Vice President Kamala Harris made history on Monday evening, becoming the first woman of color to lead a major-party ticket after securing the Democratic presidential nomination. The results of the party’s virtual roll call showed an overwhelming majority of 99% of pledged and automatic delegates supporting Harris.
Democratic National Committee chairman Jaime Harrison and convention chairwoman Minyon Moore released a joint statement, saying that Harris has “historic momentum” behind her as she embarks on the final steps to officially certify her nomination. Following the official results, convention secretary Jason Rae will certify the roll call, and Harris and her running mate will accept the nomination.
Harris achieved this milestone in just two weeks, capitalizing on the momentum from President Joe Biden’s decision to suspend his campaign last month. Her campaign raised a record-breaking $310 million in July, more than double the amount raised by former President Donald Trump’s campaign during the same period.
Harris’s nomination was all but certain after Biden and other party leaders rallied behind her 2024 bid, avoiding a potentially contentious brokered convention. On Friday, Harris secured the necessary delegates to become the party’s presumptive nominee, earning the majority of the convention delegates.
The virtual roll call began on Thursday, but by Friday afternoon, Harris had won 2,350 votes, cementing her status as the party’s next leader. Harris’s historic nomination comes 52 years after Shirley Chisholm became the first black woman to run for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Harris, who is of black and Indian descent, is the second woman to lead a major-party ticket, following in the footsteps of Hillary Clinton in 2016. She is also the second black person to lead a major-party ticket, after former President Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012.
The Democratic National Convention, scheduled to start on August 19, will feature a ceremonial roll call, with Biden delivering the opening remarks on the first night. Harris is expected to announce her running mate soon, who will join her on a seven-state battleground tour beginning on Tuesday in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Harris spent the weekend interviewing potential running mates, including Governors Andy Beshear, J.B. Pritzker, Josh Shapiro, and Tim Walz, as well as Senator Mark Kelly and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Since consolidating the Democratic Party’s support, Harris has gained ground in national polls, with some showing her erasing Trump’s narrow lead over Biden. The sunbelt battleground states, including Arizona, Nevada, and Georgia, are now in play for Democrats.
