Many Democrats quickly rallied to support Vice President Kamala Harris in her bid for the presidency against Donald Trump following the unexpected withdrawal of current President Joe Biden from the race. However, some powerful party members, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have remained silent. After weeks of debate among Democrats over whether Biden (81 years old) should stay in the race, the urgency to show support for Harris is critical with just over 100 days until the November elections. Nonetheless, there is significant uncertainty within the Democratic Party about Harris's ability to defeat Trump in November.
Biden himself endorsed Harris, not in his initial resignation message, but in a separate statement. He was quickly followed by a strong bloc of Black lawmakers in Congress, several major donors, and legislators including Senator Patty Murray, along with major political action committees like (Priorities USA) and (Unite America). Biden stated on the social media platform X, "Today I want to give my full support and endorsement to Kamala to be our party's nominee this year. Democrats, it’s time to unite and defeat Trump. Let’s do this."
Dmitri Melhorn, an advisor to Reid Hoffman, the founder of LinkedIn and a key Democratic donor, described Harris as the "embodiment of the American dream," noting that she is the daughter of immigrants. He added, "She also embodies resilience, having risen from my hometown of Oakland, California, to become the state’s first attorney general. With Scranton Joe (Biden) stepping aside, I can’t wait to help elect President Harris."
However, others, including Pelosi, thanked Biden for his patriotism but have yet to throw their support behind Harris or any other candidate. Former President Barack Obama praised Biden's decision to withdraw from the presidential race. Obama refrained from endorsing Harris as the Democratic presidential candidate, expressing confidence that Democratic leaders would establish a mechanism to select a prominent nominee.
Senator Peter Welch, the first Democrat to call for Biden to withdraw from seeking another term, advocated for an open process to nominate Harris. He stated that Democrats should have "an open process so that our nominee, whoever that may be, including Kamala, has the strength needed to conduct a process that reflects the party's agreed-upon stance. The debate in the Democratic Party is about who can carry on President Biden's legacy and defeat Trump."
