Shortly after US President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential election campaign, numerous Democrats rallied behind Vice President Kamala Harris as a replacement candidate. On Monday, the 59-year-old received the backing of other influential politicians in the party. She was “excited about the idea of supporting Kamala Harris’ candidacy,” said Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi also pledged her support for Harris.
Whitmer was one of the politicians who had been considered as a candidate for the presidential nomination if incumbent Joe Biden were to withdraw. “Let’s win,” she said in her statement, which was also signed by the governors of Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin. The governor of Kentucky, Andy Beshear, also spoke out in favor of Harris.
A little later, another heavyweight among the Democrats, Pelosi, threw her support behind Harris. “It is with great pride and boundless confidence in the future of our country that I support Vice President Kamala Harris’ candidacy for the Presidency of the United States,” the influential politician said.
On Sunday, 81-year-old Biden announced that he would not run again for health reasons and expressed his “full support” for his vice president to run against Republican Donald Trump in the November election. Harris herself said she wanted to “earn and win” the nomination.
However, in her first public appearance after Biden’s withdrawal, the 59-year-old did not address her sudden rise to possible presidential candidate. Instead, at the event in the White House, she praised Biden’s legacy as “unmatched in modern history.”
The former senator has so far only received low approval ratings in the polls. Harris had difficulty gaining a profile, especially at the beginning of her term as vice president, which began in 2021. During the election campaign, however, she had already scored points alongside Biden with appearances on key issues such as abortion rights.
Harris’ supporters already include many influential figures in the party, including former Secretary of State and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton.
About a third of the Democratic senators, the well-known party leftist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and several governors also spoke out in favor of Harris – including the heads of government of California and Pennsylvania, Gavin Newsom and Josh Shapiro, who themselves had been considered as Biden alternatives.
Financially, the broad support for the vice president has already made itself felt: her campaign team reported that Harris has already received 49.6 million dollars (around 45 million euros) in donations since announcing her candidacy.
The Democrats are now preparing for a fast-paced nomination process three and a half months before the US presidential election. Democratic Party Chairman Jaime Harrison announced a “transparent and orderly process” for the nomination.
However, how exactly this will work is still open: the candidate will be appointed by the delegates of the Democratic Party Convention, which will take place in Chicago from August 19 to 22. The basis for their vote is actually the results of the primaries in the US states – which Biden won by a landslide. The delegates are now faced with the question of who they should choose as an alternative.
It is possible that the vote on the candidate will now take place digitally before the party convention. This would allow the Democrats to avoid a month-long debate before the party convention and also avoid a possible legal problem in the important state of Ohio: There, a deadline of August 7 could apply for the nomination of presidential candidates, but the legal situation on this is not entirely clear.
Biden’s turnaround could give the presidential election on November 5 a completely new dynamic: Instead of the repeat of the 2020 duel between Trump and Biden, which is unpopular with US citizens, one of the most exciting presidential election campaigns in recent US history seems possible.
The Republican candidate, former US President Trump, must reorient his election campaign, which is focused on Biden and his age and physical frailty. In addition, the 78-year-old is now the oldest nominated presidential candidate in US history following Biden’s withdrawal.
