US Vice-President Kamala Harris has officially secured the Democratic presidential nomination through a vote by party delegates.
During a phone call, Ms. Harris expressed her gratitude, saying she was “honoured to be the presumptive nominee” as the virtual roll call continued ahead of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago later this month.
Ms. Harris has made history as the first black woman and first South Asian woman to be the presidential candidate for a major US political party. If she wins against Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, in November, she will become America’s first female president.
After President Joe Biden stepped aside last month and promptly endorsed her, Ms. Harris ran unopposed in the virtual roll call. Several other potential candidates followed Biden’s lead in endorsing her.
On Friday afternoon, Ms. Harris officially became the nominee after securing support from 2,350 delegates, meeting the required threshold.
“We believe in the promise of America and that’s what this campaign is about,” she remarked briefly by phone upon reaching the benchmark. “We are in this, we are on the road and it’s not going to be easy, but we’re going to get this done.”
Democrats have stated that 3,923 delegates, or 99% of the participants, intend to vote for her.
The roll call began on Thursday and will conclude on Monday.
While presidential and vice-presidential nominees are usually confirmed at their party conventions, the 2024 DNC’s relatively late date poses risks regarding state ballot access laws.
Ms. Harris, 59, born in Oakland, California, is the first Democratic nominee in the party’s nearly 200-year history from a western state. Her political career advanced from San Francisco district attorney to California attorney general, and then US senator.
Before his withdrawal, Mr. Biden had easily secured the Democratic primary, facing minimal opposition despite voter concerns about his age and gaining support from 99% of pledged DNC delegates. However, after a poor debate performance against Trump in June, he faced increasing pressure within the party to step down.
The decision to conduct a virtual nominating process before the 19-22 August convention was made while Biden was still the presumptive candidate. This move was influenced by Ohio’s ballot access rules, requiring candidates for the November election to be officially selected 90 days prior, by 7 August.
Although Republican leaders in Ohio had indicated they would enforce this law, lawmakers eventually created an exemption, as they have done previously. Democrats decided on an early roll call to avoid any risks of their candidates being excluded from the ballot.
Delegates do not need to vote on the vice-presidential pick. Ms. Harris is expected to announce her running mate by Monday.
Some Republicans and the Trump campaign have criticized replacing Mr. Biden with Ms. Harris, claiming she is the first major party candidate to secure the nomination without holding a press conference or sit-down interview, with some labeling the substitution a “coup.”
However, since Biden’s endorsement, Ms. Harris has actively campaigned, arguing against Trump in numerous rallies and fundraisers across key states.
On Friday, her campaign announced raising over $310 million in July, with more than two-thirds of donations coming from first-time contributors. This amount is more than double the $138 million raised by the Trump campaign last month, marking the largest fundraising haul of the 2024 election cycle so far.