AFPHarris at the meeting at its headquarters
NOS News•Tuesday, 03:11•Modified Tuesday, 07:37
Kamala Harris has enough delegate support to be nominated as the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate. Calculations by American media confirm the presidential candidate’s own claim.
Harris claimed victory after California’s 300-plus delegates, led by Nancy Pelosi, officially endorsed her. “As a daughter of California, I am pleased that our campaign has received sufficient votes from my home state delegation,” she said in a statement.
Based on public expressions of support and its own round of phone calls, the AP news agency calculated that Harris can count on the support of at least 2,668 delegates. That is much higher than the 1,976 majority needed to win the nomination on the first ballot.
Another boost for Harris is that none of the respondents mentioned the name of an opposing candidate. Only 54 delegates did not want to indicate a choice. AP is still keeping its options open, because the delegates are free to vote for someone else during the party convention in August.
‘Mission remains the same’
Harris herself said during a visit to her campaign headquarters that the past few days have been a rollercoaster. “We’ve all been overwhelmed by so many conflicting emotions.”
She said her campaign will focus on abortion rights, stricter gun laws and strengthening the middle class, and she will continue to have the support of President Biden, who called campaign headquarters after contracting COVID.
“The name on the ballot has changed, but the mission remains the same,” the president stressed in his first public remarks since withdrawing. “I will do everything I can to push through legislation as president and during the campaign. Because we have to save democracy. Trump remains a danger.”
Watch Biden dial into the meeting here:
Harris on campaign plans and Biden’s departure: ‘I love you Joe’
It will be known for sure which Democratic presidential candidate will run against Trump by Wednesday, August 7, Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Jamie Harrison told reporters in a conference call.
The outcome will be determined twelve days before the Democratic convention in Chicago, because the state of Ohio gives parties until that date to register their presidential candidate. The Democratic party fears complicated legal procedures if they wait until the official moment during the convention. Therefore, virtual voting will already take place on a date to be determined.
The Democratic Party is committed to an “open and fair” nomination process, Harrison said. “The work ahead of us may be unprecedented,” the chairman said, “but we are prepared to engage in a transparent, expeditious and fair process to move forward as a united Democratic Party.”
