US Vice-President Kamala Harris has officially clinched the Democratic presidential nomination after surpassing the required delegate threshold in a vote of party delegates.
In a phone statement, Ms. Harris expressed her honor at being the presumptive nominee as the virtual roll call continues ahead of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago later this month.
Ms. Harris makes history as the first Black woman and first South Asian woman to lead a major US political party’s White House bid. Should she defeat Republican nominee Donald Trump in November, she would become America’s first female president.
Her path to the nomination was uncontested following President Joe Biden’s decision to step aside last month, swiftly endorsing Ms. Harris. Several potential challengers followed his example.
On Friday afternoon, Ms. Harris officially secured the nomination after gaining the support of 2,350 delegates, meeting the required threshold.
“We believe in the promise of America, and that’s what this campaign is about,” Ms. Harris remarked by phone as she crossed the benchmark. “We are in this, we are on the road, and it’s not going to be easy, but we’re going to get this done.”
In total, Democrats have reported that 3,923 delegates—representing 99% of participants—plan to vote for her. The roll call, which began on Thursday, will conclude on Monday.
Traditionally, presidential and vice-presidential nominees are confirmed at their party conventions. However, the relatively late date of the 2024 DNC risks conflicting with state ballot access laws.
Ms. Harris, 59, was born in Oakland, California, and is the first Democratic nominee in the party’s nearly 200-year history to hail from a western state. She ascended through state politics, serving as San Francisco District Attorney, California Attorney General, and then as a US Senator.
Before stepping down, Mr. Biden had easily won the Democratic primary, facing little opposition despite concerns about his age, and had secured the support of 99% of pledged DNC delegates. However, following a poor debate performance against Trump in June, pressure within the party for Mr. Biden to withdraw intensified.
The decision to conduct a virtual nominating process ahead of the 19-22 August convention was made while Mr. Biden was still the presumptive nominee. This decision was driven by Ohio’s ballot access rules, which require that candidates for the November ballot be formally selected 90 days before the election—by August 7.
Although Republican leaders in Ohio had warned they would enforce the law, lawmakers eventually created an exemption, as they have done in the past. However, Democrats chose to hold an early roll call to avoid any risks of their candidates being excluded from the ballot.
Delegates are not required to vote on the vice-presidential pick, and Ms. Harris is expected to announce her running mate by Monday.
