CBS News’ Margaret Brennan said sources had warned her that it would be “political suicide” for another Democrat to challenge Vice President Harris for the party’s nomination.
President Biden announced he was dropping out of the race on Sunday and quickly endorsed Harris as his successor. Brennan responded to his CBS News colleague Robert Costa, who said he’d heard from sources that Democrats don’t plan on challenging Harris at next month’s Democratic National Convention.
Brennan said his own reporting suggests the same.
“My sources agree with you that there is no head-to-head candidate, but then the question is, who is going to stand next to her for the vice presidential nomination at the Democratic Convention on August 19th? That’s the focus,” she told CBS.
“She played a pivotal role, clearly stating her support minutes after Joe Biden announced he wasn’t seeking reelection, and yet anyone who wanted to challenge her was told it would be political suicide to try to go head-to-head,” she continued.
Hours after Biden announced he was dropping out of the race, Democrats began rallying behind Harris as the party’s nominee. ActBlue, the Democratic Party’s main online fundraising platform, said small donors had raised nearly $47 million for Harris since she began her campaign.
Democrats are scheduled to begin their convention on Aug. 19, when Harris will need to win the support of the roughly 3,900 delegates who backed Biden in the primary. Some Democrats have suggested holding an open convention to choose a candidate, but many have already voiced their support for Harris.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison said the party would move forward with selecting a candidate this week.
“Over the next few days, the party will conduct a transparent and orderly process and move forward as a united Democratic Party with a candidate who can defeat Donald Trump in November,” he said. “This process will be governed by our party rules and procedures, and our representatives are prepared to take seriously their responsibility to swiftly deliver a candidate to the American people.”
