US Vice President Kamala Harris has picked up the key endorsement of former Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, while potential rivals have also fallen in line to back her path to the Democratic Party’s Presidential nomination.
Harris has picked up dozens of endorsements from members of Congress and key Governors across the country after President Joe Biden announced he would no longer seek re-election while endorsing his VP of the last three and half years for the top job.
In her first public remarks since Sunday’s announcement, Harris praised Biden’s legacy of accomplishments as unmatched in modern history.
Some 24 hours after Biden made his historic announcement to quit the re-election race while endorsing his VP, Harris has since racked up a number of key endorsements including from party stalwarts Bill and Hillary Clinton and Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi who said in a statement that it was with immense pride and limitless optimism for the country’s future that she endorsed Harris for President of the United States.
Speaking at an event at the White House where she stood in for President Biden who is still recovering at his private residence in Delaware after a COVID-19 diagnosis, Harris said: “Joe Biden’s legacy of accomplishment over the past three years is unmatched in modern history. In one term, he has already, yes you may clap. In one term, he has already surpassed the legacy of most presidents who have served two terms in office.”
No challengers have emerged since Biden’s exit became known with California Governor Gavin Newsom, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker all endorsing Harris, placing her on a glide path to the nomination barring any seismic developments in the weeks ahead of the Democratic National Convention which begins August 19th.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries when asked if he would endorse Harris responded: “Leader Schumer and I are scheduled to meet with Vice President Harris shortly. The House came back into session today. the Senate does not come back into session tomorrow. I’m excited for that meeting. And let me say this, that Vice President Kamala Harris has excited the community. She’s excited about the House Democratic Caucus and she’s exciting the country. And so I’m looking forward to sitting down with her in person in short order with Leader Schumer and we’ll have more to say about the path forward as soon as that meeting concludes.”
With mere weeks for Democrats to get their ducks in a row ahead of the formal decision on their nominee next month, Senior Democratic US Senator Dick Durbin said: “We ought to remember that number. We have 106 days left before the election in November, and we are just at the moment of deciding on the Democratic side who our nominee for president will be. The announcement yesterday by, President Biden came as a surprise to many, this has been building for some period of time. I want to salute him. (cut) He said that he would turn to his Vice President Kamala Harris to be the nominee of the party. She called me last night, in Springfield, and we talked for a few minutes, and she asked me for my endorsement, and I gave it to her.”
Residents in Harlem, New York, also weighed in on Biden’s exit and Harris’ likely emergence at the top of a new Democratic ticket:
“I think he was probably feeling the pressure, but he also, it’s the party is greater than him. It’s about the party and it’s about making sure that people get out and vote. So he made the right decision.”
“He did good. Passed the torch. Letting young people do their thing now.”
“Only he knows what’s best for him. If he feels he made the right decision, he displayed it quite nicely the way he did it. He served his term and that’s it. But who’s going to come after him? That’s a whole different thing.”
“Trump has a lot of things [that] is going bad for him. God bless him. I’m glad he didn’t die, but it looks like someone else could do it. And I don’t think Biden’s capable of doing it no more. You know, as far as his health-wise and everything that’s going on with him. So that is the reason why I say that I think the woman will win.”
Democrats have netted over 100 million dollars in online donations in the 24 hours since Biden’s exit from the race.
Meanwhile, the President’s physician also indicated on Monday that his symptoms after a COVID-19 diagnosis last week had almost resolved completely and that his lungs remained clear while he continued to perform his presidential duties. Biden is expected to speak to the nation in more detail about his decision to exit the race later this week.
Source: eNCA
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