Vice President Harris said Sunday that she intends to win and win the Democratic presidential nomination after President Biden surprisingly dropped out of the race and endorsed her as his successor.
“I am honored to have the support of the President and my intention is to deserve and earn this nomination,” she said in a statement.
“Over the past year, I have traveled across the country, talking to Americans about the clear choice in this important election. And that is what I will continue to do in the coming days and weeks. 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,” she added.
Biden withdrew from the 2024 race early Sunday, announcing he will no longer seek another four years in office. He then endorsed Harris as the Democratic Party’s nominee, after initially not supporting her in his letter announcing that she was withdrawing.
The vice president thanked Biden for his decades of service and said his “remarkable legacy of accomplishments is unparalleled in modern American history.” She called his decision to drop out of the race a “selfless and patriotic act” and recalled first meeting Biden through his late son, Beau, who was Harris’ attorney general.
“We have 107 days until election day. Together, we will fight. And together we will win,” said Harris.
Former President Trump’s allies immediately attacked Harris on Sunday after Biden endorsed her.
“Kamala Harris is as much of a joke as Biden. Harris will be even WORSE for the people of our nation than Joe Biden,” Trump campaign senior advisers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles wrote in a memo.
Biden’s full support for Harris at the top of the ticket gives Democrats a clear successor weeks before the convention, but her becoming the nominee is not inevitable.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison said Sunday that the party will move forward this week with selecting a candidate, without mentioning Harris specifically in his statement.
“In the coming days, the Party will undertake a transparent and orderly process to move forward as a united Democratic Party with a candidate who can defeat Donald Trump in November,” he said. “This process will be governed by the rules and procedures established by the Party. Our delegates are prepared to take seriously their responsibility to quickly deliver a candidate to the American people.”
Harris has been a staunch defender of Biden amid the political fallout since his dismal debate performance last month, which led to calls from about 30 Democrats for him to step aside. She has continued to campaign, most recently in North Carolina, and has been a leading voice for the Biden administration on reproductive rights issues this campaign cycle.
Updated at 4:24 p.m.
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