Harris secures enough votes to be Democratic nominee for president

Vice President Harris has passed the threshold needed to become the Democratic presidential nominee in a virtual roll call vote Friday.

“I am honored to be the presumptive Democratic nominee for President of the United States and I will tell you, the tireless work of our delegates, our state leaders, and our staff has been pivotal to making this moment possible,” Harris said Friday when she passed the threshold, adding that she will officially accept the nomination next week once the virtual voting period is closed.

The vice president secured the necessary required number of votes for the nomination less than two weeks since declaring her intent to run for the top of the 2024 ticket after President Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed her. Within days, she secured support from enough delegates to clinch the nomination.

The Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) virtual roll call vote started at 9 a.m. Thursday, and Harris ran for the nomination unopposed. DNC Chair Jamie Harrison announced Friday that Harris secured the nomination, which required receiving 2,350 votes.

“As chair of this great party, as chair of this party that is built on hope, I am so proud to confirm that Vice President Harris has earned more than a majority of votes from all convention delegates and will be the nominee of the Democratic Party following the close of voting on Monday,” he said.

“Just one day after we opened voting that the vice president has crossed the majority threshold and will officially be our nominee next week, folks that is outstanding,” he added.

She had earned 3,923 delegates as of Tuesday, when the DNC announced Harris was the only candidate to earn enough delegates to qualify for the virtual roll call.

She is the official nominee weeks before the Democratic National Convention in Chicago begins on Aug. 19. And, she is expected to name her running mate within the next few days before she travels with the pick to seven swing states next week, starting with a stop in Philadelphia on Tuesday.

The decision to hold a virtual roll call vote ahead of the convention stems from plans initially made to ensure Biden appeared on the ballot in Ohio, which had a deadline to certify the party’s presidential nominee before the convention. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) has since extended the key deadline in his state.