Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison said Aug. 2 that Vice President Kamala Harris has officially secured the votes from Democratic delegates to become the party’s nominee for president and the first Black woman and first Asian-American to head a major party ticket.
According to CNN, the nomination process, which began on Aug. 1, is expected to continue through the evening of Aug. 5. The process, held virtually, was acknowledged by Harris, who joined the video call to announce her intention to accept the nomination.
“I am honored to be the presumptive Democratic nominee for president of the United States. I will officially accept your nomination next week, once the virtual voting period is closed.”
Harris continued, “Later this month, we will gather in Chicago, united as one party, where we’re going to have an opportunity to celebrate this historic moment together.”
Although it has been fairly evident that following President Joe Biden’s exit of the race that
Harris would likely be the nominee, and Harris has been largely unopposed by the Democratic Party, evidenced by her name being the only one on the ballot, it follows political convention that Harris was voted the nominee.According to the Associated Press, the party will still perform a state by state roll call at the convention in October, rendered a ceremonial roll call due to the virtual vote. In preparation for her contest against Republican nominee Donald Trump, Harris has brought on several Obama campaign veterans.
Harris has provided an energy and a rallying point that the Democrats largely lacked while Biden was the presumptive nominee, and while her running mate does not need to be in place for her to accept the nomination, Harris is reportedly in the process of vetting several candidates.
According to CNN, Harris will meet with the finalists Aug. 4. The frontrunner, according to its reporting, is Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, but Harris is
also considering whether Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro or Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly could help Harris win in their respective states via a nomination. Harris is expected to announce her running mate at a campaign rally in Philadelphia on Aug. 6.RELATED CONTENT: Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris Will Head To Philly With Her VP-Select