a lock to be the party’s nominee in the November 5 presidential election after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race, CNN reports, based on a state-by-state count.
Similar information was also provided by Harris’ campaign sources to Reuters, while the Associated Press estimates that the US vice president has secured the support of 2,214 delegates out of about 3,900, more than the required majority.
This development is not yet official, as the calculations are based on press reports. The delegates who had backed Biden are now free to choose after the president ended his re-election campaign on Sunday.
In her first speech as a candidate for the nomination, Harris praised Biden for his service, stressing that his political legacy will remain unsurpassed in modern history.
The announcement of her candidacy led to record fundraising in a matter of hours, despite polls showing Trump prevailing in the election against her.
Several Democratic Party officials announced their support for Harris, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Governor Gavin Newsome, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and independent Senator Joe Manchin. However, Barack Obama refrained from offering his endorsement, as that would make Harris’ candidacy look like a dynastic coronation.
The party is in crisis after Biden’s decision not to seek a second term, while polls show Trump prevailing in crucial, contested states. Harris’ approval rating has not exceeded 40 percent this year, a sign that the electorate identifies her with the Biden administration.
Harris must now rally disillusioned Democratic voters and convince them in the shortest campaign in American history that she is ready to lead, while facing an opponent willing to resort to sexism and racism to secure votes.
The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the legalization of abortion offered Harris the opportunity to be at the forefront of the campaign for women’s rights. The Trump campaign launched efforts to identify Harris with Biden, stating that their responsibilities are shared and there is no differentiation between them.
Harris, the daughter of an Indian mother and Jamaican father, was born in 1964 and raised in Berkeley, outside San Francisco. She attended Howard University and became known as a prosecutor in sex crimes and homicide cases. In 2010, she was elected California’s attorney general and then in 2015, she was elected to the Senate. Her political career marks her as effective and reliable, and she has emerged as a strong opponent of Republicans.
