On Sunday, the vice-president of the United States Kamala Harris said she intends to earn and win an endorsement from the Democratic Party for this year’s Presidential nomination even after it has been endorsed by President Biden among other party key figures with at least two more challengers looming.
“I am grateful for the support of the president. My aim is to deserve and win this nomination. To defeat Donald Trump and his far-right Project 2025 agenda, I will use every tool available to me to reunite our nation and unify the Democratic Party,” Harris stated hours after a series of turbulent events in the Democratic camp forced President Biden out of running for re-election in 2024.
Democrats Hillary and Bill Clinton are major supporters with Elizabeth Warren, senator and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) coming on board as well thereby showing how mainline Democrats were closing ranks behind Harris.
However, former candidate Marianne Williamson argued that ‘selecting another Democrat should be done through an open convention.’
“It is wrong for anyone to just assume that they will be made nominee; we have to hear from all candidates and learn about their policies. We only profess democracy as our first principle as a party. We cannot save our democracy without practicing it ourselves,” she said in her statement.
There seems to be another challenge coming from Senator Joe Manchin from West Virginia who switched sides to become independent due to disagreement with his party leadership but now is reportedly mulling over a comeback bid for nomination.
Such Biden loyalists like African American representatives Jim Clyburn in addition Ocasio-Cortez who had stated that they would back Kamala when Biden leaves are not turning around.
“Kamala Harris will be America’s next president. I commit myself fully to assisting her triumph during November elections. Now more than ever before, our party must join hands with our nation so as we can defeat Donald Trump, who poses dangers towards American democracy. Let’s go,” AOC tweeted.
However, former president Barack Obama did not give his support to Harris but spoke of the likelihood of an open convention implying that he supported such a move. He had faith in Democratic leaders to “construct a process out of which an extraordinary candidate emerges.”
