Harris gains quick support among leading Democrats, claims fundraising surge

Less than 24 hours after President Biden ended his reelection bid, Vice President Kamala Harris had already garnered support from several leading Democrats — including those rumored to be her potential rivals in the last-minute race for president.

Harris won the topmost endorsement Sunday, when Biden endorsed her to be his successor. Still, Harris said her “intention is to earn and win this nomination,” a nod to the fact that it is not a sealed deal. The vice president spent Sunday calling more than 100 Democrats, including members of Congress, governors and labor and civil rights leaders, according to a person familiar with Harris’ activities on Sunday.

“On each of those calls, the vice president made clear that she was extremely grateful for the president’s endorsement but plans to work hard to earn the Democratic nomination in her own right,” according to the source, who added that Harris was expected to continue making calls Monday.

In her first public appearance since becoming a presidential candidate, Harris spoke on the South Lawn of the White House to a gathering of NCAA championship teams Monday morning. She kept the focus on Biden, saying the president is “feeling much better and recovering fast” from a bout with COVID-19.

“In one term, he has already surpassed the legacy of most presidents who have served two terms in office,” she said, in her only nod to the weekend’s whirlwind events.

In a statement on social media, Harris said she would go next to Wilmington, Del., where the Biden campaign is headquartered, “to say ‘hello’ to our staff.’”

Donations for Harris soared since the announcement, with $49.6 million in grassroots donations since yesterday afternoon, according to her campaign. Bakari Sellers, a Harris ally, said he believes they could have the nomination wrapped up by Wednesday, adding that he was working the phones to whip up delegate support for Harris.

The Democratic National Convention’s Rules Committee is scheduled to meet Wednesday to determine the nominating process. The formal convention in Chicago, where delegates will convene to cast their votes, begins Aug. 19.

But in several states, delegates are meeting beforehand — some as early as this week — to discuss endorsing Harris. As the largest state in the nation, California has outsized influence on the summer convention. Chair Rusty Hicks encouraged the state party’s 496 delegates to endorse Harris.

Already, Harris picked up the endorsements of many Democratic leaders, including Govs. Gavin Newsom of California, Roy Cooper of North Carolina, Kathy Hochul of New York, Janet Mills of Maine, Phil Murphy of New Jersey, Jared Polis of Colorado and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, as well as Sens. Laphonza Butler and Alex Padilla of California, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, Chris Coons of Delaware, Mark Kelly of Arizona, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and John Hickenlooper of Colorado.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer — both considered possible replacements for Biden — endorsed Harris on Monday morning, in a joint statement with Govs. Tim Walz of Minnesota and Tony Evers of Wisconsin. Michigan and Wisconsin are key swing states that Harris will need to win.

“I also think it’s past time we shatter that highest and hardest of glass ceilings and finally elect a woman as President of the United States,” Pritzker said in a statement.

Some Democrats have remained silent on the endorsement front, including Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco), who reportedly worked behind the scenes to persuade Biden to step aside.

Meanwhile, the Trump campaign continued its attacks on Harris, which have ramped up in recent weeks. In an email to supporters titled “Harris Dishonest Mondays: Harris is Biden 2.0,” the campaign said Harris is “just as complicit as Biden is in the destruction of our once-great Nation, and they must all be thrown out of office.” The email also emphasized one of the campaign’s main sticking points with Harris: that she conspired to hide Biden’s decline from Americans.

A recent spate of polling, pitting Harris against Trump, show the former president leading by a few percentage points.