On Friday, Kamala Harris secured the delegate votes necessary to clinch the Democratic U.S. presidential nomination, marking her as the first woman of color to top a major party ticket. Her path to the nomination was solidified after President Joe Biden withdrew from the race last month due to internal party pressure. With Biden out, Harris quickly gained the backing of key party figures and was the sole candidate on the Democratic presidential ballot, ensuring that the delegate vote outcome was certain.
The delegate voting was conducted virtually this week, and Harris joined the livestream where the results were announced. She will formally accept the nomination next week after the virtual voting concludes. “I’m thrilled to know we have the necessary delegates to secure the nomination,” Harris, who made history as the first Black and South Asian U.S. vice-president, said. “Later this month, we will come together in Chicago to celebrate this historic achievement as one united party.”
To secure the nomination, Harris needed to surpass a threshold of 2,350 delegate votes. Democratic leaders aimed to confirm a nominee by August 7, ahead of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) scheduled for August 19-22 in Chicago. Initially, the DNC required a virtual vote to meet the August 7 deadline imposed by Ohio law for ballot inclusion. Although Ohio lawmakers extended the deadline to September 1, party officials still preferred to meet the original August 7 target to avoid any legal complications.
