US Vice President Kamala Harris has secured the crucial endorsement of influential Democrat Nancy Pelosi in her bid to lead the party against Donald Trump in the upcoming November election. This endorsement comes after President Joe Biden‘s surprising decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race.
Following Biden’s announcement, the 59-year-old Harris made her first public appearance at a White House ceremony, where she praised the outgoing president’s “unmatched” achievements without any hint of triumphalism.However, with Pelosi’s support, Harris is now considered a strong contender for the Democratic nomination.
In her endorsement on X, the 84-year-old former US House speaker Pelosi said, “With immense pride and limitless optimism for our country’s future, I endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for President of the United States.”
Despite some calls for an open primary, numerous Democratic leaders have rallied behind Harris, setting the stage for a swift nomination process. Biden, 81, endorsed Harris – the first female, Black, and South Asian vice president in US history – as he withdrew from the race on Sunday, following a disastrous performance in a debate with Trump.
While former president Bill Clinton and several lawmakers have also endorsed Harris, notably, ex-president Barack Obama has not yet publicly declared his support.
In the 24 hours following Biden’s decision to step aside, Harris’s campaign received a record-breaking $81 million from donors. The campaign asserted that this was the largest single-day haul in presidential history, with 60 per cent of the 888,000 grassroots donors making their first contribution to the 2024 race.