Momentum Builds Behind Kamala Harris—But Obstacles to Nomination Remain

Obama and Pelosi stopped short of endorsing her

Almost immediately after President Joe Biden abandoned his bid for a second term and formally backed his Vice President Kamala Harris to succeed him, major figures from across the Democratic Party lined up behind her, giving Harris a wave of momentum in an unprecedented fight for a major party’s presidential nomination. Yet a few notable exceptions who held back their support suggests the Vice President doesn’t have the nomination locked up just yet.

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Important pillars of Biden’s base were already backing Harris late Sunday, including Bill and Hillary Clinton, Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina and the influential fundraising arm of the Congressional Black Caucus. Union leaders from the AFL-CIO, a crucial part of any Democratic candidate’s national ground game, also signaled their enthusiasm for Harris on Sunday and could vote on an official endorsement of her in the coming days. 

Biden has moved swiftly to try to amass insurmountable support behind Harris well before the Democratic National Convention kicks off in Chicago on Aug. 19. The Democratic Party plans to hold a virtual roll call vote to officially decide its candidate earlier in the month. To officially become the party’s candidate, a nominee requires the support of 1,976 delegate votes. More than 3,000 were committed to support Biden, who was already working behind the scenes on Sunday to try to send as many of his delegates toward Harris. 

A few powerful Democratic voices, however, were notably silent on Harris. Former President Barack Obama, for example, issued a lengthy statement applauding the decision of his former Vice President to step aside as proof that he is “a patriot of the highest order.” However, Obama didn’t mention Harris. “We will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead. But I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges,” Obama said. Similarly, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Biden a “patriotic American” but didn’t say anything about Harris. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries also stopped short of endorsing Harris on Sunday.

But many other powerful figures in the Democratic Party came out publicly to support Harris as their candidate. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, one of several Democratic governors often mentioned as a presidential contender, said Harris is “ready to be president.”  Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, who ran against Harris in the 2020 presidential primary, called Harris “a proven fighter who has been a national leader in safeguarding consumers and protecting access to abortion” and said that Harris, “as a former prosecutor” would be able to “press a forceful case against allowing Donald Trump to regain the White House.” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, another former challenger to Harris, said Sunday he would “do all that I can to help elect” Harris.

Among the slew of Democrats in Congress who quickly backed Harris, few drew as much attention as Clyburn, whose support for Biden in 2020 delivered the party nomination for him. Antjuan Seawright, a political advisor to Clyburn and Jeffries, says Biden’s quick endorsement of Harris, minutes after he announced he was leaving the race, was a clear message to Biden’s allies that is reverberating across the party.

“He promised to be a bridge candidate, that’s proof in the pudding,” says Seawright. “But also he understands that this is not about what America was, it is about what we know she can be and hope to be and Kamala Harris represents that.”