Now in a new spotlight, Kamala Harris will seek White House
WASHINGTON - After President Joe Biden said Sunday afternoon he would drop his reelection bid, he endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for the Democratic nomination.
As reaction poured in, Harris accepted that endorsement and said she intends to seek that nomination.
“I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination,” she said in a written statement. “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.”
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Biden’s exit from race sends shockwaves: Latest developments
When President Joe Biden dropped his reelection bid, the political tsunami threw an element of turmoil into the election just months before the vote. Here are some key developments.
How and when Biden made his difficult decision to bow out
It was never President Joe Biden’s intention to leave the race. Up until he decided to step aside Sunday, he was all in. But then something changed in his thinking.
With Biden out of presidential race, what happens next?
With President Joe Biden ending his reelection bid and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris, Democrats now must navigate a shift that is unprecedented this late in an election year.
In CSRA and across U.S., leaders react to Biden dropping out of race
Reaction quickly started pouring in after President Joe Biden announced Sunday afternoon he would not be seeking re-election.
Biden’s decision leaves Democrats relieved and looking toward future
Many voters expressed relief over the news that President Joe Biden would drop his reelection bid and began to think about who might replace him in a dramatically altered election.
Democrats hail Biden’s decision; Republicans urge him to resign
Joe Biden’s announcement came after more than two weeks of Democrats urging him to withdraw from the race. And reaction was swift from both sides of the aisle.
Even before announcing she’d run, she also received the endorsement of former President Bill Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
“On behalf of the American people, I thank Joe Biden for his extraordinary leadership as President of the United States and for his decades of service to our country,” Harris said in her statement. “His remarkable legacy of accomplishment is unmatched in modern American history, suring the legacy of many Presidents who have served two in office.”
She called Biden’s decision not to run again a “selfless and patriotic act” that put the American people and the nation above everything else.
“We have 107 days until Election Day. Together, we will fight. And together, we will win,” she said.
Her campaign sent out at least three fundraising emails in the hours after Biden announced his decision.
“I am running to be President of the United States,” one began.
“I am eager to run on the record of what Joe and I have accomplished together,” the email said later. “We built our country back after our predecessor left it in shambles – making historic progress in reducing prescription drug costs, upgrading our nation’s infrastructure, fighting climate change, and more. We are stronger today because we took action – together – to invest in America’s future.”
What’s ahead?
Harris is being thrust into the most scrutinizing of spotlights, suddenly the leading candidate to succeed Biden.
She spoke multiple times with Biden on Sunday, according to people familiar with the conversations – a day after Biden huddled with his closest aides in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, as he began to conclude that he would end his reelection bid. About two hours after the surprise Sunday announcement from Biden, Harris released her own statement, making it clear she knew the nomination would not just be handed to her.
Then Harris quickly got to work. She spent much of Sunday afternoon calling Democratic elected officials and delegates as she worked to lock up her party’s nomination. One call was with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. Another was with Congressional Hispanic Caucus chairwoman Nanette Barragan, who emphasized that she was “all in” behind the vice president and urged donations on her behalf.
Barragán said she was caught in a moment of both sadness and excitement as she digested the news of Biden’s withdrawal. But in her call with Harris, the vice president stressed to her: “We’re in this to win it.”
Harris also communicated that she preferred to forego a virtual roll call for the nomination process and instead hold a process that adheres to regular order.
“This is the moment for us to unite and coalesce around the vice president and focus around Donald Trump,” Barragán said.
Harris also spoke with Rep. Annie Kuster, who leads the New Democrat Coalition, an influential bloc of center-left lawmakers. Kuster endorsed Harris on Sunday afternoon.
Notably, a handful of men who had already been discussed as potential running mates for Harris -– Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly –- also swiftly issued statements endorsing her. Aides to Shapiro and Cooper confirmed that Harris spoke with them Sunday afternoon. In her brief call with Cooper, the North Carolina governor told Harris that he was backing her to be the Democratic nominee, according to Cooper spokeswoman Sadie Weiner.
Harris also quickly won endorsements from the leadership of several influential caucuses and political organizations, including the AAPI Victory Fund, which focuses on Asian American and Pacific Islander voters, The Collective PAC, focused on building Black political power, and the Latino Victory Fund. While some Democrats remained silent on whom they want for a nominee, many others said the party should immediately assemble behind Harris, wanting to move past the painful, public deliberations that have marked the weeks since the July 27 Biden-Trump debate.
“Joe Biden is a great American, and we all owe him our immense gratitude for his service to our country as president, vice president, and senator,” Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., said. “There is no better person than Vice President Harris for him to the baton to.”
But there were early signs that she may not be alone in the Democratic race. West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, who left the party earlier this year to become an independent, is considering re-ing as a Democrat to vie for the nomination against the vice president, according to Jonathan Kott, a longtime adviser to Manchin.
Harris had also yet to consolidate the party’s top heavyweights behind her. While former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton endorsed her even before she had commented on Biden’s decision to quit the race, former President Barack Obama held off, merely pledging behind the eventual party nominee.
The campaign dollars were already coming in for Harris. The Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue said Sunday night that as of 9 p.m. Eastern time, small-dollar donors had contributed nearly $47 million since Harris announced her candidacy.
“Grassroots ers are energized and excited to her as the Democratic nominee,” the group said on X, the social media site.
But as she works to consolidate the party behind her, Harris still has her day job – at a time when Biden has been sidelined due to a bout with COVID-19. Harris will host an event on the South Lawn of the White House on Monday with sports teams from across the country that won NCAA championships this year, and is slated to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit to Washington later this week. Harris also has a previously scheduled campaign swing to Milwaukee on Tuesday.
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