Kamala Harris crossed the threshold to secure the Democratic nomination for U.S. presidential election on Monday evening, propelled by state delegations, following endorsements from potential rivals, lawmakers, governors, and key labor and advocacy groups.
According to CNN's delegate estimate, Harris has garnered well over the 1,976 pledged delegates required to clinch the nomination on the first ballot—a milestone reached on the first full day of her campaign.
An Associated Press survey also said Harris had the support of well more than the 1,976 delegates by Monday evening.
With no significant challengers emerging after President Joe Biden's exit from the race and his subsequent endorsement of Harris, the primary question remaining for the 2024 Democratic ticket is Harris's choice for a running mate.
Harris, scheduled to hold a campaign event in Milwaukee on Tuesday, delivered a powerful speech at the campaign headquarters in Delaware, cementing her position as the party's standard-bearer.
She assured the staff from the Biden-led campaign that they would remain on board and confirmed that campaign chair Jen O'Malley Dillon and campaign manager Julie Chávez Rodríguez would stay in their roles.
In her speech, Harris targeted Donald Trump, referencing his numerous scandals and legal troubles, and highlighted her background as a district attorney and California attorney general.
"I took on perpetrators of all kinds," she said.
"Predators who abused women, fraudsters who ripped off consumers, cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain. So hear me when I say, I know Donald Trump's type."
Harris's first day as a candidate saw an impressive fundraising haul of $81 million, the campaign reported on Monday, marking the largest 24-hour fundraising record for any candidate ever.
This record-breaking sum reflected grassroots enthusiasm for a change in the Democratic 2024 ticket, with over 880,000 "grassroots supporters" contributing, 60% of whom were making their first donations of the 2024 cycle.
ActBlue, the Democratic donation-processing platform, declared it "the biggest fundraising day of the 2024 cycle."
The Democratic super PAC Future Forward secured $150 million in commitments from donors within 24 hours of Biden's announcement, according to a senior aide. These commitments came from previously uncommitted or unsure donors.
The flood of endorsements for Harris accelerated on Capitol Hill, with over 40 Democratic senators and nearly 100 House members supporting her as of Monday morning.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement on Monday afternoon expressing her "enthusiastic support for Kamala Harris for President."
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the highest-ranking Democrats in each chamber, are expected to endorse Harris soon.
