Vice President Harris formally secured the Democratic presidential nomination late Monday following a virtual roll call vote in which almost all the party’s delegates backed her.
Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Jaime Harrison and Democratic National Convention Chair Minyon Moore said in a statement that at the conclusion of the nearly weeklong virtual voting period, Harris had received 99 percent of the votes of all delegates who participated.
“With the support of 99% of all participating delegates in the virtual roll call, Vice President Harris has historic momentum at her back as we embark on the final steps in officially certifying her as our Party’s nominee,” Harrison and Moore said.
Harris was the only candidate whose name was in contention for the nomination after President Biden ended his reelection bid late last month. DNC rules allowed any candidate to compete for the nomination if they received the electronic signatures of at least 300 of the more than 4,000 delegates, but Harris was the only one who received it.
She quickly consolidated support after throwing her hat in the ring for the nomination soon after Biden stepped aside, with enough a majority of delegates publicly declaring their support for her by the end of the next day after she launched her candidacy. She passed the threshold of delegates needed in the virtual roll call Friday.
Her rise has included a surge in the polls to narrow the gap with former President Trump and take a slight lead in certain cases. She has also seen a massive fundraising haul in just the first few weeks of her candidacy.
The total number of delegates voting for Harris is 4,567.
Harris’s victory will make her the first woman of color to become a major party presidential nominee in U.S. history.
The DNC said the next step for the nominating process will be convention Secretary Jason Rae certifying the roll call and Harris, along with her running mate, accepting the nomination. A “celebratory” roll call will take place at the Democratic convention in Chicago later this month.
“As we prepare to certify the nomination alongside Convention Secretary Rae, we know that we are all a part of an important piece of history,” Harrison and Moore said. “Soon, it will be time to come together in Chicago, where we will celebrate together and make clear to the American people that the Democratic Party is the party of freedom, of democracy, of rights, and of the people.”