Kamala Harris is now in a bright spotlight as she fights to secure the Democratic presidential nod

Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris is being thrust into the most scrutinizing of spotlights, suddenly the leading candidate to succeed President Joe Biden as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee and her party’s main hope of defeating Republican Donald Trump.

She spoke multiple times with Biden on Sunday, according to people familiar with the conversations – a day after Biden huddled with his closest aides in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, as he began to conclude that he would end his reelection bid. About two hours after the surprise Sunday announcement from Biden, Harris released her own statement, making it clear she knew the nomination would not just be handed to her.

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

Then Harris quickly got to work. She spent much of Sunday afternoon calling Democratic elected officials and delegates as she worked to lock up her party’s nomination. One call was with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. Another was with Congressional Hispanic Caucus chairwoman Nanette Barragan, who emphasized that she was “all in” behind the vice president and urged donations on her behalf.

Barragán said she was caught in a moment of both sadness and excitement as she digested the news of Biden’s withdrawal. But in her call with Harris, the vice president stressed to her: “We’re in this to win it.”

Harris also communicated that she preferred to forego a virtual roll call for the nomination process and instead hold a process that adheres to regular order.

“This is the moment for us to unite and coalesce around the vice president and focus around Donald Trump,” Barragán said.

Harris also spoke with Rep. Annie Kuster, who leads the New Democrat Coalition, an influential bloc of center-left lawmakers. Kuster endorsed Harris on Sunday afternoon.

Notably, a handful of men who had already been discussed as potential running mates for Harris -– Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly –- also swiftly issued statements endorsing her. Aides to Shapiro and Cooper confirmed that Harris spoke with them Sunday afternoon. In her brief call with Cooper, the North Carolina governor told Harris that he was backing her to be the Democratic nominee, according to Cooper spokeswoman Sadie Weiner.

Harris also quickly won endorsements from the leadership of several influential caucuses and political organizations, including the AAPI Victory Fund, which focuses on Asian American and Pacific Islander voters, The Collective PAC, focused on building Black political power, and the Latino Victory Fund. While some Democrats remained silent on whom they want for a nominee, many others said the party should immediately assemble behind Harris, wanting to move past the painful, public deliberations that have marked the weeks since the July 27 Biden-Trump debate.

“Joe Biden is a great American, and we all owe him our immense gratitude for his service to our country as president, vice president, and senator,” Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., said. “There is no better person than Vice President Harris for him to pass the baton to.”

But there were early signs that she may not be alone in the Democratic race. West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, who left the party earlier this year to become an independent, is considering re-registering as a Democrat to vie for the nomination against the vice president, according to Jonathan Kott, a longtime adviser to Manchin.

Harris had also yet to consolidate the party’s top heavyweights behind her. While former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton endorsed her even before she had commented on Biden’s decision to quit the race, former President Barack Obama held off, merely pledging support behind the eventual party nominee.

Sunday evening, Harris issued her first fundraising email that declared: “I am running to be President of the United States.”

“It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve alongside our Commander-in-Chief, my friend, President Joe Biden — one of the finest public servants we will ever know,” she wrote in the solicitation. “And I am honored to have his support and endorsement. And I am eager to run on the record of what Joe and I have accomplished together.”

The campaign dollars were already coming in for Harris. The Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue said Sunday night that as of 9 p.m. Eastern time, small-dollar donors had contributed nearly $47 million since Harris announced her candidacy.

“Grassroots supporters are energized and excited to support her as the Democratic nominee,” the group said on X, the social media site.

But as she works to consolidate the party behind her, Harris still has her day job – at a time when Biden has been sidelined due to a bout with COVID-19. Harris will host an event on the South Lawn of the White House on Monday with sports teams from across the country that won NCAA championships this year, and is slated to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit to Washington later this week. Harris also has a previously scheduled campaign swing to Milwaukee on Tuesday.

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AP White House correspondent Zeke Miller, and writers Marc Levy and Stephen Groves contributed to this report.