WASHINGTON — The Democratic National Committee announced late Monday that Vice President Kamala Harris had secured the support of 99% of delegates to formally become the party’s presidential nominee, following the conclusion of a five-day virtual vote.
The results, which included a state-by-state breakdown, followed the DNC announcing Friday that Harris had surpassed the number of delegates needed to become the nominee as voting proceeded. She was the only candidate to qualify. The DNC said 4,567 delegates cast their votes for her.
The next steps will be the certification of the roll call by the convention secretary, Jason Rae, and the acceptance of the nomination by Harris and her running mate, who as of early Tuesday still had not been named.
There will also be a celebratory roll call at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago later this month.
“With the support of 99% of all participating delegates in the virtual roll call, Vice President Harris has historic momentum at her back as we embark on the final steps in officially certifying her as our Party’s nominee,” DNC Chair Jaime Harrison and DNCC Chair Minyon Moore said in a statement. “We thank the thousands of delegates from all across the country who took seriously their responsibility throughout this process to make their voices – and the voices of their communities – heard. As we prepare to certify the nomination alongside Convention Secretary Rae, we know that we are all a part of an important piece of history.”
On the way to Election Day
Harris and her vice presidential pick will have fewer than 100 days to campaign before Nov. 5.
She’s undertaking a swing-state tour that has the two holding rallies Tuesday in Pennsylvania, Wednesday in Wisconsin and Michigan, Thursday in North Carolina, Friday in Arizona, and Saturday in Nevada. The Associated Press reported a stop in Georgia was postponed due to Hurricane Debby and the North Carolina appearance could be affected.
Harris didn’t compete in a Democratic primary campaign this election cycle, which could potentially hamstring her, though she did introduce herself to voters during the 2020 Democratic presidential primary and has held public events throughout her time as vice president.
Debate over debates
As of Tuesday it did not appear that Harris and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump would debate ahead of Nov. 5, which would have given her an opportunity to showcase her policy goals and personality to a broader cross-section of voters.
Trump and the Biden campaign agreed to two debates — the first in June, which was hosted by CNN and led to a widespread lack of confidence in Biden’s cognition, and a second on Sept. 10, hosted by ABC News.
The Trump campaign had been noncommittal about debating Harris since Biden announced in July he would step aside as the presumptive nominee and endorsed Harris to take over at the top of the ticket.
Harris for President Co-chair Cedric Richmond said in a statement released Friday that Trump “needs to man up” and attend the previously agreed to debate on Sept. 10.
“He’s got no problem spreading lies and hateful garbage at his rallies or in interviews with right-wing commentators. But he’s apparently too scared to do it standing across the stage from the Vice President of the United States,” Richmond said. “Since he talks the talk, he should walk the walk and — as Vice President Harris said earlier this week — say it to her face on September 10. She’ll be there waiting to see if he’ll show up.”
Trump posted on social media over the weekend that he would only attend a Fox News debate on Sept. 4, though neither the Biden nor Harris campaigns ever agreed to attend a Fox debate.
“Kamala Harris doesn’t have the mental capacity to do a REAL Debate against me, scheduled for September 4th in Pennsylvania,” Trump posted. “I’ll see her on September 4th or, I won’t see her at all.”
Who is Kamala Harris?
Harris was born in Oakland, California, in October 1964. She graduated from Howard University, a historically Black institution of higher education, in 1986 before receiving her law degree from the University of California in 1989.
Harris worked as a deputy district attorney in Alameda County, California, from 1990 until 1998. Her career as a prosecutor continued when she moved to the San Francisco District Attorney’s office, where she worked as a managing attorney.
She spent time as the chief of the San Francisco City Attorney’s Division on Children and Families and as the district attorney of San Francisco before California voters elected her attorney general in 2010.
Residents in the Golden State then elected Harris to the U.S. Senate in 2016, where she stayed until she was sworn in as vice president in January 2021.
Harris sought the Democratic presidential nomination during the 2020 primary, but dropped out two months before voting began.
Roll call, keynote speech
Harris is scheduled to give the convention keynote speech on Aug. 22, the final night of the gathering in Chicago. She’ll likely be speaking to the largest audience she’ll have in person and watching on television until election night.
That will provide a major opportunity for her to speak directly to the centrist and undecided voters who will determine the outcome of the November elections, including control of the U.S. House and U.S. Senate.
Should Harris win the Electoral College vote, she will become the country’s first female president, the first president of South Asian descent and the second Black president when she’s inaugurated on Jan. 20, 2025.
