Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States, obtained enough delegates – a figure in the US electoral system – to make her candidacy official to contest the 2024 presidential elections for the Democratic Party.
The announcement was made by the party president, Jaime Harrison, this Friday (2), during a virtual event with supporters.
Kamala will become the first black woman and the first Asian American to lead a major party ticket in the US.
Delegates began voting virtually for the nomination on Thursday (1st), a process that will continue until Monday night (5th).
Kamala Harris is the only name on the ballot, as she was the only candidate to gather 300 delegate signatures to qualify, following the rules set by the party.
Although voting for the Democratic nomination has begun, and will possibly be completed, before Kamala announces her running mate, Democratic Party rules do not require a separate vote to confirm the vice presidential nominee.
While official voting is taking place virtually, delegates will have a ceremonial roll call at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, which begins on August 19.
Candidacy after Joe Biden’s withdrawal
Shortly after President Joe Biden dropped out of his reelection campaign and announced support for Kamala Harris, it became clear that the vice president would be the only serious candidate for the Democratic Party nomination.
Virtually the entire party, including potential challengers, quickly supported her, and it took less than 36 hours for Kamala to secure unofficial support from enough delegates to be the party’s presidential candidate.
Kamala Harris’s path to the nomination stands in stark contrast to her 11-month 2020 election race, which saw her drop out before Iowa’s primary vote.
Biden later that time named Kamala as his running mate, a decision that positioned her to take up the party’s mantle after he stepped aside last month.
As the official nomination process unfolded, the vice president spent the last two weeks refocusing the campaign, which she inherited on a truncated schedule.
His campaign said it raised $310 million in July, driven by renewed energy within the party about his candidacy. The haul is also more than double what Republican candidate Donald Trump’s political operation said it raised last month.
Final stages for choosing vice
Kamala Harris is also in the final stages of choosing a running mate.
A source familiar with the process told CNN that the vice president is expected to meet with the main candidates over the weekend, including:
- Minnesota Governor Tim Walz
- Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro
- Arizona Senator Mark Kelly
- Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear
- Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg
- and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker
Kamala and her running mate will spend the next week campaigning in key battleground states, starting with a Tuesday night rally in Philadelphia.
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