President Joe Biden endorses Kamala Harris after dropping out of 2024 presidential race
With President Joe Biden ending his reelection bid and endorsing Kamala Harris as the nominee, citing the best interests of the party and the country, Harris has become the likely candidate to replace him, while Biden will remain in office until January 20, 2025.
More and more top Democrats are endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as the party's nominee in the race for the White House hours after President Joe Biden announced he would step down.
But not every Democrat praising President Biden has offered Harris an endorsement. Democratic Sens. Jon Tester of Montana and Peter Welch of Vermont stopped short of throwing their support behind Harris. Welch said in an interview with The Associated Press that he thinks the party needs to "take a little pause and express our appreciation for the president."
"We have to be making our decisions first and foremost about who can best represent us so we can defeat Trump," Welch said.
Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also said that Democrats shouldn’t automatically anoint Harris as their new nominee.
Kennedy said that Democrats seem to be doing so "because it’s the easiest way to hold onto the money." Not opening up the nomination process, Kennedy warned, would "discredit the process."
Here are the endorsements Harris has gained so far:
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., held a press conference at Senate Democrats' campaign headquarters on Tuesday amid mounting speculation over whether they would endorse Harris.
"Now that the process has played out from the grassroots bottom up, we are here today to throw our support behind Vice President Kamala Harris," Schumer said.
U.S. Representative Nancy Pelosi
U.S. Representative Nancy Pelosi announced Monday that she is endorsing Harris.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said Monday that Harris had his full support.
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic presidential nominee in a social media post Monday morning.
He said he believed Harris was "the most qualified and capable person to be president."
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said on Monday she was "fired up" to endorse Kamala Harris for president.
Rep. Annie Kuster of New Hampshire
Rep. Annie Kuster of New Hampshire is the chair of the New Democrat Coalition, a moderate caucus on Capitol Hill, and endorsed Harris Sunday.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who's also faced speculation that he could be a front-runner for the Democratic presidential candidate, shared his support of Harris Sunday evening.
"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, " he said.
Bill and Hillary Clinton
Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced Sunday that they are endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for the Democratic nomination for president after President Biden said he would not seek re-election.
In a statement, the Clintons said Biden "has capped his extraordinary career of service with a Presidency that has lifted America out of an unprecedented pandemic, created millions of new jobs, rebuilt a battered economy, strengthened our democracy, and restored our standing in the world. By any measure, he has advanced our founders’ charge to build a more perfect union and his own stated goal of restoring the soul of our nation."
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California Rep. Adam Schiff
California Rep. Adam Schiff also threw his nod to Harris.
"I am excited to endorse @KamalaHarris for President, and give her my full support!" he tweeted.
Gabrielle Giffords
Former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords is also supporting Harris.
"I am proud to endorse @KamalaHarris’s historic candidacy for President of the United States," she posted. "She will make a great president, and her strong, steadfast leadership will save lives. Mark and I will do everything we can to ensure she is elected in November."
Harris: Intend to win Democratic nomination
Vice President Harris released a statement Sunday, saying she's "honored" to have President Biden's endorsement and "my intention is to earn and win this nomination." It comes after Biden said he's dropping out of the 2024 race.
Rep. James Clyburn
Clyburn, a co-chair of Biden’s campaign, said Biden showed good judgment in choosing a running mate who "possessed the values and vision necessary." He said he was proud to follow Biden’s lead in supporting Harris.
Clyburn also heaped praise on Biden and said he "improved the lives of countless Americans through his selfless service," and thanked him for "his unparagoned leadership."
Congressional Black Caucus
The Congressional Black Caucus also, through its political action committee, gave its support to Harris as the next Democratic nominee. The Black caucus had stood by Biden since the debate last month even as many other Democrats called for him to step aside.
President Joe Biden
The president — intent on serving out the remainder of his term in office — quickly endorsed Harris to take on Trump and encouraged his party to unite behind her, making her the party’s instant favorite for the nomination at its August convention in Chicago.
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Harris, in a statement, praised Biden’s "selfless and patriotic act" and said she intends to "earn and win" her party’s nomination.
"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," she said.
FOX News and the Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was reported from Los Angeles.
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