Kamala Harris’s Delegate Count and Path to Nomination

As the Democratic National Convention draws near, Kamala Harris is working toward securing the nomination, but the exact number of delegates she still needs remains a key question. Throughout the primary season, President Biden garnered an impressive total of over 3,800 delegates. However, with Biden’s withdrawal from the race, these delegates are now free to support other candidates before the official nomination occurs at the Democratic convention. The convention, scheduled to be held in Chicago next month, will be a crucial moment where delegates from all states will cast their votes to select the Democratic nominee. For Harris to secure the nomination in the first round of voting, she must achieve a majority of 1,976 delegate votes.

As of the latest update on Monday afternoon, at least ten state delegations have publicly endorsed Kamala Harris. This list includes states such as New Hampshire, Florida, and several others, signaling a strong likelihood that their delegates will support Harris at the convention. Additionally, there are plans for delegate meetings in Texas and Connecticut to consider endorsing Harris, reflecting a broader trend of growing support for her candidacy. The endorsements and potential endorsements indicate a solid foundation for Harris as she moves closer to meeting the delegate threshold.

A survey conducted by the Associated Press provides further insight into Harris’s delegate count. By midday Monday, Harris had already secured more than half of the necessary delegates to achieve the nomination. The survey revealed that only 56 delegates remained undecided, suggesting that Harris is on a favorable trajectory toward securing the required delegate votes. Although the formal confirmation of Harris as the nominee will occur only when delegates cast their votes at the convention, she could be regarded as the presumptive nominee once she reaches the critical 1,976 delegate commitments.

In terms of state-level endorsements, Harris has made significant progress. As of Monday afternoon, she had received support from delegates in key states including Alabama, Wisconsin, Maryland, Florida, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, New Hampshire, and Louisiana. These endorsements have collectively contributed to her securing over 1,200 delegates thus far. In California, her home state, the chairman of the California Democratic Party has actively encouraged delegates to endorse Harris. However, an official declaration of support from the California delegation has yet to be made public.

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has announced plans to conduct a virtual roll call vote to finalize the nominee. This process is intended to ensure that the chosen nominee meets the deadline for being listed on the November ballot in every state. Initially, the virtual roll call vote was scheduled to guarantee that Biden could be placed on the ballot in Ohio, which had an early deadline of August 7. However, following a recent legislative change by Ohio’s governor that extended the deadline to September 1, the necessity for an early virtual roll call vote has been questioned. The DNC has now postponed the vote until at least August 1, leaving the timing and necessity of the virtual roll call in some doubt.

Harris officially declared her candidacy for president on Sunday, following President Biden’s announcement of his withdrawal from the race. Biden’s decision to step down came after a period of intense speculation and scrutiny regarding his age and his performance in a debate against former President Donald Trump on June 27. The debate sparked significant backlash and calls for Biden to withdraw and allow a younger Democrat to take the lead. Despite initial resistance, Biden ultimately concluded that stepping down was in the best interest of both the party and the country. In his resignation letter, Biden endorsed Kamala Harris, expressing that his choice of her as vice president was one of his best decisions and offering her his full support and endorsement as the nominee for the upcoming election.