Harris Secures Support From Key Democrats After Biden Drops Out

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio—Chants of “fight, fight, fight” and waves of red and blue Trump–Vance signs filled the Middletown High School auditorium leading up to Sen. JD Vance’s first solo rally as former President Donald Trump’s running mate.

Mr. Vance grew up in this industrial town midway between Cincinnati and Dayton in southwest Ohio. He wrote a book, “Hillbilly Elegy,” detailing his childhood in Middletown and Jackson, Kentucky. The book was brought to the small screen by director Ron Howard on Netflix. The book and the movie catapulted Mr. Vance to national prominence.

Democratic National Convention delegates from Florida and Maryland announced they have endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as their 2024 presidential nominee on July 22.

“We wholeheartedly believe Vice-President Kamala Harris embodies the values and principles of the Democratic Party and is the most qualified Democrat to continue delivering for the American people,” Florida’s Democratic delegates said in a joint statement. “Her vision for America is one where everyone, regardless of background or circumstance, has the opportunity to thrive.”

Meanwhile, the Maryland DNC delegation announced it “met virtually and voted to unanimously endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for the 2024 Democratic nomination for President of the United States.”

Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) speaks at a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol on July 20, 2023. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) speaks at a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol on July 20, 2023. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris “with immense pride and limitless optimism for our country’s future” on July 22, stating that her support is “official, personal, and political.”

“Officially, I have seen Kamala Harris’s strength and courage as a champion for working families, notably fighting for a woman’s right to choose,” she said in her statement. “Personally, I have known Kamala Harris for decades as [someone] rooted in strong values, faith, and commitment to public service.

“Politically, make no mistake: Kamala Harris as a woman in politics is brilliantly astute—and I have full confidence that she will lead us to victory in November.”

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during an event honoring National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championship teams from the 2023-2024 season, on the South Lawn of the White House on July 22, 2024. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during an event honoring National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championship teams from the 2023-2024 season, on the South Lawn of the White House on July 22, 2024. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president on July 22.

He took to X in the early afternoon, posting a graphic that reads, “Let’s win this. Harris for President,” and stating he was “proud to support and be all in for the next president, Kamala Harris.”

The senator also shared a link to the Democratic PAC ActBlue, calling for more people to donate to the Harris campaign.

Former Vice President Mike Pence on Monday lauded President Joe Biden’s announcement not to seek reelection and said that both parties should tamp down the political rhetoric.

“President Joe Biden made the right decision for our country and I thank him for putting the interests of our Nation ahead of his own,” Mr. Pence wrote in a post on X.

“After the assassination attempt on President Trump and President Biden’s decision to end his campaign, now is a time for leaders in both parties to project calm and send a message of strength and resolve to America’s friends and enemies alike that, whatever the state of our politics, the American people are strong and our American military stands ready to defend our freedom and our vital national interests anywhere in the world,” he added.

Vice President Kamala Harris took a moment to praise the work of President Joe Biden on July 22 during her remarks at an event celebrating the 2023–24 National Collegiate Athletic Association championship teams.

“Joe Biden’s legacy of accomplishment over the past three years is unmatched in modern history,” she said.

President Joe Biden is still recovering from COVID-19, and Ms. Harris said, “he’s feeling much better and recovering fast, and looks forward to getting back on the road.”

The White House confirmed Vice President Kamala Harris will appear at a campaign event later today.

Her daily schedule was updated at 11:38 a.m. today, stating, “At 3:10 p.m. ET, the Vice President will travel to Wilmington, Delaware, for a campaign engagement.”

This will be her first campaign event since President Joe Biden announced he would not seek re-election and endorsed Ms. Harris as the Democratic Party’s new presidential nominee.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during an event honoring National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championship teams from the 2023-2024 season, on the South Lawn of the White House on July 22, 2024. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during an event honoring National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championship teams from the 2023-2024 season, on the South Lawn of the White House on July 22, 2024. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday will deliver her first public speech since President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the race. Less than 24 hours after the announcement, Democrats are coalescing around Ms. Harris, positioning her to clinch the nomination.

Ms. Harris will deliver remarks at a White House event celebrating the National Collegiate Association championship teams from the 2023-2024 season.

Democratic House Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) and House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) announced their own endorsements of Vice President Kamala Harris for their party’s nominee for president.

Ms. Clark took to X with a simple endorsement, sharing a picture of her hugging the vice president with the caption “Team Harris.”

Meanwhile, Mr. Aguilar shared a longer official statement, saying, “I know Kamala to be a fierce advocate for working families and a tough-minded prosecutor who knows right from wrong.”

Vice President Kamala Harris was endorsed by four midwestern governors as the Democratic Party presidential nominee, including Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

“Vice President Harris has proven, at every point in her career, that she possesses the skills, strength, and character to lead this country and the vision to better the lives of all Americans,” he said in a statement on July 22. “From protecting women’s rights to defending American workers and strengthening the middle class, Vice President Harris is a champion of the American values we hold dear.”

The governor also said that he “will work hard to get her elected,” and he believes Ms. Harris is most qualified to be president.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, whose name has been regularly mentioned as a possible replacement for President Joe Biden in the 2024 race, posted a statement on X, endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris.

“Today, I am fired up to endorse Kamala Harris for President of the United States,” Ms. Whitmer wrote.

“She’s a former prosecutor, a champion for reproductive freedom, and I know that she’s got Michigan’s back,” she added. “Vice President Harris has my full support.”

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore announced his endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris for president in an official statement on the morning of July 22.

“The American people deserve a champion who will continue the progress of the Biden–Harris Administration, and that’s why I am proud to voice my full support and offer my full endorsement to Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic Nominee for president,” he said.

Mr. Moore went on to say that his decision “goes far beyond politics,” calling back to his interaction with the vice president after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed in March.

With President Joe Biden now out of the presidential race, one of his former rivals for the Democratic nomination is calling for a competitive process to select the party’s nominee.

While other Democrats—including the president—have begun to coalesce around Vice President Kamala Harris as the best candidate for the job, Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.), who suspended his own campaign in March, wrote in a July 21 X post that he believes a “brief, transparent, competitive” selection process would “serve democracy, generate energy, and provide legitimacy” to the party’s eventual nominee.

In another post, he suggested conducting a straw poll among Democrat delegates and then inviting Ms. Harris and the other top three candidates to participate in a series of televised town halls before the nominee is selected.

The day after President Joe Biden exited the presidential race, Sen. Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.) confirmed that he would not be the new Democratic Party nominee.

“I am not going to be a candidate for president,” Mr. Manchin told CBS Mornings on July 22.

The senator also said he believes Vice President Kamala Harris, who immediately earned President Biden’s endorsement, is too far left and he would like to see a directional change.

Biden Drops Out of Presidential Race: What’s Next?
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris take the stage at a campaign rally at Girard College in Philadelphia, Pa., on May 29, 2024. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

President Joe Biden pulled out of the 2024 presidential race on July 21 and immediately endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the new party nominee.

Even with his endorsement of Ms. Harris, the future of the party ticket is uncertain, and Democrats must now navigate an unprecedented shift late in the election year. Ms. Harris has announced her intention to “earn and win this nomination.”

The Democratic National Convention is scheduled for Aug. 19–22 in Chicago, Illinois. Originally, the event would have been a coronation for President Biden as the Democratic nominee, but now the convention will see an open contest of nearly 4,700 delegates looking for a new challenger to pit against former President Donald Trump in November.

Ivan Pentchoukov
Emel Akan
After Biden Exits 2024 Race, Harris Scores Commanding Endorsements
Vice President Kamala Harris waves during a campaign event at Westover High School in Fayetteville, N.C., on July 18, 2024. (Allison Joyce/AFP via Getty Images)

Vice President Kamala Harris secured a commanding list of endorsements for her presidential nomination bid in the hours that followed the announcement from President Joe Biden that he is stepping out of the 2024 race.

The list of endorsements included the chairs of all 50 state party chairs, convention delegates from at least four states, and some of the biggest names in the party, including the Clintons, the governors of California, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, and Democrat mega-donor Alex Soros.

The growing coalition behind Ms. Harris, which started with the endorsement from the president, has all but assured her as the party’s nominee to face GOP nominee former President Donald Trump in November.

White House Confirms Biden Will Serve Remainder of His Term
President Joe Biden arrives to speak during a campaign event in Detroit, on July 12, 2024. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
President Joe Biden will finish the remainder of his term, the White House said on Sunday, after the president abruptly announced he was ending his re-election campaign.

“He looks forward to finishing his term and delivering more historic results for the American people,” White House spokesman Andrew Bates told news outlets in a statement.

Mr. Bates said that the president has already delivered strong economic growth and grown the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. He said that the president’s agenda in the final months of the term includes lowering costs, creating jobs, and protecting Social Security.

Original News Source Link – Epoch Times

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