The Biden-Harris campaign took little time to formally remove Biden from the race that bears its name on Sunday, filing paperwork to remove him as an endorsement candidate just hours after the 81-year-old Biden made public his politically shocking decision to withdraw from the 2024 race.
In filings with the Federal Election Commission, the campaign requested that its name be changed to “Harris for President” and named the Harris Victory Fund and Harris Action Fund as joint fundraising committees.
“Vice President Harris is currently a candidate for the 2024 Presidential election of the United States and will now campaign solely in pursuit of that office. This committee’s Statement of Organization and Statement of Candidacy will be amended accordingly.” Her team wrote in the notice.
An update on President Biden’s decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race:
The request for the name change came shortly after Biden endorsed Harris as the Democratic Party’s standard-bearer.
“I’m going to win this nomination and I’m going to win it,” Harris said.
The campaign ended in June. Cash holdings of $96 millionCombined with Allied Pledges and the Democratic National Committee, that figure jumps to more than $240 million, according to FEC filings.
Republicans had threatened legal action to block Harris from leveraging her vast financial resources or complicate efforts to change the name on the ballot.
“Each state has its own system, and in some of those states, you can’t just change the candidate,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.”
Biden was due to be nominated as the party’s presidential candidate in a virtual vote over the coming weeks ahead of the Democratic National Convention, which runs from Aug. 19-22 in Chicago.
It’s unclear whether any prominent Democrats will challenge Harris’ nomination.
What you need to know about President Biden’s decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race:
She is already gaining support within the Democratic Party, with many leading politicians on the left fearing a convention fight could split the party apart before the Nov. 5 election.
Meanwhile, the White House has indicated that Biden plans to serve out the remainder of his term, which ends in January.
“The President looks forward to completing his term and delivering even more historic accomplishments for the American people,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates said in a statement. “The President will continue to fight to protect American liberties from radical anti-abortion sentiment and attacks on the rule of law.”
