Who has endorsed Kamala Harris for the 2024 Democratic nomination, and who hasn't yet?
Leading Democrats are voicing their support for Vice President Kamala Harris as their party seeks a nominee to replace President Biden in the 2024 race, now that he has taken himself out of the running.
Mr. Biden endorsed Harris after announcing his decision to drop out, but he cannot personally appoint a Democratic nominee to fill his spot in the presidential race. Whoever is ultimately chosen will be determined through a vote by the delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, which was set to happen virtually in early August. The convention begins Aug. 19.
"My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President," Mr. Biden said a social media post. "And it's been the best decision I've made. Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it's time to come together and beat Trump. Let's do this."
Former President Barack Obama endorsed Harris on Friday, calling her a "happy warrior" and vowing to do all he can to help her defeat former President Donald Trump in November. In a video posted by her campaign, Harris takes a call from Obama and his wife, former first lady Michelle Obama.
"We called to say Michelle and I couldn't be prouder to endorse you and do everything we can to get you through this election and into the Oval Office," Obama tells Harris over the phone.
Michelle Obama tells Harris, "I am proud of you. This is going to be historic."
Another high-profile endorsement came the day after Biden withdrew, as Rep. Nancy Pelosi, former speaker of the House, threw her support behind the vice president, a fellow Californian. Pelosi had initially said she favored an open process.
"My enthusiastic support for Kamala Harris for President is official, personal and political," she said in a statement Monday, July 22. "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. 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."
The major Democratic leaders in Congress, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, announced their endorsement at a news conference Tuesday afternoon, with Schumer saying they'd held off for a few days to give Harris a chance to build support "from the grassroots."
"Vice President Harris has done a truly impressive job securing the majority of delegates needed to win the Democratic Party's nomination," Schumer said. "...Democrats are moving forward stronger and more united than ever before."
Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were among the pool of politicians to endorse Harris in the hours after Mr. Biden's announcement.
"We join millions of Americans in thanking President Biden for all he has accomplished, standing up for America time and again, with his North Star always being what's best for the country. We are honored to join the President in endorsing Vice President Harris and will do whatever we can to support her," the Clintons said in a joint statement.
"We've lived through many ups and downs, but nothing has made us more worried for our country than the threat posed by a second Trump term. He has promised to be a dictator on day one, and the recent ruling by his servile Supreme Court will only embolden him to further shred the Constitution," their statement continued. "Now is the time to support Kamala Harris and fight with everything we've got to elect her. America's future depends on it."
Hillary Clinton added an individual endorsement for Harris, saying on social media, "I've known Kamala Harris a long time. This brilliant prosecutor will make the case against convicted felon Donald Trump and the Project 2025 agenda to take away our freedoms."
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat who ran a presidential campaign of her own in 2020, also issued a statement backing Harris as the party's potential nominee this year.
"I endorse Kamala Harris for President," Warren's statement read. "She is a proven fighter who has been a national leader in safeguarding consumers and protecting access to abortion. As a former prosecutor, she can press a forceful case against allowing Donald Trump to regain the White House. We have many talented people in our party, but Vice President Harris is the person who was chosen by the voters to succeed Joe Biden if needed. She can unite our party, take on Donald Trump, and win in November."
Mr. Biden's decision to end his campaign followed weeks of turmoil within the Democratic Party over whether he would be able to win reelection and serve another term, since his disastrous performance at the presidential debate in June opposite his Republican rival, former President Donald Trump.
Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, a close Biden ally, wrote, "I echo the good judgment he demonstrated in selecting Vice President Harris to lead this nation alongside him, and I am proud to follow his lead in support of her candidacy to succeed him as the Democratic Party's 2024 nominee for President."
Many other endorsements came quickly. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, whose name was sometimes floated as a potential candidate himself, threw his support behind Harris.
"Tough. Fearless. Tenacious. With our democracy at stake and our future on the line, no one is better to prosecute the case against Donald Trump's dark vision and guide our country in a healthier direction than America's Vice President, @KamalaHarris," Newsom posted on social media.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who ran in the 2020 primaries, posted on X, "I will do all that I can to help elect @KamalaHarris the next President of the United States."
Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky, whose name has been mentioned as a potential running mate for Harris, offered his full-throated endorsement for Harris on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on Monday.
"[Biden's] decision, I know was hard, but it's going to secure his legacy that I believe historians are going to say, was a great presidency. With that I'm excited to fully endorse Vice President Harris ... for the next president of the United States. The vice president is smart and strong, which will make her a good president."
Another person whose name has been discussed as a potential Harris running mate added his voice to the growing chorus endorsing the vice president: Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who called her "our party's best chance to defeat Donald Trump in November."
"It's important to be thoughtful about what's next for the Democratic Party and for the country, which is why I spent hours yesterday talking to fellow leaders in our Party getting and giving input about the road to victory in November. I am also cognizant of the unique role we play here in Illinois as hosts of the Democratic National Convention," he said. "Vice President Harris has proven, at every point in her career, that she possesses the skills, strength, and character to lead this country and the vision to better the lives of all Americans."
In the wake of Beshear's and Pritzker's endorsements, the Kentucky Democratic convention delegation and the Illinois Democratic Party also threw their support behind the vice president.
And Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who had initially been discussed as a possible Democratic presidential nominee, came out in support of Harris, saying,"Let's win this."
Sen. Patty Murray of Washington and Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, as well as battleground state Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, have also endorsed Harris.
Klobuchar, who ran against Biden and Harris in the 2020 primaries, told CBS News, "She's an incredibly strong leader who will bring to this office, and to this campaign, the receipts. ... She is someone that knows the work, knows the job. And I also know her as a good person."
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, tweeted her support, writing: "Vice President @KamalaHarris just called me and I told her I am 1000% in for her to be our President! She has the smarts, the experience, the accomplishments and the agenda to lead us to victory in November. Let's go!"
The political arm of the Congressional Black Caucus, CBCPAC, came out in support of Harris, as did as the head of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Rep. Nanette Barragán of California.
"The Congressional Black Caucus PAC joins President Biden in fully supporting Kamala Harris as our party's nominee," said CBCPAC chairman Rep. Gregory Meeks and caucus chairman Rep. Steven Horsford in a statement. "She has been instrumental in delivering the accomplishments of the last 3.5 years and has led on lowering maternal mortality rates, protecting reproductive freedoms, and ensuring economic opportunities for all. She will do an excellent job as president of the United States."
Harris also got a public statement of support from actor and Democratic fundraiser George Clooney, who had been a prominent Biden supporter but wrote an op-ed in The New York Times earlier in July urging Mr. Biden to end his campaign.
Harris said that she plans to "earn and win" the Democratic presidential nomination in a statement released shortly after Mr. Biden's announcement.
"I am honored to have the president's endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination," she said in the statement. "Over the past year, I have traveled across the country, talking with Americans about the clear choice in this momentous election. And that is what I will continue to do in the days and weeks ahead. I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party — and unite our nation — to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda."
Notable Democrats who haven't endorsed Harris yet
While most major Democratic figures announced their endorsements of Harris within the first few days of her campaign, Sen. Bernie Sanders, a former rival in the 2020 primaries, spoke to Harris after Mr. Biden decided not to run but stopped short of endorsing her. Sanders told CBS News' Robert Costa that he believed Harris would be the nominee but he wanted to make sure she focuses on the working class.
"What I want to see — because I want her to win — is to speak to the needs of people who have been forgotten for so many years," Sanders said.
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is a major Democratic donor, also held off on endorsing. On Monday, he wrote that choosing a candidate is "too important to rush, because the election is too important to lose."
"Democrats now have a chance for a fresh new start, and while some elected leaders and party officials make their endorsements, there are still four weeks before the party's more than 4,000 delegates convene in Chicago," Bloomberg posted on social media. "That is more than enough time for the party to take the pulse of voters, especially in battleground states, to determine who is best positioned to win in November and lead the country over the next four years."
