KAMALA Harris is one step closer to becoming the new Democratic nominee after raising an eye-watering amount in 24 hours.
The current US Vice President has raised more than $81 million in donations in 24 hours, after President Joe Biden endorsed the VP after dropping out of the election race.
She will also inherit around $91 million in leftover campaign funds donated to her joint ticket with Mr Biden.
Harris’ presidential campaign has set the record for the amount raised in one day, largely from small dollar donors, after she officially launched her campaign.
More than 888,000 donors contributed to Harris’ campaign, with approximately 60 per cent of donors making their first contribution of the 2024 cycle.
Further cementing Harris’ position as the Democrat nominee is the support from party members.
Several of her potential rivals and influential former Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi also got behind Harris.
Pelosi, a major powerbroker in the party, broke her silence to back Ms Harris on Monday.
She said she had “limitless optimism for our country’s future” under a Harris administration and described her as a “champion for working families” and abortion rights.
Governors Gavin Newsom and Gretchen Whitmer, whose names were rumored to be on the list of potential presidential candidates, have also endorsed Harris’ campaign.
A survey of delegates by the Associated Press found that Harris has the backing of at least 2,214 Democratic delegates, more than the 1,976 she would need in the first round of voting at the party’s convention next month.
The AP survey is only an indication that she has the backing of enough delegates.
While the process for selecting a new nominee is technically open after Biden dropped out, Harris’s path appears to be clear.
According to The Telegraph, she received the endorsement of more than 1,000 delegates to the Democratic National Convention, more than 180 congressmen and several key trade unions.
Speaking for the first time in public since entering the presidential race, Harris said she first knew him through his son, Beau, when they worked together as attorney generals.
She said: “The qualities that Beau revered in his father are the same qualities that I have seen every day in our president.
“His honesty, his integrity, his commitment to his faith and his family, his big heart and his love, deep love of our country.
“With this selfless and patriotic act, President Biden is doing what he has done throughout his life of service: putting the American people and our country above everything else.
“I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination.”
According to the Telegraph, Harris is now thought to be considering a male candidate from the midwestern US as her vice-presidential candidate, amid concerns her background as a liberal Californian politician could discourage blue collar voters from supporting her.
Harris’ endorsement comes after Biden’s shock resignation from the election race after repeated calls for him to step down.
At least 30 Democrats had publicly asked Biden to withdraw his bid for the White House as many planned to throw support behind Harris instead.
Biden, 81, made his stunning announcement in a letter posted to X on Sunday, revealing that he would not be seeking reelection in November.
He wrote: “It has been the greatest honour of my life to serve as your President.
“And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.”
Republican candidate Donald Trump’s team wasted no time in releasing an advert claiming Harris covered up Biden’s mental decline.
In it she was accused, as “border czar”, of doing little to stem the flow of illegal immigrants.
Trump’s pick for Vice President, JD Vance, added: “Joe Biden has been the worst President in my lifetime and Kamala Harris has been right there with him every step of the way.
“She co-signed Biden’s open border and green scam policies. She owns all of these failures, and she lied for nearly four years about Biden’s mental capacity — saddling the nation with a president who can’t do the job.”
Harris, if elected, would be the first woman and first person of South Asian descent to be president.
President Biden has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris but naming a new Democratic nominee won’t be a simple process.
Here’s what’s next after Biden’s stunning announcement.
Biden secured nearly 4,000 delegates by winning state caucuses and primaries earlier this year. He was set to officially be named the Democratic nominee at a virtual vote ahead of the Democratic National Convention, which begins on August 19.
However, Democratic party rules don’t allow Biden to simply pass his 3,896 delegates to Harris or another candidate.
Harris will now have to convince those nearly 4,000 delegates and 700 superdelegates to support her and name her nominee.
Delegates are free agents who can choose to support whichever candidate they want – likely without input from voters at this stage since primaries and caucuses were already held.
All eyes are now on the previously planned virtual vote – where the Democratic party could choose a nominee before the DNC begins.
Biden’s endorsement of Harris will likely sway delegates and no one has publicly challenged her as a candidate – but delegates are not required to back her.
Even if the virtual vote isn’t held, the party could still choose Harris or another candidate before the convention.
If Democrats don’t name their nominee before the DNC, it’ll be the first open and contested convention since 1968.
