(CN) — Vice President Kamala Harris has already begun her presidential campaign in earnest, after President Joe Biden announced Sunday that he would not seek reelection. Biden named Harris as his chosen successor shortly after making that announcement.
Harris struck a conciliatory tone when she spoke publicly Monday morning to kick off the White House’s NCAA Sports Day, in her first public appearance since Biden announced he would not seek reelection. She avoided speaking about herself in her remarks, instead using her time to laud the president as he recovers from a Covid-19 infection.
“Joe Biden’s legacy of accomplishment over the past three years is unmatched in modern history,” she said, while encouraging applause. “In one term, he has already surpassed the legacy of most presidents who have served two terms in office.”
Since Sunday, the Democratic Party has broadly coalesced around Harris’ candidacy.
“My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President,” Biden said in his prepared statement Sunday. “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.”
Other major players who came out in support on Monday include former House speaker Nancy Pelosi and several prominent Democratic governors also seen as potential Biden replacements, including Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. The governors’ endorsements effectively clear the road for Harris’ nomination a month ahead of the Democratic National Convention.
“With immense pride and limitless optimism for our country’s future, I endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for President of the United States,” Pelosi said in a prepared statement Monday afternoon. “I have full confidence that she will lead us to victory in November.”
Harris has taken in further endorsements from dozens of lawmakers in both houses, multiple Biden cabinet officials, the mayors of New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, the majority of Democratic state governors and prominent Democratic figures like the Clintons. Endorsement holdouts include Michigan Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, who has been a staunch critic of the Biden administration over its handling of the Israel-Hamas war.
Other members of the progressive “Squad” who have endorsed Harris include Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Prominent labor unions such as the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and the Communications Workers of America also endorsed Harris on Monday. They join the Service Employees International Union, United Farm Workers, American Federation of Teachers and National Union of Healthcare Workers, who endorsed Harris on Sunday.
Holdouts as of Monday include the United Auto Workers and the Teamsters.
Harris is also off to a good start financially. Her campaign publicly announced Monday that it had received $81 million within its first 24 hours. Future Forward PAC, one of the largest Democratic Super PACs, meanwhile told Politico on Monday that it had received a further $150 million in commitments.
The sudden display of Democratic unity comes after weeks of party infighting over Biden’s reelection chances. Though concerns over Biden’s age — he is now 81 — have simmered since the 2020 campaign, they boiled over following his abysmal performance at a June 27 public debate with former President Donald Trump.
Multiple Democratic figures — and George Clooney — called for Biden to step aside, citing the danger of a second Trump term. The president nevertheless seemed adamant to stay in office before finally relenting on Sunday, and his resistance to stepping down sparked an intra-party divide between his supporters and those who feared he would be unable to beat Trump.
Harris’ candidacy settled that debate. Despite the party broadly naming her as its flagbearer, she said Sunday that she hoped “earn and win” the nomination.
“I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination,” Harris said in a prepared statement on Sunday. “I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party—and unite our nation—to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda.”