US Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday thanked President Joe Biden for his support in her role as his replacement in the race for the White House and confirmed that she wants to be chosen by the Democratic Party to face Republican Donald Trump in November.
“I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and intend to win this nomination,” he said in a letter published an hour after Biden announced he was withdrawing from the race and asked for support for Harris.
The vice president said she will do everything in her power “to unite the Democratic Party” and the nation to “defeat Donald Trump.” “We have 107 days until Election Day. Together we will fight. And together we will win,” she said.
Minutes after announcing his withdrawal from the presidential race following weeks of internal pressure, Biden expressed his support for Harris through a message on social media.
“Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be our party’s nominee this year. Democrats: it’s time to unite and defeat Trump. Let’s do it,” the president said.
In a letter to the nation, Biden explained that while his intention has been to seek re-election, “it is best” for the party and the country for him to step down and focus solely on fulfilling his duties as president for the remainder of his term.
In Harris’ view, with this “selfless and patriotic” act, President Biden “is doing what he has done throughout his life of service: putting the American people and our country above all else.”
“On behalf of the American people, I thank Joe Biden for his extraordinary leadership as President of the United States and for his decades of service to our country. His remarkable legacy of achievement is unparalleled in modern American history and surpasses the legacy of many presidents who have served two terms,” he said.
Harris recalled that she met Biden through her son Beau (who died of a brain tumor) because they worked together as prosecutors and that he had “the same values as his father, his honesty and integrity, his big heart and commitment to his faith and his family. And his love for our country and the American people.”
The Democratic National Committee said Sunday that while the resignation of a presidential candidate with just over three months to go before the election is “unprecedented,” in the coming days the party will undertake a “transparent and orderly” process to replace Biden.
“The work we must do now, while unprecedented, is clear. In the days ahead, the Party will embark on a transparent and orderly process to move forward as a united Democratic Party behind a candidate who can defeat Donald Trump in November,” said Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison in a statement.
The Democratic Party is expected to select a candidate at its national convention, which kicks off on August 19 in Chicago.
Washington / EFE
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2024-07-22 11:16:03
