Many Democrats on Sunday quickly backed Vice President Kamala Harris to run as the party’s presidential nominee against Donald Trump after President Joe Biden’s abrupt departure from the race, but some powerful party members, including former House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, stayed quiet.
After weeks of fighting among Democrats on whether Biden, 81, should stay in the race, a rush of support coalescing behind Harris, if she is to be the nominee, is crucial with just over 100 days before the November election.
But there are plenty of doubts inside the Democratic Party about whether Harris can beat Trump, the Republican nominee and former president. Some Democrats have suggested the party should hold a mini-primary before the August convention.
Biden himself endorsed Harris on Sunday, in a separate statement following his letter saying that he is stepping down. He was quickly followed by the powerful Congressional Black Caucus, several key donors, various lawmakers and super PACs including Priorities USA and Unite the Country.
“Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year,” Biden said on social media platform X. “Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this.”
The list of Democratic lawmakers endorsing Harris grew as the day progressed. By Sunday evening, the list included California Governor Gavin Newsom, Colorado Governor Jared Polis, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, U.S. Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, U.S. Senator Patty Murray of Washington state, U.S. Representative James Clyburn of South Carolina, and U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal of Washington.
Dmitri Mehlhorn, an adviser to Reid Hoffman, the LinkedIn founder and a major Democratic donor, called Harris “the American dream personified,” noting she is the daughter of immigrants. “She is also toughness personified, rising from my home town of Oakland California to become the top prosecutor of the state. With Scranton Joe stepping back, I cannot wait to help elect President Harris.”
Former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, who served as secretary of State under President Barack Obama, also endorsed Harris in a statement.
Still, others, including Pelosi and Obama, under whom Biden served as vice president for eight years, thanked Biden for his patriotism but did not yet throw their support behind Harris or any other candidate.
“We will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead,” Obama said in a statement. “But I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges.”
(Reuters)
