(Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Top Democrats who have been talked about as possible successors to President Joe Biden as the party’s 2024 nominee have rallied behind Vice President Kamala Harris.
After Biden dropped out of the race on Sunday, he endorsed Harris for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination. Some Democrats pushed for a methodical contest or declined to endorse anybody, but the most imposing prospective challengers within the party quickly fell in line.
Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA), long considered a leading prospect for the presidential contest, said he was backing Harris on Sunday.
“Tough. Fearless. Tenacious,” Newsom said on X. “With our democracy at stake and our future on the line, no one is better to prosecute the case against Donald Trump’s dark vision and guide our country in a healthier direction than America’s Vice President, @KamalaHarris.”
Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI), another party member seen as having the right stuff to win the White House, followed suit on Monday.
“I am fired up to endorse Kamala Harris for President of the United States,” Whitmer said. She touted Harris as someone who can strengthen the economy, an ex-prosecutor, and “a champion for reproductive freedom” in “stark contrast” to former President Donald Trump.
Whitmer also said she would be a co-chair of Harris’ presidential campaign but rejected the idea of becoming her running mate.
Governor J.B. Pritzker (D-IL), a billionaire heir to the Hyatt hotel empire who could fund his own campaign, also endorsed Harris on Monday.
“I am proud to endorse Kamala Harris for President,” Pritzker said, adding, “She represents our Party’s best chance to defeat Donald Trump in November.” He also said he believes “it’s past time we shatter that highest and hardest of glass ceilings and finally elect a woman as President.”
High-profile Democratic Governors Wes Moore of Maryland, Roy Cooper of North Carolina, and Andy Beshear of Kentucky additionally backed Harris. And Sen. Joe Manchin (I-WV) said he will not run after reportedly considering re-registering as a Democrat and campaigning for president.
With POLITICO declaring that Harris “effectively” cleared a path to the nomination, former Obama adviser David Axelrod said on X, “Game, set and match! Less than 24 hours after [Biden] drops, Harris is the de facto nominee. She did those politics well. Now comes the hard part!”
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