Janice R. Andrews
Washington, DC — Vice President Kamala Harris has formally been announced as the Democratic presidential contender for 2024, marking a significant development in American politics. Being the first Asian American and Black woman to be nominated for president by a major party, Harris’s candidacy is a historic first.**
With the support of the majority of her party’s delegates, Harris won the Democratic nomination on Friday afternoon. Just one day after voting opened, she received at least 2,350 votes, above the necessary number.
Moments after passing the delegates on a Democratic party-sponsored webcast, Harris declared, “I am honored to be the presumptive Democratic nominee for President of the United States.” “The tireless work of our delegates, state leaders, and staff has been pivotal in making this moment possible.”
When the virtual voting session ends next week, Harris, 59, will formally accept the nomination. She hopes to celebrate this historic moment with her supporters during the Democratic National Convention, which gets underway in Chicago on August 19.
After Joe Biden withdrew from the presidential contest on July 21, Harris rose to the top of the Democratic ticket. She will compete against 45th President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for president, in the November election.
Leading Democrats such as Biden, former President Barack Obama, former First Lady Michelle Obama, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi quickly endorsed Vice President Harris. Within the first two weeks of her candidacy, she has also experienced an increase in donations that have broken records.
On Thursday at 9:00 a.m., the Democratic National Committee (DNC) held a virtual roll call in which delegates may vote for Harris to be the party’s nominee. The deadline for delegates to return their ballots is Monday, August 5, at 6 p.m. ET. Even before the elections opened, Harris had enough delegates supporting him to guarantee the nomination.
Before making her scheduled presentation in Philadelphia on Tuesday with her much awaited running partner, Harris is likely to declare her vice presidential candidacy. Next week, there will also be visits in western Wisconsin, Detroit, Raleigh, Savannah, Phoenix, and Las Vegas.
Prior to the Democratic National Convention later this month, the DNC has set a deadline of August 7th for practically confirming the party’s selections for president and vice president.
The race between Trump and Harris is becoming closer with less than 100 days to go until the election. The fact that the contenders are almost tied in a number of crucial battleground states highlights how important the next election will be.
In an inflammatory interview at the annual convention of the National Association of Black Journalists, Trump used racially charged words against Harris, initiating an already heated onslaught. After Trump questioned Harris about her race, the Black and South Asian politician denounced his comments as racist.
Since assuming the lead in the Democratic primary, Harris has been subjected to an increase in racial and sexist criticism. The phrase “DEI candidate” is a derogatory one used by Trump and his GOP allies to disparage Harris. It stands for diversity, equality, and inclusion, a concept that some conservatives use to cast doubt on the qualifications of women and people of color who hold prominent positions of authority.
Following Harris’s selection, a video of Trump’s running partner, Senator JD Vance, denigrating Harris surfaced. As “childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they’ve made,” Vance seemed to be implying that Harris was one of the leading Democrats. In July 2021, while running for the Ohio Senate, Vance made these remarks during an interview on Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight.” Harris is the children’s stepmother.
With election day approaching, Harris’s historic candidacy remains a major topic of discussion around the country, bringing attention to the changing political environment in the United States and the persistent problems with equality and representation.
