Kamala Harris has earned enough votes to win the Democratic presidential nomination, party chair announces

By Ethan Cohen and Arit John, CNN

(CNN) — Vice President Kamala Harris has won enough votes from Democratic delegates to win the party’s nomination for president, Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison announced Friday.

Harris will become the first Black woman and first Asian American to lead a major-party ticket.

The announcement came during a virtual event with supporters Friday. Delegates began casting virtual ballots for the nomination Thursday, a process that will continue until Monday evening.

“I am honored to be the presumptive Democratic nominee for president of the United States,” said Harris, who joined the virtual event. “I will officially accept your nomination next week, once the virtual voting period is closed.”

“Later this month, we will gather in Chicago, united as one party, where we’re going to have an opportunity to celebrate this historic moment together,” the vice president added.

It’s been clear since shortly after President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign and endorsed Harris that the vice president would be the only serious candidate for the nomination. Virtually the entire party, including potential challengers, quickly endorsed her, and it took less than 36 hours for her to secure unofficial endorsements from enough delegates to be the party’s nominee.

Harris is the only name on the ballot, as she was the only candidate to a gather the 300 delegate signatures necessary to qualify.

Harris’ path to the nomination stands in stark contrast to her 11-month presidential run in 2020, when she dropped out ahead of the Iowa caucuses. Biden later named Harris as his running mate, a decision that positioned her to take on the party mantle after he stepped aside last month.

As the official nomination process has unfolded, Harris has spent the past nearly two weeks reorienting the campaign she inherited on a truncated timeline.

Her campaign said Friday it had raked in a whopping $310 million in its July fundraising efforts, buoyed by renewed energy within the party over her candidacy. The haul also more than doubled what Republican nominee Donald Trump’s political operation said it had raised last month.

Harris is also in the final stages of choosing her running mate. A source familiar with the vetting process told CNN that the vice president is expected to meet with the top finalists over the weekend, including Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.

Harris and her vice presidential nominee will spend next week campaigning across the battleground states, starting with a Tuesday night rally in Philadelphia.

Though voting for the Democratic nomination began and will possibly conclude before Harris announces her running mate, party rules don’t require a separate vote to confirm the nominee for vice president.

While the official voting is taking place virtually, delegates will have a ceremonial roll call at the Democratic convention in Chicago, which begins August 19.

This story has been updated with additional information.

CNN’s Samantha Waldenberg and Jamie Gangel contributed to this report.

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