Democratic Party to undertake transparent process for presidential nomination: Harrison

Washington, July 22 (PTI) The Democratic Party will undertake a transparent and orderly process to move forward with the nomination of the new presidential candidate for the November general elections, its National Committee chair Jaime Harrison said after incumbent President Joe Biden ended his re-election campaign.

In a stunning decision on Sunday, Biden (81) announced that he was withdrawing from the race to be the next president in 2024 and endorsed Harris, who is of both Indian and African origin, as the Democratic Party's new nominee.

The Democratic National Committee convention is scheduled to start in Chicago on August 19, wherein nearly 4,000 delegates from across the country will gather to elect their candidate for the November general elections.

Biden had overwhelmingly won the party's primary and has more than 3,800 delegates in his kitty. While Biden's endorsement has made the task of Harris to gain party nomination a bit easier, it is not sealed till the time the delegates vote in her support.

Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have endorsed Harris' nomination as the Democratic Party's nominee for the presidential election. However, former President Barack Obama and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stopped short of endorsing Harris.

In a statement assuring the party support base of a transparent and fair process for nomination, DNC chair Harrison said, "The work that we must do now, while unprecedented, is clear. In the coming days, the party will undertake a transparent and orderly process to move forward as a united Democratic Party with a candidate who can defeat Donald Trump in November." "This process will be governed by established rules and procedures of the party. Our delegates are prepared to take seriously their responsibility in swiftly delivering a candidate to the American people," he said.

"Democrats are prepared and united in our resolve to win in November. As we move forward to formally select our party's nominee, our values as Democrats remain the same -- lowering costs, restoring freedom, protecting the rights of all people, and saving our democracy from the threat of dictatorship. We have and will continue to make this case to the American people," he said.

Harrison said the American people owe President Biden an enormous debt of gratitude for the unparalleled progress he has delivered over the last four years.

"We will honour that legacy and the decision that he has made today through a firm commitment to nominating and electing a Democratic president this November who will carry that torch into the next four years," he added.