(Scypre.com) – Leading Democrats are throwing their support behind Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s potential nominee for the 2024 presidential race. This endorsement surge follows President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from the race, a move he announced on Sunday.
President Biden endorsed Harris, emphasizing her qualifications and capabilities. “My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President,” Biden stated in a social media post. “And it’s been the best decision I’ve made. Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this.”
Despite Biden’s endorsement, the Democratic nominee will ultimately be chosen through a vote by delegates at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, scheduled to begin virtually on August 19.
High-profile endorsements for Harris quickly followed Biden’s announcement. Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued a joint statement: “We join millions of Americans in thanking President Biden for all he has accomplished, standing up for America time and again, with his North Star always being what’s best for the country. We are honored to join the President in endorsing Vice President Harris and will do whatever we can to support her.”
The Clintons’ statement underscored their concerns about the possibility of a second Trump term: “We’ve lived through many ups and downs, but nothing has made us more worried for our country than the threat posed by a second Trump term. He has promised to be a dictator on day one, and the recent ruling by his servile Supreme Court will only embolden him to further shred the Constitution. Now is the time to support Kamala Harris and fight with everything we’ve got to elect her. America’s future depends on it.”
Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who ran for president in 2020, also voiced her support for Harris. “I endorse Kamala Harris for President,” Warren’s statement read. “She is a proven fighter who has been a national leader in safeguarding consumers and protecting access to abortion. As a former prosecutor, she can press a forceful case against allowing Donald Trump to regain the White House. We have many talented people in our party, but Vice President Harris is the person who was chosen by the voters to succeed Joe Biden if needed. She can unite our party, take on Donald Trump, and win in November.”
The Democratic Party has been grappling with internal turmoil in recent weeks, particularly following Biden’s poor performance in a June presidential debate against former President Donald Trump. This led to increasing doubts about Biden’s viability as a candidate for re-election.
South Carolina Representative Jim Clyburn, a close ally of Biden, expressed his support for Harris in a statement: “I echo the good judgment he demonstrated in selecting Vice President Harris to lead this nation alongside him, and I am proud to follow his lead in support of her candidacy to succeed him as the Democratic Party’s 2024 nominee for President.”
Additional endorsements came from Senators Patty Murray of Washington and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. Klobuchar, who competed against Biden and Harris in the 2020 primaries, told CBS News, “She’s an incredibly strong leader who will bring to this office, and to this campaign, the receipts. … She is someone that knows the work, knows the job. And I also know her as a good person.”
The Congressional Black Caucus PAC (CBCPAC) and Congressional Hispanic Caucus head Rep. Nanette Barragán of California also endorsed Harris. CBCPAC chairman Rep. Gregory Meeks and caucus chairman Rep. Steven Horsford released a joint statement: “The Congressional Black Caucus PAC joins President Biden in fully supporting Kamala Harris as our party’s nominee. She has been instrumental in delivering the accomplishments of the last 3.5 years and has led on lowering maternal mortality rates, protecting reproductive freedoms, and ensuring economic opportunities for all. She will do an excellent job as president of the United States.”
In a statement released shortly after Biden’s endorsement, Harris expressed her commitment to earning the Democratic presidential nomination. “I am honored to have the president’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination,” she said. “Over the past year, I have traveled across the country, talking with Americans about the clear choice in this momentous election. And that is what I will continue to do in the days and weeks ahead. 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.”
However, not all prominent Democrats have endorsed Harris yet. Former President Barack Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi praised Biden’s decision but stopped short of endorsing Harris. Obama described Biden as “a patriot of the highest order” and “one of America’s most consequential presidents.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer also issued statements acknowledging Biden’s announcement without mentioning Harris.