United States: In the latest development, an Associated Press survey indicates that Vice President Kamala Harris has enough Democratic delegates support to become her party’s nominee against Republican Donald Trump following President Biden’s decision to quit his presidential reelection bid.
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The rapid rallying around Harris was the first sign of frantic efforts by the party to move on from days of internal sparring over Biden’s political plans and to start focusing on the mission of beating Trump with slightly over three months to the elections, as AP News reported.
On the day after Biden withdrew from the contest, the influential statutory bodies of the Democratic party and other leaders and political parties supported Harris, and her campaign received the highest record of one-day contribution for the presidential election on Monday.
Harris met with several state delegations late Monday to confirm their support, including Texas and California, her home state. By Monday night, the AP count shows that Harris had more than 1,976 delegates required for a first-ballot victory.
California state Democratic Chairman Rusty Hicks said 75 percent to 80 percent of the state’s delegation were on a call Tuesday, and they overwhelmingly supported Harris.
According to Hicks, “I’ve not heard anyone mentioning or calling for any other candidate,” and “Tonight’s vote was a momentous one.”
Harris is not yet a new nominee
However, AP has not yet declared Harris the new presumptive nominee. That’s because convention delegates can still vote for the candidate of their preference either at the August convention or if Democrats proceed with the virtual roll call before the August meeting in Chicago.
In a statement made by Harris while responding to the AP tally, she said, “grateful to President Biden and everyone in the Democratic Party who has already put their faith in me, and I look forward to taking our case directly to the American people.”
Concerns about the president’s incapacity were put aside by more indications of the unity realized after a cataclysmic shift in the presidential race that disrupted strategies formulated by both Democrats and Republicans for the 2024 election.
While speaking to campaign staff in Wilmington, Delaware, Harris pointed to the “rollercoaster” several past weeks, where she expressed her confidence in her new campaign and said, “It is my intention to go out and earn this nomination and to win,” as AP News reported.
She also promised to “unite our Democratic Party, to unite our nation, and to win this election.”