Senator Kamala Harris, Vice president of the United States has officially announced her intention to run for the Democratic Party presidential nominee after president Joe Biden to the chagrin of political spectators, pulled out from the race and endorsed her as his successor.
She confirmed her readiness to run for the number one seat in a statement on Sunday night.
“I am running to be President of the United States.
“It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve alongside our Commander-in-Chief, my friend, President Joe Biden — one of the finest public servants we will ever know. And I am honored to have his support and endorsement.
“And I am eager to run on the record of what Joe and I have accomplished together. We built our country back after our predecessor left it in shambles — making historic progress in reducing prescription drug costs, upgrading our nation’s infrastructure, fighting climate change, and more. We are stronger today because we took action — together — to invest in America’s future.
“I am excited to continue to work toward our vision for a better future for all. If that’s all you need to hear, then make your first donation to fund my campaign today.” Kamala Harris said in the statement.
This medium reported that 81 year old Joe Biden said it is his intention to seek reelection as president, but his decision to withdraw from the race is in the interest of his party and country.
Though, Biden’s decision follows weeks of mounting pressure from within his own party and from prominent Democratic donors urging him to step aside for the sake of the party’s future.
However, the announcement marks a huge shift in the political landscape as the Democratic Party must now quickly organize to select a new nominee before August 7.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” Biden said in a statement posted on social media.
“I will speak to the Nation later this week in more detail about my decision.”
In a second post, Biden endorsed Harris to succeed him as the nominee.
“My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made. Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this,” he wrote, including a photo of him with the vice president.
Kamala Harris who expressed gratitude for Biden’s endorsement, and stressed her commitment to uniting the Democratic Party and the nation to defeat Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
“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,” Harris wrote on X. “My intention is to earn and win this nomination.”
Despite Biden’s support, the Democratic Party will follow an established process to select their nominee, as confirmed by Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison.
The Democratic party’s official nominee will be named in August at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago.
