Less than 48 hours after President Joe Biden exited the 2024 presidential race, it appears that Democrats have moved at light speed to lock in Vice President Kamala Harris as their official nominee to challenge Donald Trump.
According to a report from the Associated Press (AP), Harris has earned enough delegates to shore up support, with several delegations meeting late on Monday to “confirm their support for Harris, including Texas and her home state of California.”
“By Monday night, Harris had the support of at least 2,471 delegates, according to the AP tally of delegates, more than the 1,976 delegates she’ll need to win on a first ballot. No other candidate was named by a delegate contacted by the AP,” noted the outlet.
Harris told campaign staff in Delaware on Monday that she has confidence her new team will perform well, adding that it is her “intention to go out and earn this nomination and to win,” promising to “unite our Democratic Party, to unite our nation, and to win this election.”
Tonight, I am proud to have earned the support needed to become our party’s nominee.
Over the next few months, I'll be traveling across the country talking to Americans about everything on the line. I fully intend to unite our party and our nation, and defeat Donald Trump. pic.twitter.com/Bsq3N6pMAi
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) July 23, 2024
However, the AP report did not of calling Harris the presumptive nominee.
One of the biggest factors has to due with logistics ahead of the upcoming Democratic National Convention.
According to a report from Politico, Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison said that the party “will undertake a transparent and orderly process to move forward” that will “be governed by established rules and procedures of the party.” It’s unclear if the DNC will proceed with its planned virtual roll call ahead of the convention, which starts Aug. 19, or if it will do it on the convention floor.
There are other wrinkles surfacing, too.
For instance, while Harris may technically have enough delegates to potentially secure a nomination, there are many big names within her party that have yet to officially endorse her.
Yesterday, Nancy Pelosi did officially endorse Harris. But other big names, including former President Barack Obama has yet to officially back Harris.
And then there’s the fact that many insiders don’t believe Harris is the best Democratic candidate to beat Trump in the upcoming election.
A report from Fox News found that The New York Times’ columnists and writers do not believe Harris is the most “electable” or “exciting” option for the Democratic Party’s presidential ticket.
In an internal survey amongst Times staff, Harris finished dead last among the 10 Democrats when it came to “who would beat Trump.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was seen as the most “exciting,” as were Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.
Times columnist Ross Douthat called Harris a “mediocre politician from a deep-blue state with low national approval ratings.”
“She may find a way to win, but she would be nobody’s top choice were she not the top choice of the president. Relief at Biden’s exit will generate a lot of professed enthusiasm, but it will be fake,” Douthat wrote.
However, according to Times columnist Jamelle Bouie, who is one of the Times staffers most excited about Harris’ potential, believes the sitting vice president is the only “serious” option.
“The party, it appears, is already falling in line. She is a stronger, more confident campaigner than you remember, and if Democrats are united behind her coming out of the convention — and the enthusiasm for her is already palpable — then she will be formidable going into the fall,” Bouie wrote.
Harris is moving closer to the official Democratic nomination. But nobody seems thrilled about it.