Biden endorses Harris as Democratic nominee after ending his candidacy

President Biden on Sunday endorsed Vice President Harris to become the Democratic Party’s nominee as he announced he would not seek reelection, giving her a significant boost as Democrats determine what comes next in the wake of Biden’s seismic decision.

“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,” Biden posted on the social platform X. “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.

“Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this,” he added.

Biden’s decision to back his vice president gives Harris a clear edge to replace Biden atop the ticket in November.

Harris said later Sunday she was honored to receive the endorsement from Biden and that she intends to “earn and win” the Democratic presidential nomination. Harris and Biden spoke multiple times on Sunday ahead of the president’s announcement to drop out, a source familiar with the matter told The Hill.

In the hours after Biden announced he was stepping aside, a flood of Democratic lawmakers said they were backing Harris to replace him at the top of the ticket. 

Influential voices like Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), head of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, all said they supported Harris as the next nominee. So did Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), who faces a tough reelection fight in November.

Some prominent Democrats did not immediately back Harris as their party’s nominee.

Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and former President Obama all stopped short of endorsing Harris, with Obama calling for party leaders “to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges.”

Some Democrats, including Pelosi, have reportedly suggested some kind of contest would strengthen a new Democratic nominee, and that it would be wise for the party to avoid anything perceived as a backroom deal or coronation.

Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), who was the first lawmaker to call for Biden to step aside, said the party should be open to any candidate.

Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison on Sunday said that the party will go forward this week with selecting a nominee, not mentioning Harris specially in a statement that said there will be “a transparent and orderly process” in the days ahead to replace Biden.

Harris has several clear advantages over any potential rivals.

She was on the ticket that won in 2020 and the one that received millions of votes in primaries this year; she has been campaigning for months in swing states; she has been the face of the campaign’s push around abortion access; and she is the only other candidate who could access the $91 million financial war chest the Biden-Harris campaign has amassed.

Several lawmakers had publicly said they would support Harris as the nominee if Biden were to step aside. And there would likely be political backlash if the party skipped over the first woman and first woman of color elected vice president in favor of another candidate. 

It’s unclear if anyone will challenge Harris for the nomination, or if Democrats will push for an open convention or a rapid primary where candidates can make their case to the public before the Democratic National Convention begins Aug. 19 in Chicago.

Harris and her team are clearly seeking to rev up their efforts and cut off any potential challenges by amassing key endorsements. Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) said his office had already heard from Harris and that her operation was “fully activated.”

Harris is not without her flaws. Her 2020 presidential campaign flopped after significant hype, beset by internal problems and an inability to develop a winning message. Harris dropped out before the Iowa caucuses in 2020.

Republicans have already previewed a line of attack they will use against Harris, labeling her the “border czar” over her work on addressing root causes of migration from Central America. And they will aggressively tie her to issues like inflation that have hamstrung the Biden administration for months.

The Trump campaign and its allies wasted no time on Sunday going on offense against Harris, and two clear lines of attack quickly emerged: Republicans would tie Harris closely to Biden’s record on inflation and the border, and they would accuse Harris of being complicit in a “cover up” of Biden’s declining mental acuity.

“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. “Harris has been the Enabler in Chief for Crooked Joe this entire time. They own each other’s records, and there is no distance between the two. Harris must defend the failed Biden Administration AND her liberal, weak-on-crime record in [California].”

Make America Great Again Inc., the main super PAC supporting former President Trump’s 2024 campaign, said Sunday it was launching ads attacking Harris that would air in Pennsylvania, Georgia and Arizona.

There has been a smattering of polls available showing whether Harris would fare better than Biden in a head-to-head match-up against Trump, but with mixed results. 

An NBC News survey published Sunday found Trump ahead of Biden by 2 percentage points, 45 percent support to 43 percent, and ahead of Harris by 2 points, 47-45 percent. A New York Times/Siena College poll found Harris running slightly better than Biden in Pennsylvania and Virginia, both states Democrats need to win.

Mychael Schnell contributed.

This story was first posted at 2:20 p.m. and last updated at 5:30 p.m.