Vice President Kamala Harris thanked President Joe Biden for his leadership following the news Sunday that he will not continue his bid for reelection.
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Her statement comes amid a growing chorus of endorsements for her candidacy in the 2024 presidential race.
“On behalf of the American people, I thank Joe Biden for his extraordinary leadership as president of the United States and for his decades of service to our country,” she said in a statement released Sunday.
Watch the ABC News special, “Biden Stands Down: The Race for the White House,” tonight from 7-9 p.m. ET on ABC and ABC News Live.
“His remarkable legacy of accomplishment is unmatched in modern American history, surpassing the legacy of many presidents who have served two terms in office,” she said.
Harris garners wave of endorsements
Biden endorsed Harris in his statement on his exiting the race, offering his “full support and endorsement” for her to be the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee.
At a July 11 press conference, Biden also hinted at his belief in Harris’ ability to lead, saying at the time: “I wouldn’t have picked her unless I thought she was qualified to be president.”
In a poll released July 11, asking if Harris were to replace Biden as the nominee, vote choices were 49-46%, Harris-Donald Trump, among all adults (and 49-47%, respectively, among registered voters). Harris’ 49% was slightly better than Biden’s 46%, although she doesn’t have a statistically significant lead over Trump, the poll found.
Former President Bill Clinton and former presidential candidate and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also endorsed Harris on Sunday.
“We are honored to join the president in endorsing Vice President Harris and will do whatever we can to support her,” the two said in a statement on X.
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In the House, Harris has received endorsements so far from:
Rep. Jamal Bowman, D-N.Y.; Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash.; Rep. Ami Bera, D-Calif.; Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif.; Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas; Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Calif.; Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Mich.; Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich.; Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo.; Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn.; Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla.; Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla.; Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nev.; Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif.; Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga.; Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Wis.; Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill.; Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y.; Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C.; Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich.; Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va.; Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., and Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore.
In the Senate, Harris has received endorsements so far from:
Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii; Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va.; Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va.; Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn.; Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.; Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.; Sen. Ed Markey, D- Mass.; Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn.; Sen. Laphonza Butler, D-Calif.; Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.; Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del.; Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif.
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In her statement Sunday, Harris continued, “It is a profound honor to serve as his vice president, and I am deeply grateful to the president, [first lady] Dr. [Jill] Biden, and the entire Biden family. I first came to know President Biden through his son Beau. We were friends from our days working together as attorneys general of our home states. As we worked together, Beau would tell me stories about his dad. The kind of father — and the kind of man — he was. And the qualities Beau revered in his father are the same qualities, the same values, I have seen every single day in Joe’s leadership as president: His honesty and integrity. His big heart and commitment to his faith and his family. And his love of our country and the American people.”
Several notable figures abstain from immediately endorsing Harris
Despite the wave of support from some Democratic figures, others did not immediately endorse Harris on Sunday.
Former President Barack Obama did not mention Harris in his statement on Biden’s exit. Instead, he focused on his experience in the White House with Biden as his vice president: “Sixteen years ago, when I began my search for a vice president, I knew about Joe’s remarkable career in public service. But what I came to admire even more was his character — his deep empathy and hard-earned resilience; his fundamental decency and belief that everyone counts,” Obama said in a statement.
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.Y., also did not mention Harris in his statement on Biden’s exit.
“I cannot overstate the gravity of the noble and history-making decision that President Biden just made. The feeling that I have right now is one of profound gratitude,” Booker said.
Texas Rep. Lloyd Doggett, who was the first House Democrat to call on Biden to step aside in the presidential race, back on July 2, applauded Biden’s decision but put the breaks on endorsing Harris.
“Once again President Biden comes through for America, putting country over ego in a way that Donald Trump never could,” Doggett said, in part.
He added, “While, with President Biden’s endorsement, Vice President Harris is clearly the leading candidate, we should be open to all talented individuals who wish to be considered.”
Some donors express excitement
Some Democratic donors who previously planned to withhold their campaign contributions told ABC News on Sunday that they are now excited to coalesce their support around Vice President Harris, even if she was not their first pick to replace Joe Biden at the top of the ticket
“I don’t think that having some kind of bitter inner party fight over the nomination is going to help. If Biden is endorsing Harris, then I think that basically decides it,” said one donor who initially pledged to contribute more than $1.8 million to Biden before withholding their contribution over concerns about Biden’s viability as the nominee.
Reacting to Biden’s decision to drop out of the race and endorse Harris, that same donor said they now plan to resume their pledged contribution to Harris.
“I just texted Rufus Gifford,” the donor said, referring to the Biden-Harris campaign finance chair. “I told him I’m all in.”
Another donor — who originally said that she planned to withhold her contribution and preferred an open convention — told ABC News that she now fully supports Harris following Biden’s withdrawal and endorsement.
“I am convinced that 100% of us will get behind her,” said the donor, who previously held a fundraiser for Biden in her home. “Some people are getting their funds transfer information organized as we speak.”
Some of the donors who spoke with ABC News were not enthusiastic about Harris compared to other Democratic politicians — including California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer — but described Harris as the inevitable nominee.
“I can’t see how any other serious candidate could come out at this point and say, I’m running for the nomination against Harris,” another Democratic donor said.
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