Democrats start rallying behind Harris after Biden exit

(The Center Square) − President Joe Biden’s decision to forgo his 2024 reelection campaign has sent the Democratic party into a frenzy, leaving the official Democratic nomination up for grabs.Biden formally endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, and several other high-ranking Democrats followed suit.Harris said she intends to run and win the nomination, then beat former President Donald Trump in November.From the U.S. Senate, Harris has garnered endorsements from notable figures including Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D., Illinois) Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.), Patty Murray (D., Wash.), Mark Warner (D., VA.), Mark Kelly (D., Ariz.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D., N.Y.), Chris Murphy (D., Conn.), and Tina Smith (D., Minn.). Senator Sherrod Brown (D., Ohio), who is gearing up for a re-election campaign, has also endorsed Harris, according to his spokesman.In the U.S. House of Representatives, Harris has received backing from Rep. Nanette Barragan (D., Calif.), Rep. Katherine Clark (D., Mass.), the House minority whip, and Rep. Pete Aguilar (D., Calif.), the chair of the House Democratic Caucus. House progressives such as Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D., Wash.), Jared Huffman (D., Calif.), Cori Bush (D., Mo.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.), and Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.) have also expressed their support.California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg have publicly endorsed Harris as well.Whether Harris will receive the support of the delegates pledged to Biden prior to the Democratic National Convention is another question. The convention delegates, who are the ones responsible for actually selecting the Democratic Party’s nominee, are not officially obligated to support the candidate to whom they are pledged.Delegates will assemble at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago beginning on August 17. Biden had secured more than 3,800 of those delegates.According to reporting from The Hill, Harris has the support of at least 531 delegates. To secure the nomination, she needs 1,986 delegates. Tennessee delegates took the lead by pledging all its eligible delegates to Harris, quickly followed by South Carolina, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Florida, Georgia, and Louisiana.Pennsylvania’s Democratic Party has also expressed its support, with Party Chairman Sharif Street in a Sunday press briefing saying that, “I’ve talked to state chairs across America and I’ve seen nothing but overwhelming support for the vice president and I fully expect in a very resounding way she will be our nominee.”