Nearly every congressional Democrat has thrown their support behind Vice President Kamala Harris in the wake of President Joe Biden’s departure from the 2024 presidential race.
Biden tapped Harris to be his replacement roughly a month before the Democratic National Convention, where the party traditionally selects its presidential candidate.
According to a report from Axios, 45 of the 47 Democrats in the Senate and 192 of the 212 Democrats in the House of Representatives are publicly supporting Harris. Additionally, the vice president has the support of all 23 Democrat governors.
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib appears to be one of 11 representatives who issued a statement without addressing Harris’s potential future as the Democratic nominee. Tlaib is the only Palestinian-American member of Congress and is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
Another nine members of the House have not issued a comment.
Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey, who resigned last week after being convicted of a bribery scheme, has also not commented on Harris or Biden’s withdrawal.
Sen. Jon Tester, who is currently battling for reelection in Montana, thanked Biden for “his lifetime of public service and dedication to our great nation” in a statement on July 21. He has not endorsed Harris as the party’s next potential president.
“Most Democrats were quick to issue statements commending Mr. Biden for his years of service after he announced he was dropping his re-election bid,” reports The New York Times. “Many offered their support for Ms. Harris to be the party’s nominee, though several key leaders did not immediately back her.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries both endorsed Harris on Tuesday – almost 48 hours after Biden’s announcement.
“Today is a great, great day for the Democratic Party and the country,” said Schumer during a press conference. “We are brimming with excitement, enthusiasm, unity.”
“Now that the process has played out … we are here today to throw our support behind Vice President Kamala Harris,” he added, per The Hill. Schumer had reportedly urged Biden to leave the race in the weeks following his poor performance during a debate with former President Donald Trump.
A survey conducted by AP News indicates Harris has secured enough delegates to win her party’s nomination.
“The quick coalescing behind Harris marked an attempt by the party to put weeks of internecine drama over Biden’s political future behind them and to unify behind the task of defeating Trump with just over 100 days until Election Day,” reports the outlet. “Several state delegations met late Monday to confirm their support for Harris, including Texas and her home state of California.”
The survey found 3,095 delegates intend to support Harris at the party’s convention in Chicago next month. The minimum threshold needed for the nomination is 1,976 delegates.
