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Tuesday 23 July 2024
Harris claims most of the delegates she needs for the nomination,

sets new fundraising record

to leave the race and said
Continued from Front she intends to "earn and
win" her party's nomination.
The Democratic worries "I will do everything in my
over Biden's fitness for of- power to unite the Demo-
fice were replaced by fresh cratic Party — and unite
signs of unity, as the party our nation — to defeat
looked to Harris to lead Donald Trump and his ex-
them after a seismic shift treme Project 2025 agen-
to the presidential contest da," she said.
that upended both major Biden planned to discuss his
political parties' carefully decision to step aside later
honed plans for the 2024 this week in an address to
race. the nation. He wrote in a
Biden's departure frees letter posted Sunday to his
his delegates to vote for X account, "I believe it is in
whomever they choose. the best interest of my par-
Harris, whom Biden backed ty and the country for me
after ending his candida- to stand down and to focus
cy, is thus far the only de- solely on fulfilling my duties
clared candidate and was as President for the remain-
working to quickly secure der of my term."
endorsements from a ma- Nearly 30 minutes after he
jority of delegates. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, delivered the news that he
Key endorsements Mon- Monday, July 22, 2024, during an event with NCAA college athletes. was folding his campaign,
day, including Maryland Associated Press Biden threw his support be-
Gov. Wes Moore, Michigan Day. quickly won endorsements expressed worry that the hind Harris.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Il- On Sunday afternoon, Bi- from the leadership of sev- quick shift to Harris would "Today I want to offer my
linois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and den's campaign formally eral influential caucuses appear to be a coronation, full support and endorse-
Kentucky Gov. Andy Bes- changed its name to Harris and political organizations, instead pledging his sup- ment for Kamala to be the
hear, left a vanishing list of for President, reflecting that including the AAPI Victory port behind the eventual nominee of our party this
potential rivals to Harris. she is inheriting his political Fund, which focuses on party nominee. year," he said in another
Speaker Emerita Nancy operation of more than Asian American and Pa- West Virginia Sen. Joe Man- post on X. "Democrats — it's
Pelosi, who had been one 1,000 staffers and a war cific Islander voters, The chin, who left the party ear- time to come together and
of the notable holdouts to chest that stood at nearly Collective PAC, focused lier this year but considered beat Trump."
Harris, initially encourag- $96 million at the end of on building Black political re-registering as a Demo- The Democratic National
ing a primary to strength- June. She added $81 mil- power, and the Latino Vic- crat to vie for the nomina- Convention is scheduled to
en the eventual nominee, lion to that total in the first tory Fund, as well as the tion against the vice presi- be held Aug. 19-22 in Chi-
endorsed Harris Monday. 24 hours after Biden's en- chairs of the Congressional dent, told CBS News on cago, but the party had
Pelosi said she was lending dorsement, her campaign Progressive Caucus and Monday that he would not announced it would hold
her "enthusiastic support" said — a presidential fund- the Congressional Hispan- be a candidate. a virtual roll call to formally
to Harris' effort to lead the raising record — with con- ic Caucus and the entire In an indication of how she nominate Biden before in-
party. tributions from more than Congressional Black Cau- will have to balance her person proceedings be-
More than 1,200 pledged 888,000 donors. cus. Harris, if elected, would day job and her new role gin. The convention's rules
delegates have told AP or Harris spent much of Sun- be the first woman and first as candidate, Harris made committee is scheduled to
announced that they plan day surrounded by fam- person of South Asian de- her first public appearance meet this week to finalize its
to support Harris at the con- ily and staff, making more scent to be president. Monday morning at the nomination process and it
vention, which is over half than 100 calls to Demo- Notably, a handful of men White House, where she is unclear how it will be ad-
of the pledged delegates cratic officials to line up who had already been dis- opened her address to Na- justed to reflect Biden's exit.
she needs in order to clinch their support for her candi- cussed as potential running tional Collegiate Athletic Congressional Hispanic
the nomination. Demo- dacy, according to a per- mates for Harris — Pennsyl- Association championship Caucus chairwoman Nan-
cratic National Commit- son familiar with the matter vania Gov. Josh Shapiro, teams by praising Biden's ette Barragan, who em-
tee rules most recently set who spoke on the condi- North Carolina Gov. Roy "unmatched" legacy, say- phasized that she was
1,976 pledged delegates tion of anonymity to discuss Cooper and Arizona Sen. ing she was "deeply grate- "all in" behind the vice
as the benchmark to win the effort. It comes as she Mark Kelly — also swiftly is- ful for his service to our na- president, said she spoke
the nomination. tries to move her party past sued statements endorsing tion." Sunday with Harris, who
Winning the nomination is the painful, public wran- her. Aides to Shapiro and Harris was filling in at the communicated that she
only the first item on a stag- gling that had defined the Cooper confirmed that event for Biden, who is re- preferred to forgo a virtual
gering political to-do list for weeks since Biden's disas- Harris spoke with them Sun- covering at his home in Re- roll call for the nomination
her after Biden's decision trous June 27 debate with day afternoon. In her brief hoboth Beach, Delaware process and instead hold
to exit the race, which she Trump. call with Cooper, the North after contracting COVID-19 a process that adheres to
learned about on a Sun- Speaking to party leaders, Carolina governor told Har- last week. regular order.
day morning call with the Harris expressed gratitude ris he was backing her to She was later set to travel The Democratic National
president. If she's successful for Biden's endorsement be the Democratic nomi- to Wilmington, where the Committee's chair, Jaime
at locking up the nomina- but insisted she was look- nee, according to Cooper Biden campaign had been Harrison, said in a state-
tion, she must also pick a ing to earn the nomination spokeswoman Sadie Wein- headquartered, to meet ment that the party would
running mate and pivot a in her own right, the person er. with her new campaign "undertake a transparent
massive political operation said. But former President Barack staff. and orderly process" to se-
to boost her candidacy In a sign that the Demo- Obama held off on an im- Harris, in a statement, lect "a candidate who can
instead of Biden's with just cratic Party was moving to mediate endorsement, praised Biden's "selfless and defeat Donald Trump in
over 100 days until Election coalesce behind her, Harris as some in the party have patriotic act" in deciding November."q