House Dems insist primary is 'open' despite rushing to coronate Kamala Harris
House Democrats are insisting that anyone is free to jump into their 2024 presidential primary — but suggest challenging Vice President Kamala Harris is a futile effort.
"The convention delegates can vote for whomever they choose once they're released. That means anybody who wants to can and should offer themselves — Vice President Harris has offered herself. So far, the only other person who speculated that he might do it is former Democratic, now independent, Senator Manchin, and then he took it back, so it’s open," Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Mich., told Fox News Digital.
When asked if another Democrat jumping into the race just weeks before their nominating convention would hurt the party’s momentum, Kildee answered, "No, I don't think so. I think she'll more than likely be a first-ballot nominee, for good reason."
Ex-House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., was blunter in his assessment of the situation.
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"Woah woah woah woah woah woah. I thought Kamala Harris was on the ballot," he told a reporter who asked if he had concerns about the lack of a primary. "I thought Kamala Harris was on the ballot to be the president if the president couldn't serve. She was on the ballot. It was Biden-Harris."
Harris confirmed she would seek the presidency on Sunday after President Biden made the bombshell announcement that he’s dropping out of the race. Biden has endorsed her, along with a host of Democratic leaders, including former President Clinton and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
Pelosi said when asked if she supported an open process, "Anybody can run. They can run."
More than 150 House Democrats have endorsed her as of Monday, according to multiple counts.
But with the rush to get behind Harris, Republicans have accused Democrats of staging a coup to replace an 81-year-old candidate who was trailing former President Trump in the polls.
Several House Democrats who spoke with Fox News Digital, however, said anyone was free to jump into the race but denied a challenger would derail Harris’ and Democrats’ momentum.
"You’re seeing Democrats coalesce around Vice President Harris. I have endorsed her. Ultimately, in order to have a primary, you have to have a challenger. No one is challenging her," said Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla. "And so right now it is an open process, right? You've seen potential people come out who could run and they're endorsing her. And so that is the open process that's happening."
When asked if he would advise potential challengers to stay out, he said, "I'm not discouraging anything but these people, right, folks at a high level, governors, senators…they're not saying they're gonna throw their hat in the ring, they're endorsing Vice President Harris because they also think she's the best person for the job. So it's tough to say ‘We want to process’ when right now you don't even have a challenger."
The top Democrats on the Education and Homeland Security Committees, Reps. Bobby Scott, D-Va., and Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., both insisted the primary was open but agreed Harris would most likely be the nominee after the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in August.
Scott said, "It is open, but nobody's running. And frankly, I don't see much point, I mean, you've got about 150 members of the Democratic caucus already endorsed, delegations…The delegates are Biden-Harris delegates. Where are they going to go?"
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Thompson said her likely victory "cements her strength" among Democrats even if she does face a challenger.
"If you had an open primary, I'm not sure who's…left to compete with her," said Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., pointing out the significant number of Democrats endorsing her in just 24 hours since she took up Biden’s mantle.
Harris has indeed scored support from a wide array of House Democratic factions, including the Congressional Black Caucus and Progressive Caucus. But some lawmakers who have been critical of the Biden administration — like Reps. Jared Golden, D-Maine, and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., have been notably silent.
Biden announced he was dropping out of the presidential race after mounting pressure from fellow Democrats who were worried he was not mentally or physically fit to campaign again, and that such debates were a distraction from the left’s overall campaign against Trump.