Honoured by Biden's endorsement, aim to defeat Trump in November: Kamala Harris

Washington, July 22 (PTI) US Vice President Kamala Harris, endorsed by Joe Biden to be a new Democratic presidential nominee, has said that she intends to "earn and win" the nomination of the party and "do everything in my power" to unite the nation to defeat her Republican rival Donald Trump in November.

Harris, who received Biden’s support to become the next Democratic presidential nominee after he quit the race for the White House, is poised to become the first Black woman and first Asian American to lead the ticket of a major American political party.

Harris, 59, said she was “honoured” to receive Biden’s endorsement and intends to “earn and win” the nomination of the Democratic Party.

“I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination,” she said in a statement.

The historic endorsement came after Biden, 81, announced Sunday that he is dropping out of the race following weeks of disarray within the Democratic Party. Biden's disastrous first presidential debate with his Republican rival and former president Trump called into question his ability to win a second term and govern for another four years.

Despite Biden's backing, it remains unclear whether Harris will become the nominee, or what process the Democratic Party would take to select an alternative.

Democratic National Committee chairman Jaime Harrison said in a statement that 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.” Though Biden's endorsement almost seals her position as the presidential nominee of her party, Harris still needs to get elected by the party's delegates during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next month.

Biden has won 3,896 delegates as against 1,976 required to win the party's presidential nomination.

In a move that would give her access to the campaign funds, the Biden-Harris campaign amended filings with the Federal Election Commission to rename its principal committee and declare Harris a candidate for president.

"I am honoured to have the President's endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination," said Harris, who has been serving as US' first female, first Black and first South Asian vice president since 2021.

Harris immediately secured the endorsement of former president Bill Clinton, thus making it a bit easier for her to win the delegate battle during the Democratic National Convention beginning on August 19.

"On behalf of the American people, I thank Joe Biden for his extraordinary leadership as President of the United States and for his decades of service to our country," she said.

Harris said over the past year, she has travelled across the country, talking to Americans about the clear choice in this momentous election.

"And that is what I will continue to do in the days and weeks ahead. I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party -- and unite our nation-- to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda... We have 107 days until Election Day. Together, we will fight. And together, we will win," she said.

Meanwhile, the “overwhelming majority” of state Democratic Party chairs have announced their support for Vice President Harris as their nominee for president, the Association of State Democratic Committees (ASDC) said in a statement on Sunday.

“I am proud that state party chairs, vice-chairs, and executive directors across the country are overwhelmingly uniting behind Vice President Kamala Harris,” ASDC President Ken Martin said in a statement.

Bill Clinton and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton quickly endorsed Harris to be the nominee. "We've lived through many ups and downs, but nothing has made us more worried for our country than the threat posed by a second Trump term," they said in a joint statement.

"He has promised to be a dictator on day one, and the recent ruling by his servile Supreme Court will only embolden him to further shred the Constitution. Now is the time to support Kamala Harris and fight with everything we've got to elect her," the Clintons said.

However, former president Barack Obama and ex-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have not yet endorsed Harris as the Democratic Party's nominee for the November 5 general elections.

"We will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead. But I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges," Obama said in a statement.

In her statement, Harris thanked Biden on behalf of the country's people for his extraordinary leadership and said, "His remarkable legacy of accomplishment is unmatched in modern American history, surpassing the legacy of many Presidents who have served two terms in office." "It is a profound honour to serve as his vice president, and I am deeply grateful to the President, Dr Biden, and the entire Biden family. I first came to know President Biden through his son Beau. We were friends from our days working together as Attorneys General of our home states," she said.

With this selfless and patriotic act, President Biden is doing what he has done throughout his life of service: putting the American people and the country above everything else, she added.

Earlier, Biden announced that he has decided not to contest the presidential election.

"My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term. My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it's been the best decision I've made," Biden said.

Such a decision from Biden comes amid a visible deterioration in his health. The president is currently in self-isolation at his Delaware residence after he tested positive with COVID-19.

Biden said he will speak to the nation later this week in more detail about his decision.