I thought maybe the party would try for a white male…..
Nope….
The party, lock stock and barrel IS falling in line for Kamala Harris….
She seems to have ALREADY locked in the number of pledged delegates for the nomination…
Vice President Kamala Harris moved swiftly to assert herself as the de facto Democratic nominee for president on Monday as virtually every potential remaining rival bowed out and a majority of delegates endorsed her by the end of her first full day as a candidate, all but clearing her path to the nomination.
The Associated Press said late Monday that Ms. Harris had secured the backing of more than the 1,976 delegates needed to win the nomination in the first round of voting. The pledged support is not binding until the delegates cast their votes, which party officials said would take place between Aug. 1 and Aug. 7.
With barely more than 100 days until the election, Ms. Harris immediately pressed her case against former President Donald J. Trump during a visit to her new campaign headquarters, invoking her early career as a prosecutor who took on “predators” and “fraudsters.”
“Hear me when I say, I know Donald Trump’s type,” she said to cheers.
The vice president compared her day-old campaign to the civil rights and voting rights battles of the past, placing it on a continuum with “abolitionists and suffragettes.” And she said that Mr. Trump’s potential return would undo some of those victories and take the country backward…..
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Democratic Party Convention rules….
Delegates to the Democratic convention could begin voting on the party’s presidential and vice presidential nominees as early as next week, under a draft plan released Monday by the Democratic National Committee.
The proposal is scheduled to be taken up on Wednesday by members of the DNC’s Convention rules committee.
Such a timeline, if it were implemented, could result in Kamala Harris, President Joe Biden’s endorsed successor, selecting her running mate by the middle of next week.
Harris, who announced her own bid just 24 hours ago, has already effectively cleared the field of would-be challengers. She’s drawn a cascade of endorsements, from former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to every Democratic governor in the country, many of whom have their own national ambitions.
In a call with reporters Monday night, the DNC previewed their nomination rules, which they pledged would represent a “transparent, swift and orderly process,” said DNC Chair Jaime Harrison. The DNC committed to a virtual nomination process back in May, defending against any Republican-backed legal challenges that might keep them off the ballot, particularly in Ohio.
“We will deliver a presidential nominee by Aug. 7 of this year,” Harrison added.
The DNC laid out three qualifications to be considered for the nomination: A candidate must file a formal declaration of candidacy with the DNC, meet party and legal qualifications to be president and secure at least 300 delegate signatures, no more than 50 of whom come from one state delegation. The DNC said it would provide a delegate directory to those candidates who were interested in running for the nomination.
The nomination process, depending on how many candidates qualify, will be completed between Aug. 1 and Aug. 7.
“While this situation is unprecedented, the process we’re prepared to undertake is not,” Minyon Moore, the chair of next month’s convention in Chicago, said.
On selecting a vice presidential nominee, one DNC official left the door open to the presidential nominee’s “discretion,” when pressed by reporters.
The official said their rules would “allow for a vice presidential nominee on that timeframe,” with a nomination by Aug. 7, but “that is ultimately up to the presidential nominee,” the person said.
“There are a number of pathways that can be taken to meet ballot access deadlines, and it will be up to the presidential nominee to make sure that they are well-situated,” the official said…..
Black Woman for Harris…..
Within hours of President Joe Biden’s bombshell news Sunday that he would not run for reelection, tens of thousands of Black women across the country — including many in New York — launched an ambitious organizing effort for Vice President Kamala Harris.
State Attorney General Tish James and New York-based consultants Lupe Todd-Medina, Amelia Adams, Tyquana Henderson-Rivers and Rachel Noerdlinger were among the Empire State women on Sunday evening’s “Win With Black Women” virtual call, according to a list of names provided to POLITICO. The organization formed in 2020 to support Black female candidates for elected office.
Other New Yorkers on the Zoom included NAACP New York President Hazel Dukes, Brooklyn state Sen. Roxanne Persaud, Long Island Assemblymember Michaelle Solages, Higher Heights for America PAC president Glynda Carr and Planned Parenthood CEO Alexis McGill Johnson.
Tens of thousands of participants joined the call, raising $1.5 million, according to a social media post and a participant granted anonymity to share details about what was meant to be an off-record gathering. And they provided strategy memos and talking points as they coalesce behind a candidate who could be the nation’s first female president.
“We need to defend our sister everywhere,” read the meeting notes obtained by POLITICO. “It is a ‘thing’ to have MAGA world chasing you.”
The strategy memo directed attendees to defend against Project 2025 — an expansive policy document written with input from Donald Trump’s former advisers — urged them to persuade Democratic Party delegates to sign a pledge endorsing Harris and highlighted Harris’ best attributes. One of her advantages, per the memo, is the face time she got with foreign leaders as VP……
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Democratic Governors….
Harris quickly cleared the deck on Monday of Democratic governors who were seen as potential challengers for the now-open nomination. Several of them are now being viewed as her potential running mates.
Some governors are hustling to prove their loyalty to the likely new party standard-bearer. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy told Harris earlier today that “we’ll do whatever it takes” to get her elected and plans to lead a call tonight with the state’s Democratic National Convention delegates to deliver them for the vice president. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear also got his state’s delegates on board. And Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she will co-chair Harris’ campaign (and that she’s not interested in VP)…..
Will Obama’s David Plouffee be brought on board?
David Plouffe, a leading adviser to former President Barack Obama, has been approached by allies of Vice President Kamala Harris to join a hybrid team of consultants at the top of her organizational chart, according to two people familiar with the outreach.
Plouffe’s admirers are encouraging him to accept a position in the Harris campaign, believing she needs more proven hands who offer a voice from outside both the Biden and Harris orbits. The addition of Plouffe to Harris’ team would immediately inject A-list talent in the most senior ranks of the operation as they work to reintroduce Harris and ensure she’s on solid footing ahead of her biggest first decision: whom to select as her vice presidential nominee…..
image…Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday visited her campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Del., which just a day earlier had been the Biden-Harris office.Credit…Erin Schaff/The New York Times
This post updated 7/22/2024 10:36PM ET