Pelosi endorses Harris as Democratic nominee

Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is officially backing Vice President Harris to be the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, making the endorsement one day after President Biden announced he would no longer seek reelection.

The endorsement from Pelosi — who remains a towering figure in the party — is significant, since the California Democrat played a key role in pressuring Biden behind the scenes to rethink his decision to remain in the race. Pelosi held back her support immediately after Biden stepped down and offered Harris his backing, but the Speaker emerita offered a full-throated endorsement Monday.

“Today, it is with immense pride and limitless optimism for our country’s future that I endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for President of the United States,” Pelosi said in a statement.

Pelosi, who led House Democrats for nearly two decades before stepping out of the top role last year, said she has “full confidence” Harris will lead the party to victory in November.

“Officially, I have seen Kamala Harris’s strength and courage as a champion for working families, notably fighting for a woman’s right to choose. Personally, I have known Kamala Harris for decades as rooted in strong values, faith and a commitment to public service,” Pelosi said. “Politically, make no mistake: Kamala Harris as a woman in politics is brilliantly astute – and I have full confidence that she will lead us to victory in November.”

Later Monday, during a meeting of California’s delegation to the Democratic National Convention, Pelosi made the motion for the group to back Harris in Chicago.

Pelosi is the latest House Democrat to endorse Harris’s nascent presidential campaign, which launched immediately after Biden dropped out Sunday and announced he was backing his No. 2 to fill his spot at the top of the ticket.

The California Democrat, however, was one of a handful of prominent Democrats to withhold an endorsement of Harris immediately after the president announced he was dropping out of the race. Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and former President Obama all offered praise for Biden in their statements reacting to the news but stopped short of backing Harris.

The three other veteran Democrats have still not endorsed Harris. But she did pick up endorsements Monday from Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the No. 2 Democrat in the upper chamber, as well as House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), the No. 2 and 3 House Democrats.

Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) told The Hill in a brief interview Sunday that some top Democrats may be withholding their endorsement for now to allow for some sort of process to play out that ends with Harris as the nominee rather than having what looks like a coronation for her. That strategy, they may think, would make Harris a “stronger and more legitimate” candidate.

“I am completely confident, like 100 percent confident, that Vice President Harris is going to be our nominee, but it’s OK to allow this to play out a little bit, too,” Huffman said.

Pelosi played a key role behind the scenes in putting pressure on Biden to reevaluate his decision to remain in the race after last month’s disastrous debate performance, which he was adamant about up until he dropped out.

When the tides began to turn in Biden’s favor earlier this month, Pelosi went on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” — known to be a favorite show of the president — and said “I want him to do whatever he decides to do,” even though Biden had been clear that he planned to remain in the race.

A number of House Democrats called on Biden to step aside after that appearance.

Updated at 9:49 p.m.