Democratic lawmakers and officials on Sunday rallied support for Vice President Harris to replace President Biden as the party’s top presidential candidate, giving her a boost just hours after Biden announced he would not run for the presidency for another four years.
Harris was quickly endorsed by 16 Senate Democrats, including Biden, former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Rep. Jim Clyburn of Colorado and several members of the Senate leadership.
Among the lawmakers backing Harris are Representative Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), who is considered close to former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), and Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), who is facing tough election campaigns in key battleground states this fall. Her endorsement marks the first vote of confidence for Harris from a lawmaker who could lose his or her job this fall.
But Sunday’s endorsement did not include Pelosi herself, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) or Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.). Former President Barack Obama also did not endorse Biden in a statement praising him.
Their silence does not necessarily reflect a lack of trust or support for Harris.
Some Democrats saw Sunday as a day about Biden and didn’t want to make any statements that would draw attention away from him.
“The reason people are holding back is because Joe Biden deserves a certain amount of respect for who he is and what he’s done on this day, and frankly for the rest of his life,” former Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri) told MSNBC.
Some Democrats have suggested they would like to see some sort of process or competition to choose Biden’s successor in order to bolster the eventual nominee.
“She’s made it clear she wants to get that position, and nobody wants to see her unite in a bad way, but at the same time nobody wants to see her divide,” a Democratic activist told The Hill.
“Having members come out helps her achieve her goals, but it has to be authentic,” the operative added, referring to Harris.
As of Sunday afternoon, there had been no public challenge to Harris, and the vice president’s campaign was showing signs of picking up steam, with Harris holding calls with senators to rally support.
The initial set of endorsements gives Harris an early advantage over potential challengers, four weeks before the Democratic National Convention formally decides who will challenge former President Donald Trump as the Republican nominee.
Harris supporters were quick to point out Sunday that the Biden-Harris campaign has a fundraising advantage because it has $96 million in reserves that it can only follow if Harris becomes the nominee.
The Democratic Party is officiallyresubmitVice President-elect Harris will campaign on Sunday afternoon and is expected to announce record-breaking fundraising totals for the vice president in the coming days.
“A lot of people support her. She has the resources to be a bedrock of the Biden-Harris platform,” Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), a Harris ally, told MSNBC on Sunday, adding that he’s received hundreds of messages on his phone from volunteers and constituents asking, “Where do I donate? Where do I go door-to-door? How do I get to Michigan and Pennsylvania and make my case in person to voters?”
“People are crazy about Kamala,” he added.
Notably, while talk of the party holding a fully public convention in Chicago less than a month or endorsing other candidates has been kept minimal from the start, Democrats are still keeping their eye on other potential options.
Some in the party are watching to see what other candidates who are widely listed as 2028 presidential candidates, including Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, will do.
Another prominent Democratic governor, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, also endorsed Harris on Sunday, saying the best thing for the party to do was to unify around her quickly. Shapiro has also been mentioned as a possible vice presidential candidate.
Given Harris’ financial resources and early lead in party leadership, it’s set to be an uphill battle for any Democrat other than Harris.
“You really need a good reason to do that,” the Democratic activist said, listing off the hurdles that must be overcome: “The first female president. A Black woman. The current vice president. [Biden] I already support her.”
“It will be difficult to build an argument against her,” they added.
Others in the party also believe the conversation could shift entirely from who will be the top candidate to what other pressing issues are.
“Certainly, there’s a process that she has to go through and she has to earn it, but in many ways she’s earned it by Joe Biden selecting her as his vice president,” McAskill said.
“The discussion will soon turn to who the vice presidential candidate will be,” she added.
Michael Schnell contributed.
