What happened
Vice President Kamala Harris secured the verbal support of enough Democratic National Convention delegates on Monday to clinch the party's presidential nomination. President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid and endorsed her as his replacement on Sunday, and Democrats from across the ideological spectrum and levels of government expeditiously threw her their support. The newly rebranded Harris campaign said it raised $81 million from 880,000 donors in the first 24 hours — which would be a single-day presidential fund-raising record — and signed up 28,000 new volunteers.
Who said what
With backing from party leaders, rank-and-file Democrats and "virtually every major would-be rival for the nomination," Harris has enjoyed "a remarkable closing of ranks," Aaron Blake said at The Washington Post, especially since there's "scant hard evidence that Democrats are much better off" with her over Biden.
Harris traveled to Wilmington, Delaware, Monday afternoon to take charge of what had been Biden's reelection headquarters. She said she was keeping Biden's campaign chair Jen O'Malley Dillon and campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez, and "quickly leaned into the themes that will be prominent" in her truncated campaign, The Associated Press said, including economic opportunity, abortion rights and Donald Trump's legal troubles.
As California's attorney general and a "courtroom prosecutor" before that, "I took on perpetrators of all kinds," Harris said. "Predators who abused women. Fraudsters who ripped off consumers. Cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain. So hear me when I say: I know Donald Trump's type." Biden, calling in, said stepping aside "was the right thing to do" and he will be "working like hell" to get Harris elected.
What next?
The Harris campaign tapped former Attorney General Eric Holder to vet potential running mates. Harris will hold her first full-fledged campaign event as presidential candidate in Milwaukee on Tuesday.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Democrats’ strategy to woo voters for 2026: religionThe Explainer Politicians like Rob Sand and James Talarico have made a name for themselves pushing their faith
-
Pregnancy in AmericaFeature Why is it getting riskier to give birth in the U.S.?
-
The potential warning sign of an auto lender’s bankruptcyIn the Spotlight Tricolor collapse an ‘extreme example’ of economy’s challenges
-
Democrats’ strategy to woo voters for 2026: religion
The Explainer Politicians like Rob Sand and James Talarico have made a name for themselves pushing their faith
-
‘We must empower young athletes with the knowledge to stay safe’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Nadine Menendez gets 4.5 years in bribery caseSpeed Read Menendez's husband was previously sentenced to 11 years in prison
-
Koreans detained in US Hyundai raid return homeSpeed Read Over 300 Koreans were detained at the plant last week
-
Brazil’s Bolsonaro sentenced to 27 years for coup attemptSpeed Read Bolsonaro was convicted of attempting to stay in power following his 2022 election loss
-
Former top FBI agents sue, claiming Trump purgeSpeed Read The agents alleged they were targeted by a “campaign of retribution”
-
Conservative influencer Charlie Kirk shot dead at 31Speed Read Kirk was holding a debate session at Utah Valley University
-
Judge lets Cook stay at Fed while appealing ousterSpeed Read Trump had attempted to fire Cook over allegations of mortgage fraud
