Tuesday, July 23rd 2024, 9:16 am
Vice President Kamala Harris is heading to the key battleground state of Wisconsin Tuesday, hitting the campaign trail for the first time since becoming the likely Democratic presidential nominee.
Scheduled to make a mid-day speech in Milwaukee on Tuesday, the campaign says it's taken in more than $100 million between Sunday afternoon, when President Biden announced he's bowing out of the race, and Monday evening.
Democrats moved Monday moved to consolidate behind Harris for the party's nomination, capping a dramatic 24 hours after Mr. Biden's shocking announcement that he was exiting the race and, a short time later, endorsing Harris for the nomination.
CBS News estimates Harris has received the endorsement of a majority of Democratic delegates. If the total holds, she would become the Democratic nominee for president after the virtual roll-call vote expected in early August.
Harris made her first public remarks since the announcement at the White House Monday at an event honoring college athletes. She said she's "deeply, deeply grateful" to Mr. Biden for his "service to his nation" and called his legacy "unmatched in modern history."
Harris visited the Wilmington campaign office on Monday to rally the staff. A Democratic political action group, Future Forward PAC, announced Monday that it had raised $150 million, a staggering amount, given the lag in Democrats' fundraising since Mr. Biden's disastrous debate against Trump last month.
House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, still one of the most powerful Democrats in Washington, endorsed Harris on Monday, a key stepping stone, although Democratic leaders Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and current Speaker Hakeem Jeffries have not yet endorsed her.
Harris, the 59-year-old former senator and state attorney general from California, also earned support from many who had been considered top rivals for the nomination, including Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.
Although Mr. Biden has endorsed her, he does not appoint a successor in the race. The delegates to the Democratic National Convention will vote on who becomes the Democratic Party's presidential nominee. Democrats are expected to hold the roll-call vote formalizing the nomination in early August, weeks before the convention, which is slated to begin in Chicago on Aug. 19.
The Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump, has been posting on social media about Mr. Biden's decision to drop out, and he won't commit to any debates against the eventual nominee.
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