US Vice President Kamala Harris said she intends to “earn and win” the Democratic nomination for president after President Joe Biden's decision to drop out of the race.
“With this selfless and patriotic act, President Biden is doing what he has done throughout his lifetime of service: putting the American people and our country above all else,” Harris wrote in a statement shortly after Biden’s withdrawal.
“My goal is to win this nomination and win it,” she added.
Biden endorsed Harris as his party’s presidential nominee minutes after he announced he was dropping out of the race. “I want to offer my full support and endorsement to Kamala to be our party’s nominee this year,” the president wrote. “Democrats — it’s time to come together and defeat Trump. Let’s do this.”
In her statement, Harris praised Biden for his leadership, noting that she got to know him through the president’s son, Beau Biden, who died of brain cancer in 2015. “The qualities that Beau respected in his father are the same qualities, and the same values, that I have seen every day in Joe’s leadership as president: his honesty and integrity. His big heart and commitment to his faith and family. And his love for country and the American people,” she wrote.
In the hours after Biden's announcement, prominent Democrats came forward to support Harris, including Bill and Hillary Clinton And so are the senators. Patty Murray, Tim Kane And Elizabeth Warren.
“We are honored to join the President in endorsing Vice President Harris and will do everything we can to support her,” the Clintons wrote in a joint statement.
“We must defeat Donald Trump — and I know Kamala Harris can win. I support Vice President Harris 100 percent — she is exactly the woman we need to prosecute the case against Donald Trump, save American democracy, lead the fight to restore abortion rights, and build an economy that puts working people — not billionaires — first,” wrote Murray, who is serving as president pro tempore of the Senate.
“I look forward to working with my friend @KamalaHarris and a great running mate on the ticket to keep Virginia blue so we can continue to build on our progress,” wrote Kaine, who was Hillary Clinton’s running mate in 2016.
“We have many talented people in our party, but Vice President Harris is the person voters chose to succeed Joe Biden if necessary,” Warren said in a statement. “She can unite our party, stand up to Donald Trump, and win in November.”
The Democratic National Committee said it intends to “conduct a transparent and orderly process” to select a candidate.
“In the coming days, the party will embark on a transparent and orderly process to move forward as a unified Democratic Party with a candidate who can defeat Donald Trump in November,” the party said in a statement. “This process will be governed by the party’s established rules and procedures. Our delegates are prepared to take seriously their responsibility to quickly present a candidate to the American people.”
It is worth noting that former President Barack Obama did not support Harris’ nomination, but rather supported the “process” of selecting the nominee. Obama said in a statement: “We will face unprecedented challenges in the days ahead. But I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process through which an outstanding candidate can emerge.”
On average, Harris trails Trump by just two points nationally in recent polls. That means she has a one-point lead over Biden, who trails Trump by three points nationally. According to a recent AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll, six in 10 Democrats said they think Harris would do a good job as the Democratic nominee.
