Vice President Kamala Harris has emerged as the leading candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination and has also garnered endorsements from four prominent Democratic governors.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-Ill.), Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-Mich.), Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minnesota) and Gov. Tony Evers (D-Wis.) announced their support for Harris on Monday morning, the day after President Joe Biden withdrew from the running despite being seen as the Democratic presidential nominee.
The endorsements come as Democrats, particularly governors in the Midwest and Rust Belt, begin to compete for Harris’ running mate. On Sunday, Harris secured the endorsements of Governors Andy Beshear (D-Ky.), Roy Cooper (D-N.C.), Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) and Josh Shapiro (D-Pennsylvania), who commentators and pundits have cited as possible running mates for Harris if she wins the nomination.
“I am proud to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for president of the United States,” Pritzker said in a statement shared on X, taking a quick attack on Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans just days after Trump was nearly assassinated in Butler, Pennsylvania.
I am proud to endorse the Vice President. Kamala Harris To the President of the United States. pic.twitter.com/ErkL60sbJa
— JB Pritzker (@JBPritzker) July 22, 2024
“He is a man whose character and temperament are completely unfit for the office of the presidency,” Pritzker said of the former president. “We must defeat him and his MAGA allies at every level this November.”
Pritzker also said he has spoken with Harris since Biden’s announcement on Sunday.
In a statement, Governor Whitmer said she had her “full support” of Harris and was “eager to endorse her.”
Let’s win Kamala Harris. pic.twitter.com/HNFFskANM5
— Gretchen Whitmer (@gretchenwhitmer) July 22, 2024
She also attacked Donald Trump as a “convicted criminal who incites violence” and declared that Democrats “will never let him near the White House.”
Walz merely tweeted that he had spoken with Harris since Biden dropped out of the running and that she had earned his endorsement.
Thank you for calling. Kamala HarrisI have your full support.
Let’s win this. pic.twitter.com/3HIMDZTcCm
— Tim Walz (@Tim_Walz) July 22, 2024
“Thank you for calling,” he tweeted to Harris. “I have your full support. Let’s win this fight.”
In a statement, Evers called Harris a “tenacious leader.”
Wisconsin, we have work to do.
You have 106 days to help select the Vice President. Kamala Harris Democrats won both up and down the aisle. https://t.co/RdoqENXu8l pic.twitter.com/3a1wfSli1z
— Tony Evers (@Tony4WI) July 22, 2024
“Today, I am pleased to endorse Vice President Harris for president of the United States,” he wrote, adding that he will “do everything in my power to help” Harris defeat Trump.
While Harris is beginning to garner support from Biden and Clinton, it is notable that she does not currently have the endorsement of former President Barack Obama, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), or House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.).
