Kamala Harris Has Secured Enough Votes To Win The Democratic Presidential Nomination

Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison declared on Friday that Vice President Kamala Harris had received enough votes from Democratic delegates to secure the party's presidential candidacy.

Harris will head a major-party ticket, making history as the first Asian American and Black woman to do so.

The declaration was made on Friday during a virtual gathering of supporters. On Thursday, delegates started electronically voting for the nominee; the process will last through Monday night.

Joining the virtual event, Harris declared, "I am honored to be the presumptive Democratic nominee for president of the United States." "After the virtual voting period ends next week, I will formally accept your nomination."

The vice president said, "We will come together in Chicago later this month, united as one party, where we're going to have an opportunity to celebrate this historic moment together."

The vice president would be the only viable contender for the nomination, as has been evident since shortly after President Joe Biden declared his intention to withdraw from the race for reelection and endorsed Harris. She received rapid support from almost every party member, including some who would have opposed her. In less than three days, she obtained enough unofficial endorsements from delegates to be the party's nominee.

Since only Harris could obtain the 300 delegates' signatures required to be eligible, her name is the only one on the ballot.

Harris's journey to the nomination is a sharp contrast to her 11-month 2020 presidential campaign, during which she withdrew before the Iowa Caucuses. Later, Biden selected Harris to be his running mate, putting her in a position to assume leadership of the party upon his resignation last month.

Harris has been reorienting the campaign she inherited on a shortened timeframe over the last almost two weeks as the formal nomination process has taken place.

Raising a staggering $310 million in July, her team announced on Friday, riding high on newfound enthusiasm for her candidacy within the party. Additionally, the amount raised more than twice what Republican nominee Donald Trump's campaign claimed to have raised the previous month.

The top contenders, which include Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, are expected to meet with the vice president throughout the weekend, according to a source familiar with the vetting process. Harris is also in the final stages of selecting her running mate.