Harris Races to Lock Down Support After Biden Drops Out

Vice President Harris is racing to lock down support for her White House bid, just hours after President Biden announced that he would no longer seek reelection.

Harris on Sunday spoke with the chairs of three key coalitions on Capitol Hill: Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Rep. Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.) of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and Rep. Ann McLane Kuster (D-N.H.) of the New Democrat Coalition. All three have backed Harris for the nomination.

She also spoke with Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) — ”She is ready to win in Wisconsin!!!” he said on the social platform X — and Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) said he heard from her staff.

{snip}

The full-court press on Capitol Hill comes as Harris looks to turbocharge her nascent presidential campaign after Biden announced that he would no longer seek the party’s nomination.

Biden was facing mounting pressure from Democrats to reconsider his decision to run amid concerns following his disastrous debate performance last month. The president was at first defiant, consistently saying he would not step aside, but reversed his position on Sunday, quickly endorsing Harris for the job.

{snip}

Harris is expected to maintain an aggressive travel schedule as she’s been doing in recent months, according to a source familiar with the matter. Major Democratic PACs, including AAPI Victory Fund, the Collective PAC and Latino Victory Fund endorsed her on Sunday, and the Biden campaign infrastructure is pivoting to support Harris.

{snip}