Clyburn says Harris has support “far beyond” needed to lead Democratic ticket

Rep. James E. Clyburn (D.S.C.) said Friday that Vice President Harris has “way beyond” the support she needs to officially secure the Democratic nomination for the White House, after President Biden removed and endorsed it.

“I think the vice president has numbers well beyond those needed to secure the nomination on the first ballot,” Clyburn told MSNBC’s José Díaz-Balart in an interview.

Harris became the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee after Biden dropped out of the race last weekend. She surpassed the threshold to secure the nomination on Monday, just a day after the president ended his candidacy, and quickly garnered important endorsements from key figures in her party and huge amounts of fundraising.

When asked about the importance of Harris’ official support for former President Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama, Clyburn said it was “very significant.”

“I spoke to the ex [president] several times over the past week, and I know he is very involved with this ticket and will be very, very helpful going forward,” he added.

Harris’ campaign released a video that showed a call between Harris and the Obamas in which they offered their support for her before November.

“We called to say that Michelle and I could not be more proud to support you and do everything we can to get you through this election and into the Oval Office,” Obama said in the video.

Despite the new energy and enthusiasm that Harris’ campaign has brought to her party, she still faces a difficult climb in the presidential race if she hopes to defeat former President Trump.

According to an average of national polls from The Hill/Decision Desk HQ, Trump leads Harris by 2.1 points, with the former president at 47.8 percent compared to the vice president’s 45.7 percent -president.

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