It took less than 24 hours for Kamala Harris to virtually clear the Democratic presidential field.
The endorsements of a series of governors on Monday morning – JB Pritzker of Illinois, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Wes Moore of Maryland and Andy Beshear of Kentucky – effectively ended talk of a serious fight for the party’s nomination following the sudden decision of President Joe Biden to drop out on Sunday. of the race. Sen. Joe Manchin (IW.Va.), which also briefly flirted with challenging Harris, also said Monday morning that it would not seek the nomination.
“I am proud to support Vice President Kamala Harris for President of the United States,” Pritzker said in a statement.
“Today, I am thrilled to support Kamala Harris for President of the United States,” Whitmer wrote in her own statement.
“She is the fighter we need right now to realize the full promise of our nation,” Moore said.
The quick show of support was a show of strength — and unity — after weeks of unrest and anxiety over whether the president would agree to resign following his disastrous debate performance in late June.
As calls grew for Biden to step aside, Democrats began whispering about potential 2028 candidates who could be pulled into the 2024 race.
But there appeared to be little appetite for a contentious nomination battle. Biden endorsed Harris, his vice president, as his handpicked successor, and others quickly joined in. On Sunday, several of those potential challengers – the governors. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Gavin Newsom of California, as well as Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg — have all publicly supported Harris.
It now appears the race is on for second place on the Harris ticket. Harris began making calls to elected officials on Sunday, and at least two potential running mates — North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and Beshear — confirmed on Monday that they had spoken.
“It was great,” Cooper said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “We talked about winning this race.”
But asked whether they would accept second place in the Democratic vote, both Cooper and Beshear hesitated.
“I appreciate people talking about me,” Cooper said, “but I think the focus right now needs to be on her this week.”
Pritzker, whose family founded the Hyatt hotel empire and could easily self-fund a campaign, said he spoke with Harris and explained why he didn’t join the movement to support her on Sunday.
“I told her that President Biden’s selfless decision came as a genuine surprise,” he said in his statement. “I worked hard during my time as governor of Illinois to try to bring a sober and mature approach to decision-making. It’s important to pay attention to what’s next for the Democratic Party and the country, which is why I spent hours yesterday talking to other leaders in our party, getting and giving input on the path to victory in November.”
At the end of this process, Pritzker came to the same conclusion as the other possible candidates: it was time to support Harris for president.
This story originally appeared on Politico.com read the full story
