Recap: Biden endorses Harris after dropping out of 2024 race 

President Biden has endorsed Vice President Harris to take over as the Democratic nominee to be president, but she’ll still need to secure enough delegates to officially replace him. 

Close to 4,000 delegates will gather at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago starting on August 17. Biden has won more than 3,800 of those delegates, who will now all be released to vote for whomever they choose. 

To win the nomination, a candidate must secure 1,986 delegates. As of 10 p.m. on Sunday, 531 delegates had already pledged to Harris. 

We’ll be updating the tracker throughout the week.

Follow along with it here.

— Yash Roy and Eden Teshome

The URL “JoeBiden.com” no longer directs to the Biden-Harris campaign website, and instead redirects to an ActBlue contribution page for Harris.

The contents of the donation page are identical to the president’s endorsement statement, with the header reading, “I am endorsing Kamala Harris to be our next President of the United States.”

The campaign will be re-designated as “Harris for President,” according to a FEC filing made Saturday evening, and “KamalaHarris.com” will be the new online home of the campaign.

— Eden Teshome

Harris spoke with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) today, a source familiar tells The Hill.

Jeffries, notably, did not immediately endorse Harris to be the new nominee after Biden said he was withdrawing from the race.

— Mychael Schnell

The vice president will have her first public appearance on Monday since Biden ended his candidacy when she speaks at a White House event.

Harris will deliver remarks on the South Lawn at an event celebrating the NCAA championship teams from the 2023-2024 season, the White House said.

Biden has no public events scheduled for Monday.

— Brett Samuels

Sens. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) are throwing their support behind Vice President Harris.

“With women’s rights, workers’ rights, and voting rights for Pennsylvania and the Nation couldn’t be higher. Vice President Harris has been leading on those fights and as a former prosecuter, she will draw a clear contrast between herself and former President Trump. She is prepared to be Commander-in-Chief and is the best person to meet this moment. I’m proud to endorse her candidacy,” Casey said in a statement.

Bennet, who was also a 2020 presidential primary contender, said in a statement that Harris “has the experience, record, and integrity to be the next president of the United States.”

“It’s my honor to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris as our Democratic presidential nominee and the next President of the United States,” Bennet said.

— Lauren Sforza

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said he respected Biden and his decision to withdraw from the race in a statement Sunday.

“I’m a classic Republican and he’s a classic Democrat; obviously, President Biden and I usually didn’t see eye-to-eye. I opposed many of his initiatives. But we did find common ground on infrastructure, Ukraine, the Electoral Count Act, adding religious liberty protections to the marriage bill, gun safety measures, and chip manufacturing,” Romney, one of former President Trump’s most prominent Republican critics, said in a statement.

“Others will judge his presidency. However, having worked with him these past few years, I respect President Biden. His decision to withdraw from the race was right and is in the best interest of the country,” he continued.

— Lauren Sforza

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) threw her support behind Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential bid on Sunday and vowed to work to ensure she wins in November.

“Kamala Harris will be the next President of the United States. I pledge my full support to ensure her victory in November,” Ocasio-Cortez said in a post on X.

“Now more than ever, it is crucial that our party and country swiftly unite to defeat Donald Trump and the threat to American democracy,” she continued. “Let’s get to work.”

—Sarah Fortinsky

Republican strategists and donors said Sunday they’re not worried about Vice President Harris becoming the new Democratic nominee, even though they believed their chances of defeating President Biden were at an all-time high.

The Republicans, who for weeks have been salivating at the potential for Biden to drag down other Democrats on the ticket, acknowledged Harris represents a different kind of challenge.

But they said they think they can tie Harris to Biden’s policies and that other Democrats would represent bigger threats to GOP nominee Donald Trump.

“[Pennsylvania Gov. Josh] Shapiro, [Arizona Sen. Mark] Kelly et al would scare me. She does not scare me,” one Republican operative said of Harris.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

— Emily Brooks, Caroline Vakil and Julia Manchester

Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) praised President Biden for his decision to step aside atop the party ticket on Sunday and expressed optimism about the energy Vice President Harris could bring to a new ticket.

“Here is the difference between a man who loves his country, and one who loves himself,” Kinzinger, a frequent critic of former President Trump’s, said in a post on X.

“Joe Biden did an honorable and selfless act by stepping aside. His legacy will be among the best. Trump cares about Trump only. And the GOP is too scared to do what the Dems did: tell the truth,” he continued.

He reposted a statement from his leadership PAC, Country First, which thanked Biden for “once again putting #countryfirst. You put the interests of American democracy first by defeating Trump in 2020, and you continue to do so by passing the torch.”

“Your leadership cements your legacy of patriotism,” the statement continued.

In a separate post, Kinzinger said he expects “there will be quite a bit of enthusiasm behind” the prospect of the Democratic party replacing their leading candidate. He responded to a post about voters consistently saying they want different choices as their candidates.

“First Gen X president possibility, and not a rematch. I expect there will be way more energy behind Kamala than people expect,” Kinzinger said.

—Sarah Fortinsky

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin praised President Biden as “one of our great foreign-policy presidents” in a statement on Sunday.

Austin said in a statement that Biden “renewed, deepened, and broadened the unmatched global network of alliances and partnerships that makes America more secure.” He praised Biden’s response to both the wars in Ukraine and in Gaza, adding that Biden has also strongly supported the U.S. military.

“President Biden has repeatedly declared, ‘We will lead not merely by the example of our power but by the power of our example.’ Today, he has done just that,” Austin said.

“The entire Department of Defense stands united today in saluting President Biden’s service to the country that we defend, the Constitution that we revere, and the republic that we love,” he continued.

—Lauren Sforza

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), seen as a top contender for a spot on the Democratic ticket, threw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris’s bid for president.

“Tough. Fearless. Tenacious,” Newsom wrote on the social platform X.

Read more here.

—Sarah Fortinsky

Transportation secretary and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg said he “will do all that I can to help elect” Harris as the next president after Biden stood down as the Democratic nominee.

“Kamala Harris is the right person to take up the torch, defeat Donald Trump, and succeed Joe Biden,” he wrote. “I have seen her extraordinary leadership firstharnd, working closely with her during the 2020 campaign.”

Buttigieg, a former Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, is viewed as a potential running mate for Harris.

— Yash Roy

The six current Black state attorneys general are standing behind Vice President Harris, who served as California’s attorney general, writing a joint statement that “there is no one more qualified to lead and continue to uphold the values of our great nation.”

The six attorneys general are Letitia James (D-N.Y.), Kwame Raoul (D-Ill.), Anthony Brown (D-Md.), Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), Aaron Ford (D-Nev.) and Andrea Campbell (D-Mass.)

“As District Attorney, Attorney General, Senator and now Vice President, Kamala Harris has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to protecting and expanding the rights of all Americans,” they wrote. “There is no one more qualified to lead and continue to uphold the values of our great nation.

—Yash Roy

Sen. Joe Manchin (I-W.V.) is considering running against Vice President Harris for the Democratic nomination. 

A source familiar with Manchin confirmed that the West Virginia senator is considering reregistering as a Democrat to seek the nomination.

Read full story here

— Al Weaver

An adviser for Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) strongly pushed back on a report suggesting the governor would announce Monday that he’s “running for something,” the day after President Biden ended his reelection bid.

The Chicago Tribune reported on Sunday that a state Democratic source said Pritzker “would issue a statement about his political future on Monday” and that the source expected the second-term-governor “would be running for something.”

“Folks, this ‘one state democratic source’ does not know what they are talking about,” Pritzker’s political adviser, Mike Ollen, said on the social platform X.

— Sarah Fortinsky

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president. Cooper has been cited by many as a “short list” vice presidential pick for a Harris ticket.

“Kamala Harris should be the next President,” Cooper wrote on X. “I look forward to campaigning for her as we work to win NC up and down the ticket.

”Cooper served as North Carolina’s Attorney General while Harris served in the same role across the country in California, and noted that he got to know her in the role. The North Carolina governor joins other potential VP picks Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-Penn.) in endorsing Harris for president.

—Eden Teshome

Small-dollar donors raised over $27.5 million on ActBlue in the first 5 hours of Vice President Harris’ presidential campaign.

“Grassroots supporters are energized and excited to support her as the Democratic nominee,” ActBlue said in a post announcing the haul.

Harris officially took over the Biden-Harris ticket earlier today, with the Biden campaign filing with the Federal Elections Commission to change the campaign name to Kamala Harris for president.

—Yash Roy

Three PACs representing AAPI, Black, and Latino voters — AAPI Victory Fund, The Collective PAC, and Latino Victory Fund — issued a joint statement endorsing Vice President Harris.

“The time to choose a strong, battle-tested Democratic candidate is now—and we urge Democrats and Latino delegates to unite and rally around Vice President Harris for President,” Luis A. Miranda, Jr., chairman of the Latino Victory Fund, wrote in a statement.

“We will fight with all of our might to make her the first South Asian and Black woman ever to serve as President of the Unites States,” wrote Shekar Narasimhan and Joe Nguyễn, the chairman and president of the AAPI Victory fund.

All three groups previously endorsed the Biden-Harris ticket and, in March, made a joint $30 million commitment to mobilize their respective communities in support of their run. If elected, Harris would be the first Asian, and Black female president.

— Eden Teshome

Vice President Harris is racing to lock down support for her White House bid, just hours after President Biden announced that he would no longer seek re-election.

Harris on Sunday spoke with the chairs of three key coalitions on Capitol Hill: Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Rep. Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.) of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and Rep. Ann McLane Kuster (D-N.H.) of the New Democrat Coalition. All three have all backed Harris for the nomination.

She also spoke with Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) — ”She is ready to win in Wisconsin!!!” he said on X — and Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) said heard from her staff.

“Her team is fully activated and phones are ringing, emails are blowing up, this thing is rolling,” Huffman told The Hill in a brief interview Sunday. “This has taken off like a rocketship.”

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

— Mychael Schnell

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) has officially endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris and confirmed he will not seek the presidency.

“I think there will be a process,” Polis said on CNN. “I hope it’s Kamala Harris. We’re going to come out and strong support to make sure we win the election this November.”

Polis has been floated as a potential replacement for President Biden on the Democratic ticket over the past few weeks. He now joins the likes of California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) in rejecting a 2024 run.

—Eden Teshome

The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ advocacy organization, on Sunday said it “could not be prouder” to endorse Vice President Harris for president.

“Vice President Kamala Harris is a trailblazer and has been a champion for LGBTQ+ equality for decades: from leading the fight in San Francisco against hate crimes and her work in California to end the so-called gay and transgender ‘panic defense’ to her early support for marriage equality and her leadership serving as our Vice President,” said Kelley Robinson, the group’s president.

The Human Rights Campaign previously endorsed President Biden’s reelection campaign. In May, the organization announced a $15 million investment to help Biden defeat former President Trump in November.

—Brooke Migdon

Rep. Lloyd Dogget (D-Texas), the first Democratic lawmaker to call for Biden to step out of the presidential race, has declined to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for the Democratic nomination.

“I think she would be an excellent nominee for us,” Doggett said on CNN. “But from the very moment that I asked President Biden to step aside almost three weeks ago, I made the point that we need a fair, open, and democratic process.” 

Harris announced her intention to run following Biden’s announcement that he would step aside and subsequent endorsement of her candidacy. While some Democrats have fallen in line behind the vice president, Doggett called for an open election at the convention.

“It may be a little disorganized, a little uncertain, but it is democratic process with a small D,” he explained. “American people need to see us with all of our shortcomings and strengths and recognize that we want to provide a candidate for a new generation.”

—Eden Teshome

The executive council of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the second-largest teachers’ union in the country, voted Sunday to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris’s bid for president.

The endorsement is still subject to ratification by delegates to the 2024 AFT convention, AFT President Randi Weingarten said on the social platform X.

“Harris is fighting to restore Roe, fighting for families, for student debt relief and is a powerful advocate for workers,” Weingarten continued in the post.

The AFT endorsed the Biden-Harris ticket last month.

— Sarah Fortinsky

Former President Trump called for the next presidential debate to be hosted on Fox News, rather than the “very biased ABC,” where the current September debate is slated to be held.

“My debate with Crooked Joe Biden, the Worst President in the history of the United States, was slated to be broadcast on Fake News ABC, the home of George Slopadopolus, sometime in September,” he wrote. “Now that Joe has, not surprisingly, has quit the race, I think the Debate, with whomever the Radical Left Democrats choose, should be held on FoxNews, rather than very biased ABC. Thank you!”

Trump also called for Republicans to “be reimbursed for fraud” after President Biden stood down as the Democratic nominee, saying the party has to “start all over again.”

“So, we are forced to spend time and money on fighting Crooked Joe Biden, he polls badly after having a terrible debate, and quits the race. Now we have to start all over again,” he wrote on Truth Social.

“Shouldn’t the Republican Party be reimbursed for fraud in that everybody around Joe, including his doctors and the Fake News Media, knew he was not capable of running for, or being, President?  Just askin’?”

— Yash Roy

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D), who is viewed as a potential running mate pick by Vice President Harris, called on Democrats to unite behind Harris “and refocus on winning the presidency.”

“The contrast in this race could not be clearer and the road to victory in November runs right through Pennsylvania — where the collective work begins,” he wrote.

“We’ve both been prosecutors, we’ve both stood up for the rule of law,” he added. “She has served this country honorably as Vice President, and she is ready to be president.”

— Yash Roy

Leaders We Deserve, a youth PAC led by Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg, has raised $100,000 for Vice President Harris’s campaign over the course of approximately one hour.

“We need to help Kamala catch WAY UP on fundraising,” Hogg wrote on X. “I am setting a goal of raising $100k for her in the next hour.”

President Biden endorsed Harris to take his spot at the top of the ticket after he dropped out of the presidential race Sunday afternoon. The vice president accepted the endorsement, and has launched her campaign, “Harris for President.”

The Biden campaign is estimated to have $96 million in its war chest, as of June 30.

— Eden Teshome

Hunter Biden, the son of the president, asked Americans to join him in thanking Biden for his contributions.

“For my entire life, I’ve looked at my dad in awe. How could he suffer so much heartache and yet give so much of whatever remained of his heart to others? Not only in the policies he passed, but in the individual lives he’s touched,” he wrote in a statement shared by his daughter, Naomi Biden.

He wrote that he has seen his father “absorb the pain of countless everyday Americans.”

“That unconditional love has been his North Star as a President, and as a parent. He is unique in public life today in that there is no distance between Joe Biden the man and Joe Biden the public servant of the last 54 years,” he said.

“I’m so lucky every night I get to tell him I love him, and to thank him. I ask all Americans to join me tonight in doing the same,” he added.

— Lauren Sforza

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who was one of the most prominent Democrats to publicly call on President Biden to stand down, lauded him for putting “the country first” and called on Democrats to “unite behind Vice President Harris.”

“I am excited to endorse her campaign for President — she has the judgment, experience, leadership, and tenacity to take on and defeat Donald Trump,” he released in a statement.

“I worked with her when she was our Attorney General, Senator, and Vice President, and I can’t wait to work with her as President. There is no better matchup than this superb former prosecutor against this convicted criminal, and she’ll prosecute the case against Trump every single day,” he added.

—Yash Roy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised “bold steps” President Biden took, following his decision to stand down from the 2024 presidential election.

“Many strong decisions have been made in recent years and they will be remembered as bold steps taken by President Biden in response to challenging times,” Zelensky posted on X. “And we respect today’s tough but strong decision.”

Zelensky last met with Biden during the D.C. NATO summit two weeks ago, where Biden made one of the more memorable gaffes of the last month, calling Zelensky, “President Putin.”

The Ukrainian president also expressed his hope that the U.S. will continue to support Ukraine in its war against Russia.

“The current situation in Ukraine and all of Europe is no less challenging, and we sincerely hope that America’s continued strong leadership will prevent Russian evil from succeeding or making its aggression pay off,” Zelensky added.

— Eden Teshome

Georgia Democratic Party Chair Nikema Williams thanked President Biden for “his decades of public service” and said the state party “stands firmly behind Vice President Harris.”

“President Biden said Georgia made him president, and he’s right. There is more work to be done. Our eyes are on the prize,” she wrote. “We must defeat the twice-impeached, failed, 34-time convicted felon Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda.”

“We stand firmly behind Vice President Harris to make it happen,” she added.

Democrats flipped the state for the first time in decades during the 2020 presidential election.

Both of Georgia’s senators, Jon Ossoff (D) and Raphael Warnock (D), have also endorsed Harris.

“Vice President Harris is now absolutely the right candidate to defeat Donald Trump and unite our country. @KamalaHarris is prepared, ready to win, & has my full support,” Ossoff wrote.

— Yash Roy