(Christen Smith and Alan Wooten, The Center Square) – Kamala Harris, who abandoned a presidential bid in 2019, is the Democratic presidential nominee in the 2024 election.
The vice president secured the bid on Friday afternoon at about 3 p.m. Eastern in a virtual roll call vote ahead of the Democratic National Convention. Harris is yet to name a running mate, with most indicators pointing to a trio of contenders led by Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.
Harris said she was honored following the announcement by Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison.
“As your future president, I know we are up to this fight,” Harris said.
In a statement, Harrison said, “With historic momentum and a groundswell of support, Vice President Harris has officially met the threshold, securing a majority of the delegates she needs to receive the Democratic nomination on Monday. With the support of more than 50% of all delegates just one day into voting, Vice President Harris has the overwhelming backing of the Democratic Party and will lead us united in our mission to defeat Donald Trump in November.
“But I want to be clear – there is still time for delegates to cast their ballots. I encourage every single delegate across the country to meet this moment and cast their ballot so that we head into our convention in Chicago with a show of force as a united Democratic Party.”
The virtual roll call started Thursday.
Elected attorney general of California in 2010 and a U.S. senator in 2016, Harris is in her second bid for president. She opened her previous campaign on Jan. 21, 2019, and abandoned it on Dec. 3 that year, offering an endorsement of Joe Biden the following March 8. He tapped her as a running mate on Aug. 11. They defeated the ticket of incumbent Donald Trump and Mike Pence in November.
No other candidate emerged after the awkward exit of Biden on July 21 by social media post just over three weeks after a debate performance that magnified the president’s health concerns.
Democrats convene for their national convention in Chicago on Aug. 19-22. There will be a state-by-state roll call there, though only in ceremonial fashion.
Harris turns 60 on Oct. 20. While many worried about the ages of the 78-year-old Trump and 81-year-old Biden, her selection gives the party a generational reset. Trump picked J.D. Vance, who turned 40 on Friday, as a running mate, and Harris is likely to have someone close to her age or younger.
Shapiro, 51, is the odds-on favorite from most politicos and the professional oddsmakers. Certainly possible are U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, who turned 60 in February, and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who turns 47 on Nov. 29. Several others, led by 60-year-old Minnesota Gov Tim Walz, have gone through the vetting process.
Published reports say Harris intended to talk to some of the vetted candidates over the weekend ahead of the battleground states tour starting Tuesday in Philadelphia. Her campaign has cautioned the placement of that start is not an indicator of her vice president choice.
Reports of Shapiro being the pick got another spark Friday afternoon by a social media post of the mayor of Philadelphia. Cherelle Parker, on @PeopleforParker, wrote, “Proud to be back with so many leaders from across our region supporting @KamalaHarris for President and @JoshShapiroPA for VP!”
Early in the evening, however, there was no confirmation that Harris had chosen Shapiro.
Harris, notably, did not earn the endorsement of the traditionally left-leaning editorial board from The Los Angeles Times in 2010 against Republican Steve Cooley. The daughter of a Jamaican father and Indian mother has been critiqued as “too cautious and unwilling to take a stand,” the Times wrote on the day Biden stepped aside.
On July 21, when Biden declined to run, Harris immediately said she would be a candidate. There were 107 days until Election Day. Reports say her campaign has been infused with more than $300 million.
