Kamala Harris Announces Biden-Endorsed Presidential Candidate, Record Support from Black Women – Essence

Vice President Kamala Harris announced her intention to hunt the Democratic nomination after President Joe Biden ended his re-election campaign and endorsed her, establishing a potentially historic candidacy for the primary Black woman and first Asian American woman to guide a significant political party.

“I am honored by the president’s support and it is my intention to win the nomination,” Harris said in a speech. statement made available on X“I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party — and unite our nation — to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda,” Harris continued.

Biden’s historic endorsement — and Harris’ promise to unite the party behind it — got here Sunday afternoon after he announced he was withdrawing from his reelection bid following weeks of mounting calls for him to step down. The president’s poor debate performance forged doubt on his ability to win a second term and govern for one more 4 years.

“My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus my full energy on the duties of the presidency for the rest of my term. My first decision as the party’s nominee in 2020 was to select Kamala Harris as my vice president. And it was the best decision I have made. Today, I want to offer my full support and endorsement of Kamala’s candidacy,” Biden said.

Following Biden’s announcement, Harris received overwhelming support from Black women across the country. In a historic show of unity and solidarity, greater than 44,000 Black women joined a Zoom call Sunday hosted by the Win With Black Women collective to support Harris’ campaign. $1.5 million raised in only three hours. Harris raised a record $50 million in a single day through grassroots donations, in keeping with the campaign.

Despite the president’s support and a large fundraising effort, it’s unclear whether Harris can be nominated or what process the Democratic Party will use to decide on another. It will now be as much as delegates on the party’s national convention to decide on their candidate. While Harris’ allies have sought to offer her with a path to the nomination, some Democrats haven’t endorsed her or have called outright for an open nomination process.

Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison he said in an announcement that in the approaching days, the party “will undertake a transparent and orderly process to move forward as a unified Democratic Party with a candidate who can defeat Donald Trump in November.”

On Sunday, the Biden-Harris campaign formally amended its filings with the Federal Election Commission to alter the name of its primary committee to “Harris for President,” saying the committee’s name “is different than previously reported.” NBC News reports.

The committee also submitted a letter to the commission stating that “Vice President Harris is currently a candidate for President of the United States in the 2024 election and will now campaign solely for the purpose of seeking that office.”

But control of the campaign’s war chest — $95.9 million at the tip of June — hinges on whether Harris stays on the Democratic ticket in 2024. Recent polls have also shown her doing higher against former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, than against Biden and other potential Democratic candidates.

If there may be an effort to bypass Harris in favor of Democrats who’re more likely to run in 2028, it could prompt a backlash from supporters of the vice chairman and outstanding Black Democrats. But Harris has also experienced a renaissance inside her party, as Democrats showered her with praise in the times following the talk.