Democrats begin to rally around Harris as nominee

Democratic lawmakers and officials on Sunday rallied to back Vice President Harris to replace President Biden atop the party’s presidential ticket, boosting her in the hours after Biden announced he would not run for another four years in office.

Harris was swiftly endorsed by Biden, former President Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) and, as of 6:30 p.m. Sunday night, 17 Senate Democrats, including multiple members of leadership. 

The lawmakers backing Harris include Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), a House member seen as close to former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), and Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), who faces a competitive race this fall in a swing state. Her endorsement served as an initial vote of confidence in Harris from a lawmaker whose job could be on the line in the fall.

But the endorsements on Sunday did not include Pelosi herself, or House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). Former President Obama also did not offer an endorsement in a statement praising Biden.

Their silence does not necessarily reflect a lack of confidence in or support for Harris.

Some Democrats viewed Sunday as being about Biden and did not want to issue any statement that took the attention away from him.

“People are holding back because there’s a certain amount of respect that Joe Biden is due on this day and, frankly, for the rest of his days on this planet for what he is and what he has done,” former Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) told MSNBC.

Some Democrats also have signaled they’d prefer for there to be some kind of process or contest to replace Biden, to strengthen an eventual nominee.

“She’s indicated that she wants to earn it and no one wants to see a circling of the wagons in that way that looks nefarious, but at the same time no one wants to see division,” one Democratic operative told The Hill. 

“Members coming out helps her cause, but it has to be authentic,” the operative added, referring to Harris.

There were no public challenges to Harris as of Sunday afternoon, and the vice president’s campaign was showing signs of revving up as she held calls with various senators to win over support.

The initial wave of endorsements gives Harris an early leg up on any potential challenger four weeks before the Democratic National Convention is set to officially cement who will challenge former President Trump, the newly minted GOP nominee.

Harris supporters on Sunday were quick to point out her fundraising advantage, as the Biden-Harris campaign has $96 million in its coffers that can only follow Harris if she is the nominee. 

Democrats said they expect the campaign — which officially refiled as Harris for President on Sunday afternoon — to announce record-breaking fundraising totals for the vice president in the coming days. 

“A number of folks are getting behind her. She has the resources of the Biden-Harris infrastructure,” Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), a Harris supporter, told MSNBC on Sunday, adding that his phone had hundreds of messages from volunteers and voters asking “where do I donate? Where do I knock on doors? How do I get to Michigan and Pennsylvania to look voters eyeball to eyeball to make the case?”

“People are fired up for Kamala,” he added. 

Notably, the calls for the party to hold a full-on open convention in less than a month in Chicago or shows of support for any other potential candidate have been minimized early on, but Democrats still have their eyes on other potential options. 

Some in the party are keeping close tabs on what the horde of governors who were widely considered to be on the shortlist for 2028 — headlined by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Illinois Gov JB Pritzker, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear — do in the coming days. 

Another high-profile Democratic governor, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, endorsed Harris on Sunday, saying the best path forward was for the party to quickly unite around Harris. Shapiro has also been mentioned as a potential vice presidential candidate.

The hill for any non-Harris Democrat is appearing steep given her financial and early advantage with top party members. 

“You’re going to need a really good reason to do it,” the Democratic operative said, rattling off what they would have to overcome. “First female president. Black woman. Current vice president. [Biden] already endorsed her.” 

“It’s going to be a tough argument to craft and run against her,” they added. 

Others in the party also believe that the conversation could turn entirely from who will be atop the ticket to what will be other pressing matters. 

“Yes, there’s a process to go through and, yes, she must earn it. But she earned in many ways when Joe Biden selected her to be his vice president,” McCaskill said.

“It will very quickly move into the discussion about who her vice presidential candidate will be,” she added.

Mychael Schnell contributed.