Now that US President Joe Biden has announced that he would not run for reelection in the November presidential polls and simultaneously endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee, questions arise if she has sealed her position against Republican rival Donald Trump. While former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have endorsed Harris' nomination, former President Barack Obama and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stopped short of endorsing her.
Harris will have to go through election within the party at the Democratic National Committee convention, scheduled to be held in Chicago on August 19, to be able to run for the president in the November 5 poll.
Has Harris sealed the Democratic nominee?
Democratic National Committee chair Jaime Harrison said that the party will undertake a “transparent and orderly process” to move forward with the nomination of the new presidential candidate.
This comes as the Democratic National Committee convention is less than a month away, in which nearly 4,000 delegates from across the US will gather to elect their candidate for the general elections.
Biden had overwhelmingly won the party's primary and has more than 3,800 delegates in his kitty. While Biden's endorsement has made the task of Harris to gain party nomination a bit easier, it is not sealed till the time the delegates vote in her support.
What did Harrison say on DNC?
In a statement, DNC chair Harrison assured the party support base of a transparent and fair process for nomination. “The work that we must do now, while unprecedented, is clear. In the coming days, the party will undertake a transparent and orderly process to move forward as a united Democratic Party with a candidate who can defeat Donald Trump in November,” he said.
He said that the process will be governed by established rules and procedures of the party.
“Our delegates are prepared to take seriously their responsibility in swiftly delivering a candidate to the American people,” he said.
"Democrats are prepared and united in our resolve to win in November. As we move forward to formally select our party's nominee, our values as Democrats remain the same -- lowering costs, restoring freedom, protecting the rights of all people, and saving our democracy from the threat of dictatorship. We have and will continue to make this case to the American people," he said.
Harrison said the American people owe President Biden an enormous debt of gratitude for the unparalleled progress he has delivered over the last four years.
"We will honour that legacy and the decision that he has made today through a firm commitment to nominating and electing a Democratic president this November who will carry that torch into the next four years," he added.
(With PTI inputs)
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