Kamala Harris wins enough support to clinch the Democratic nomination
Vice President Kamala Harris has won the support of a majority of Democratic delegates to become the party’s presidential nominee.
An Associated Press survey said Monday night that she had received the support of more than the 1,976 delegates needed to win the nomination in the first round of voting.
That means Ms Harris is on track to become the party’s standard-bearer and face Republican candidate Donald Trump in November’s presidential election.
The decision will be made official when party delegates hold a roll call vote ahead of next month’s Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago.
Delegates are people elected to represent their constituencies. Their pledge of support is non-binding until voted on but cannot be changed.
No one has publicly challenged Ms Harris since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race on Sunday.
He found himself under increasing pressure from senior members of his party after a poor debate performance with Trump.
If the vote totals hold between now and the delegates’ vote, which is expected to take place between August 1 and 7, Ms Harris will officially win the party’s nomination.
The AP poll found growing support for Ms Harris after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race on Sunday.
Since Biden’s announcement, millions of dollars in donations have poured into her campaign and top Democrats have lined up to back her as the Democratic nominee.
Ms Harris is scheduled to appear in the key swing state of Wisconsin on Tuesday, at a rally in Milwaukee, marking her first campaign event since Mr Biden announced his support for his running mate.
Meanwhile, Mr Biden will return to the White House after a period of isolation due to Covid-19. He is expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week, during the other leader’s visit to Washington.
Ms Harris will meet Mr Netanyahu privately, but an aide to the vice-president told the BBC that a previously scheduled event meant she would not be able to preside over Mr Netanyahu’s planned speech to a joint session of Congress.
Speaking to staff at her campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, on Monday night, Harris took aim at Trump.
Referring to her early career as a prosecutor in California dealing with predators and fraudsters, she added: “I know the type of person Donald Trump is.”
The Biden-Harris campaign has always revolved around two different versions of the country’s future, she said — theirs and Trump’s.
“One side is focused on the future, the other side is focused on the past,” she said. “Donald Trump wants to take our country backwards… we believe in a brighter future, with opportunity for all Americans.”
She also noted Mr Biden’s accomplishments, saying her time as his vice president was “one of the greatest honours of my life”.
Before Ms Harris took the stage, Mr Biden made his first comments since dropping out of the 2024 race via a phone call while in quarantine after contracting Covid-19.
He thanked his aides and told them to “accept” Ms Harris because “she is the best”.
“I know yesterday’s news was surprising and difficult for you to hear, but it was the right thing to do,” Mr. Biden told them.
He vowed to continue to fully participate in the campaign for democracy under threat.
Meanwhile, Trump’s new vice presidential nominee, Senator JD Vance, attacked both Ms Harris and Mr Biden while campaigning in Virginia.
“History will remember Joe Biden not just as a quitter, but as one of the worst presidents in American history,” he said.
“But my friends, Kamala Harris is a million times worse and everyone knows it. She signed up for every single one of Joe Biden’s failures, and she lied about his mental fitness to be president.”
