US Vice President Kamala Harris has said she will seek the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination for the November election, according to news agencies.
She added that she will do everything in her power to defeat Republican nominee Donald Trump. She thanked President Joe Biden, who today announced his withdrawal from the re-election campaign, for his support. She described his decision as patriotic and selfless.
“I am honored by the president’s endorsement and intend to earn and receive this nomination,” Harris said in a written statement. She also vowed to do everything in her power to unite the Democratic Party and the United States and defeat Trump and his “extreme program”.
“Together we will fight. And together we will win,” she said.
Biden said shortly after announcing his resignation that Harris was in the running for the White House his full support. According to him, the decision to choose Harris as his vice presidential candidate in 2020 was the “best one he made.”
The 59-year-old Harris would become the first black woman in the country’s history to lead a major party candidate for president of the United States, Reuters reported. According to her, it is not clear whether other high-ranking members of the party will now challenge Harris to the race for the Democratic nomination. In addition to her, in recent days there have been speculations about California Governor Gavin Newsom, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer or Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg as possible candidates for the nomination.
About the new presidential nomination will be decided by almost 4,700 delegates at the party convention, which is scheduled to take place from August 19 to 22. To win the nomination, a candidate needs to secure the votes of a majority of delegates. If none of the candidates succeeded, the delegates would begin negotiations with the party leadership. According to Reuters, several rounds of voting may be needed before one of the candidates receives the support of a majority of delegates.
The question also remains what will happen to the funds collected for Biden’s election campaign, which amounted to 91 million dollars (more than two billion CZK) at the end of May. Because Harris appears in campaign documents, many experts believe that money could be transferred to her if she wins the presidential nomination, writes Reuters.
The 81-year-old Biden has faced pressure from within his Democratic Party in recent weeks to withdraw from the race for the White House in connection with his poor performance in the June debate with Trump. It raised questions about his health and his ability to handle a demanding position for years to come.
Source: zpravy.tiscali.cz
