On Tuesday, Majority Leader in the US Senate Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries announced their support for Vice President Kamala Harris to run for president.
The two Democratic leaders officially endorsed Harris at a press conference held in the Capitol Building on Tuesday.
Schumer stated, “Today is a great and exciting day for the Democratic Party and this nation. We are filled with excitement, passion, and unity.”
Jeffries echoed his support, adding that Harris is “ready, willing, and able to lead us into the future.”
President Biden announced his withdrawal from the race on Sunday and endorsed Harris as his successor. Over the past two days, the current Vice President has garnered support from many Democrats and has secured enough delegate votes to win the party’s nomination. However, Schumer and Jeffries, as leaders of the Democratic Party in both houses of Congress, had not previously made their stance known. On Tuesday, they explained that their delay in endorsing was to avoid making the nomination process appear as a coronation.
During the press conference, Schumer said, “When I spoke with her on Sunday, she expressed her desire to have the opportunity to win the nomination on her own merits, starting from the grassroots and not top-down. Hakim and I deeply respect that.”
“Now, the process has started from the grassroots, from the bottom up, and we are here today to support Vice President Kamala Harris,” Schumer added.
Schumer and Jeffries had been waiting to have a face-to-face conversation with Harris. In a statement on Monday, they praised Harris and her campaign, stating that she has had a “solid start” and expressing their anticipation for a meeting with her “immediately as we work together to unite the Democratic Party and this nation.”
On Monday, former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi also announced her support for Harris. Earlier, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, House Majority Whip Katherine Clark, House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, as well as other significant figures in both chambers of Congress, had already endorsed Harris. Party heavyweights like former President Bill and Hillary Clinton have also declared their support for Harris’s presidential bid.
In the past 48 hours, Harris has experienced a surge in fundraising. According to her campaign team, they raised over $100 million from Sunday afternoon to Monday night, with more than 1.1 million individual donors contributing during this period.