Harris wins Democratic presidential nomination

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris effectively clinched the Democratic presidential nomination on Friday, establishing herself as the party’s standard-bearer in her remarkable run-up to the November showdown with Republican Donald Trump.

Harris was the only candidate to win the five-day electronic ballot among nearly 4,000 convention delegates. She will be formally elected at the convention in Chicago later this month.

“I’m honored to be the Democratic nominee for president of the United States,” Harris, 59, said in a phone interview at a party celebration after she received enough votes on the second day of marathon voting.

In the two weeks since President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign, Harris has completely taken control of the Republican Party.

No other Democrats have stepped up to challenge her for the top job, making her nomination as the first Black and South Asian woman to be nominated by a major party a formality.

Harris’ announcement comes as she prepares to travel to seven key battleground states next week with her new running mate, who is expected to be announced within days.

Since Ohio set an August 7 deadline for major parties to submit their slate of certified candidates for the November election, the Democratic Party decided to use a virtual nomination process, similar to the 2020 election affected by the pandemic.

The virtual roll call marks the official start of the 2024 convention, but the celebrations really begin on August 19, when thousands of party loyalists descend on Chicago.

It will be a ceremonial vote for Harris and her running mate in what is expected to be a lively celebration of her rise from state politics to candidacy.

On July 21, 81-year-old Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris as the Democratic nominee, throwing Trump’s presidential campaign into disarray.

The vice president has broken fundraising records, packed stadiums and erased Trump’s polling lead over Biden, building momentum she hopes will carry her convention into the White House.

She will make her first public appearance with her running mate on Tuesday in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a key swing state where Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro is one of a handful of candidates who could join Harris.

The swing state run will take Harris through all-blue wall states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, where she will seek to rebuild the coalition that helped Biden win in 2020.

But she will expand her tour to more racially diverse Sun Belt and Southern states, including Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona, North Carolina and Nevada, in an effort to win over the Democratic Party’s eroding black and Hispanic votes.