Harris says she intends ‘to earn and win this nomination’ after Biden drops out

Vice President Harris on Sunday said she intends to earn and win the Democratic presidential nomination after President Biden stunningly dropped out of the race and endorsed her as his successor.

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

“Over the past year, I have traveled across the country, talking with 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,” she added.

Biden withdrew from the 2024 race earlier on Sunday, announcing he will no longer seek another four years in office. He then endorsed Harris as the Democratic Party’s nominee after not initially endorsing her in his letter announcing he was dropping out.

The vice president thanked Biden for his decades of service and said his “remarkable legacy of accomplishment is unmatched in modern American history.” She called his decision to back out of the race a “selfless and patriotic act” and she recalled first getting to know Biden through his late son, Beau, who was an attorney general with Harris.

“We have 107 days until Election Day. Together, we will fight. And together, we will win,” Harris said.

Allies of former President Trump went on the attack against Harris immediately on Sunday after Biden endorsed her.

“Kamala Harris is just as much of a joke as Biden is. Harris will be even WORSE for the people of our Nation than Joe Biden,” Trump campaign senior advisers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles wrote in a memo. 

Biden’s full support for Harris to be at the top of the ticket gives Democrats a clear successor with weeks to go before the convention, but her becoming the nominee is not inevitable.

Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison on Sunday said that the party will go forward this week with selecting a nominee, not mentioning Harris specifically in his statement.

“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,” he said. “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.”

Harris has been a staunch supporter of Biden amid the political fallout since his dismal debate performance last month that led to calls from around 30 Democrats for him to step aside. She continued on the campaign trail, most recently campaigning in North Carolina, and has been a leading voice out of the Biden administration on reproductive rights issues this campaign cycle.

Updated 4:24 p.m.