US Vice President Kamala Harris did not waste any time in announcing her 2024 presidential bid. With President Joe Biden's support, she sought the endorsement of other Democrats following his withdrawal from the contest due to health and age-related concerns.
On Sunday, Harris's campaign staff and supporters placed hundreds of calls on her behalf, pleading with Democratic Party convention delegates to support her candidature for president in the Nov. 5 election against Republican front-runner Donald Trump.
According to a number of sources, the demands to disqualify potential Democratic rivals started almost immediately after 81-year-old Joe Biden withdrew from the contest.
Meanwhile, other participants reported that in a phone conversation, Democratic state party chairs supported Harris.
According to a person with knowledge of the situation, Harris talked with Representative Steven Horsford, the head of the Congressional Black Caucus, Hakeem Jeffries, the governor of Pennsylvania, and Josh Shapiro, who is considering running for vice president.
The 59-year-old Black and Asian-American Harris would create a whole new dynamic with the 78-year-old Trump, providing a striking generational and cultural split-screen.
In its 248-year existence, the US has yet to elect a female president.
Shortly after Joe Biden's announcement, Trump claimed on CNN that Harris would be simpler to defeat than Biden would have been.
The oldest president to hold the office, Joe Biden, declared he would serve as president until his tenure expires on January 20, 2025, and he endorsed Harris to seek the President in his stead.
According to the White House, Harris will speak Monday at 11:30 a.m. ET (1530 GMT) on the South Lawn during a celebration of the NCAA 2023–24 collegiate championship teams.
Biden is the first incumbent president to forfeit his party's candidature for reelection since President Lyndon B. Johnson in March 1968 due to growing concerns about his mental stability.
With Biden's departure, his successor will have fewer than four months to run a campaign. Prominent Democrats quickly endorsed the vice president, including possible opponents of Harris like California Governor Gavin Newsom.
In a statement, Harris stated, "My intention is to earn and win this nomination." "I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party — and unite our nation — to defeat Donald Trump."
Even with the initial outpouring of support for Harris, there was still discussion of holding an open convention when Democrats convene in Chicago on August 19–22.
Although they both complimented Biden, former president Barack Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi did not publicly declare their endorsements.
The vice president was not brought up in the remarks made by governors Andy Beshear of Kentucky and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, two other possible opponents.
Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison said the party would soon reveal the next stages in its nominating process, acknowledging that Democrats are entering new terrain.
One thing is for sure: Biden's exit has once more altered a presidential race that has been rocked by irregularities over the past month.
Many Democrats urged Biden to withdraw from the June 27 debate with Trump due to his dismal performance. Subsequently, on July 13, a shooter made an attempt to kill the former president Trump.
Additionally, Trump announced last week that 39-year-old, hardline Republican U.S. Senator J.D. Vance will be his running mate for vice president.
Former California attorney general and US senator Harris made an unsuccessful bid for the Democratic Party's 2020 presidential candidature.
After securing the nomination, Biden selected Harris to serve as his vice president and defeated Trump.
Voters who are younger and more progressive are drawn to Harris's vocal stance on abortion rights.
On matters like China, Iran, and Ukraine, she is anticipated to mainly follow Biden's foreign policy playbook. However, if she leads the Democratic ticket and wins the election in November, she could take a more assertive stance towards Israel on the Gaza conflict.
Her supporters contend that in addition to bringing great debate abilities to the political case against the former president, she would energise those people and unite Black support.
However, a few of Democrats expressed apprehension over Harris's candidature, partly due to the country's lengthy history of racial and gender inequality.
According to polls, Harris's performance against Trump is statistically no better than Biden's.
A head-to-head survey done by Reuters/Ipsos on July 15–16, just after Trump's attempted assassination on July 13–showed Harris and Trump deadlocked at 44% of the vote apiece.
In that same survey, Trump led Biden 43% to 41%; but, given the poll's 3-point margin of error, the 2 percentage point difference was not significant.
As of the end of June, Biden's campaign had $95 million on hand, per a Federal Election Commission filing. Experts in campaign finance law dispute on how simple it would be to transfer those funds to a campaign managed by Harris.
ActBlue said on X on Sunday that in the first five hours of Harris' presidential campaign, small-dollar contributors had donated over $46.7 million.
Despite declaring he will address the country this week, Biden has not been spotted in public since last week, when he tested positive for COVID-19. At his house in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, he was withdrawing.
"While it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term," Biden stated on X.
Conservatives in Congress contended on Sunday that Biden ought to step down as president right once, handing over the White House to Harris and placing Republican House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson as the next in line.
"If he's incapable of running for president, how is he capable of governing right now? I mean, there is five months left in this administration. It's a real concern, and it's a danger to the country," Johnson told CNN on Sunday before Biden's announcement.
Biden referred to himself as a bridge to the next generation throughout the 2020 campaign. According to others, that meant he would only be a one-term president—a figurehead who defeated Trump and returned his party to power.
However, believing he could defeat Trump once more, Biden made the decision to run for reelection. His debate performance aroused severe doubts about his capacity to win the election and serve as president for a further four years, which further complicated an already troubled campaign.
(Source:www.apnews.com)
On Sunday, Harris's campaign staff and supporters placed hundreds of calls on her behalf, pleading with Democratic Party convention delegates to support her candidature for president in the Nov. 5 election against Republican front-runner Donald Trump.
According to a number of sources, the demands to disqualify potential Democratic rivals started almost immediately after 81-year-old Joe Biden withdrew from the contest.
Meanwhile, other participants reported that in a phone conversation, Democratic state party chairs supported Harris.
According to a person with knowledge of the situation, Harris talked with Representative Steven Horsford, the head of the Congressional Black Caucus, Hakeem Jeffries, the governor of Pennsylvania, and Josh Shapiro, who is considering running for vice president.
The 59-year-old Black and Asian-American Harris would create a whole new dynamic with the 78-year-old Trump, providing a striking generational and cultural split-screen.
In its 248-year existence, the US has yet to elect a female president.
Shortly after Joe Biden's announcement, Trump claimed on CNN that Harris would be simpler to defeat than Biden would have been.
The oldest president to hold the office, Joe Biden, declared he would serve as president until his tenure expires on January 20, 2025, and he endorsed Harris to seek the President in his stead.
According to the White House, Harris will speak Monday at 11:30 a.m. ET (1530 GMT) on the South Lawn during a celebration of the NCAA 2023–24 collegiate championship teams.
Biden is the first incumbent president to forfeit his party's candidature for reelection since President Lyndon B. Johnson in March 1968 due to growing concerns about his mental stability.
With Biden's departure, his successor will have fewer than four months to run a campaign. Prominent Democrats quickly endorsed the vice president, including possible opponents of Harris like California Governor Gavin Newsom.
In a statement, Harris stated, "My intention is to earn and win this nomination." "I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party — and unite our nation — to defeat Donald Trump."
Even with the initial outpouring of support for Harris, there was still discussion of holding an open convention when Democrats convene in Chicago on August 19–22.
Although they both complimented Biden, former president Barack Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi did not publicly declare their endorsements.
The vice president was not brought up in the remarks made by governors Andy Beshear of Kentucky and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, two other possible opponents.
Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison said the party would soon reveal the next stages in its nominating process, acknowledging that Democrats are entering new terrain.
One thing is for sure: Biden's exit has once more altered a presidential race that has been rocked by irregularities over the past month.
Many Democrats urged Biden to withdraw from the June 27 debate with Trump due to his dismal performance. Subsequently, on July 13, a shooter made an attempt to kill the former president Trump.
Additionally, Trump announced last week that 39-year-old, hardline Republican U.S. Senator J.D. Vance will be his running mate for vice president.
Former California attorney general and US senator Harris made an unsuccessful bid for the Democratic Party's 2020 presidential candidature.
After securing the nomination, Biden selected Harris to serve as his vice president and defeated Trump.
Voters who are younger and more progressive are drawn to Harris's vocal stance on abortion rights.
On matters like China, Iran, and Ukraine, she is anticipated to mainly follow Biden's foreign policy playbook. However, if she leads the Democratic ticket and wins the election in November, she could take a more assertive stance towards Israel on the Gaza conflict.
Her supporters contend that in addition to bringing great debate abilities to the political case against the former president, she would energise those people and unite Black support.
However, a few of Democrats expressed apprehension over Harris's candidature, partly due to the country's lengthy history of racial and gender inequality.
According to polls, Harris's performance against Trump is statistically no better than Biden's.
A head-to-head survey done by Reuters/Ipsos on July 15–16, just after Trump's attempted assassination on July 13–showed Harris and Trump deadlocked at 44% of the vote apiece.
In that same survey, Trump led Biden 43% to 41%; but, given the poll's 3-point margin of error, the 2 percentage point difference was not significant.
As of the end of June, Biden's campaign had $95 million on hand, per a Federal Election Commission filing. Experts in campaign finance law dispute on how simple it would be to transfer those funds to a campaign managed by Harris.
ActBlue said on X on Sunday that in the first five hours of Harris' presidential campaign, small-dollar contributors had donated over $46.7 million.
Despite declaring he will address the country this week, Biden has not been spotted in public since last week, when he tested positive for COVID-19. At his house in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, he was withdrawing.
"While it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term," Biden stated on X.
Conservatives in Congress contended on Sunday that Biden ought to step down as president right once, handing over the White House to Harris and placing Republican House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson as the next in line.
"If he's incapable of running for president, how is he capable of governing right now? I mean, there is five months left in this administration. It's a real concern, and it's a danger to the country," Johnson told CNN on Sunday before Biden's announcement.
Biden referred to himself as a bridge to the next generation throughout the 2020 campaign. According to others, that meant he would only be a one-term president—a figurehead who defeated Trump and returned his party to power.
However, believing he could defeat Trump once more, Biden made the decision to run for reelection. His debate performance aroused severe doubts about his capacity to win the election and serve as president for a further four years, which further complicated an already troubled campaign.
(Source:www.apnews.com)
