US Vice President Kamala Harris has secured the Democratic party’s presidential nomination, marking her significant rise to challenge Republican Donald Trump in November.
Harris, 59, became the first Black and South Asian woman to achieve this milestone after a five-day electronic vote by nearly 4,000 party convention delegates. She will be officially crowned at a convention in Chicago later this month.
“I am honored to be the presumptive Democratic nominee for president of the United States,” Harris announced during a phone-in to a party celebration after securing enough votes by the second day of the virtual vote.
Following President Joe Biden’s decision to end his reelection bid, Harris swiftly took control of the party, breaking fundraising records, filling arenas, and reducing Trump’s lead in the polls. “I couldn’t be prouder,” Biden posted on X (formerly Twitter) after her nomination.
Next week, Harris will begin her campaign trail, visiting seven crucial election states with her yet-to-be-named running mate. The Democratic Party opted for a virtual nomination process, similar to the 2020 election, due to early deadlines for candidate certification.
The virtual roll call signifies the official start of the 2024 convention, with traditional festivities set to begin when party members gather in Chicago on August 19. The convention will feature a ceremonial vote for Harris, celebrating her journey from California prosecutor to a historic presidential candidate.
Trump’s campaign was disrupted on July 21 when Biden, facing concerns about his age and lagging poll numbers, withdrew his candidacy and supported Harris. The energetic vice president, 20 years younger than Trump, quickly gained momentum, raising $310 million in July, more than double Trump’s amount.
Harris and her running mate plan to rally in Pennsylvania, a key swing state, with Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro on the shortlist to join her ticket. Biden narrowly won Pennsylvania in 2020, and it remains a crucial battleground in the Electoral College system.
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Harris will also visit Michigan and Wisconsin, states that contributed to Biden’s 2020 victory, as well as the more racially diverse Sun Belt and southern states of Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona, and Nevada, aiming to secure the Black and Hispanic vote.
US media reports that senior advisors from Barack Obama’s historic 2008 and 2012 campaigns have joined Harris’s team, indicating the campaign’s ambition. Harris’s messaging has focused on the future, positioning the race as a battle for “freedom” rather than “democracy.”
Her campaign has also been more aggressive than Biden’s, mocking Trump for reneging on a commitment to a September debate and portraying him as an elderly crook. “Some days I feel sorry for Republicans, because they’ve got to figure out how to run a criminal against a prosecutor,” Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock said at Harris’s Atlanta event.
Despite her assertive campaign, Harris has remained tight-lipped on details. She has distanced herself from some leftist positions she held during her 2020 primary campaign and has not given a wide-ranging interview since entering the race, leaving voters without a clear picture of her vision.
Meanwhile, Trump and the Republicans have struggled to adapt their strategy against Harris, initially criticizing her as liberal on immigration and crime before falsely accusing her of pretending to be Black for political gain.