WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris received President Joe Biden’s endorsement on Sunday to take his place as the Democratic presidential nominee after he announced he is ending his bid for re-election.
“My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President,” Biden said in a statement. “And it’s been the best decision I’ve made. Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year.”
Biden’s decision to end his re-election run means that Harris or any other Democrat could seek the party’s nomination. The delegates who supported Biden will now have to vote on who will be the party’s nominee at the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 19 in Chicago.
With the President’s endorsement, Harris is now the favorite to be the new nominee.
“I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination,” Harris. “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.”
Harris, who is also the first woman to be Vice President, would become the first Black woman and first person of South Asian descent to become a major-party nominee.
She was elected to the U.S. Senate in California in 2016, becoming the second Black woman and first South Asian woman to serve in the chamber.
Harris is the daughter of immigrants — an Indian mother and a Jamaican father. She was elected to the U.S. Senate in California in 2016, becoming the second Black woman and first South Asian woman to serve in the chamber.
A source close to the Harris campaign said the Vice President has been working phones to get support from several Democratic leaders.
“She’s already rallying all the potential candidates behind her,” the source said. “You’re going to see everyone fall into place.”
