Vice President Kamala Harris has officially garnered enough delegate votes to secure the Democratic Party’s nomination. Jaime Harrison, the Democratic National Committee Chair, announced the news on Friday, noting that the virtual roll call, which concludes on Monday, has confirmed Harris’s majority support, ABC News reports.
“I am proud to announce that Vice President Harris has earned the majority of votes from all convention delegates and will be the Democratic Party nominee after voting ends on Monday,” Harrison stated during a campaign update call on Friday.
Harrison commended the delegates for their swift action, stating, “You made your voices heard loud and clear: We are not going back. We must send Kamala Harris to the White House.”
Since Thursday at 9 a.m. ET, delegates have been casting their votes via email or phone in a virtual roll call organized by the DNC. Voting will continue until 6 p.m. ET on Monday. Harris, who joined the call, expressed her gratitude and confirmed she would officially accept the nomination after the voting period closes.
“I am honored to be the presumptive Democratic nominee for president of the United States,” said Harris, who was recognized as the presumptive nominee on Tuesday after emerging as the only qualified candidate in the party’s process. “As your future president, I know we are up to this fight, and when we fight, we win.”
Harris’s nomination is not just a milestone, it’s a historic leap. If she wins the general election in November against former President Donald Trump, she will be the first woman to serve as president. She is already the first woman, Black person, and person of South Asian descent to serve as vice president.
Harris’ rapid rise to the top of the ticket comes just 12 days after President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign on July 21. This swift shift is a remarkable show of unity for a party that was recently divided over Biden’s candidacy.
Biden’s endorsement of Harris shortly after announcing his decision to step aside helped consolidate support from Democratic donors and officials around the vice president.