Posted July 23, 2024 | by KimS | in 2024 Presidential Election, DemDaily, Democratic Party

DemDaily: The Presumed Nominee

July 23. 2024

48 hours after President Joe Biden announced that he was withdrawing from the 2024 presidential race, and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor, her official path to the presidency is unfolding.

Biden is the first sitting president to give up his party's nomination for re-election since President Lyndon Johnson in March 1968 -- leaving little in the way of a roadmap.

Democrats have moved swiftly to coalesce around Harris and repair the self-inflicted public damage done since they imploded after Biden's June 27 debate performance.

National Democratic Leadership, elected officials, labor unions and state parties are rushing to embrace Harris as the nominee who can defeat Trump, with endorsements rolling in by the minute.

Harris smashed all fundraising records, bringing in the largest single-day total of any candidate in US history, raising more than $81 million in the first 24 hours since Biden’s announcement -- 60% of whom were new contributors. In the same period, more than 28,000 people signed up to volunteer -- 100 times the average daily number.

Harris smashed all fundraising records, bringing in the largest single-day total of any candidate in US history, raising more than $81 million in the first 24 hours since Biden’s announcement -- 60% of whom were new contributors. In the same period, more than 28,000 people signed up to volunteer -- 100 times the average daily number.

The Process
Biden had the support of 3,896 pledged delegates before he dropped out of the race. His delegates, however, do not automatically transfer to Harris based on his endorsement.

While Harris has already amassed enough Democratic delegate endorsements to become the party’s presidential nominee, she must still be formally nominated by a virtual vote or through an “open” convention - where candidates bid for the support of delegates.

The DNC announced in May that an early role call vote was necessary to meet the state ballot certification deadline of August 7 in Ohio.

Ohio requires political parties to confirm their presidential candidates 90 days before the November election. This year, that deadline is August 7 -- two weeks before the presidential nominee is elected at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago -- which would render the nominee ineligible to be listed on Ohio's ballot. Traditionally, these issues are quietly resolved between the state parties -- as Ohio did in 2012 and 2020 and Alabama and Washington did this cycle. But not this time.

In a memo to DNC members Monday, DNC Chair Jaime Harrison and DNCC Chair Minyon Moore said "To ensure we are on the ballot in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and to position the Democratic ticket to win in November, our nominating process must have an electronic voting component."

The memo also laid out the open process for other candidates wishing to file for the nomination. Under Democratic Party rules, any candidate must submit 300 electronic signatures from convention delegates, not more than 50 of whom can be from the same state. Qualifying candidates would then have a few days to lobby delegates for their support before a virtual vote is held. Multiple rounds could be required, but the process would still be completed no later than August 7.

The memo also laid out the open process for other candidates wishing to file for the nomination. Under Democratic Party rules, any candidate must submit 300 electronic signatures from convention delegates, not more than 50 of whom can be from the same state. Qualifying candidates would then have a few days to lobby delegates for their support before a virtual vote is held. Multiple rounds could be required, but the process would still be completed no later than August 7.

The document was quick to note that the "in-person portion of the Convention in Chicago will then showcase the Party’s Presidential and Vice Presidential nominees and their winning agenda to rally voters and defeat Donald Trump."

The Convention's Rules Committee is expected to formalize the process in a meeting this Wednesday.

When asked about Harris' running mate today, Harrison said today, "This process is going to be fair and transparent, open, but it is going to be fast...We are going to give it up to the nominees to make that determination, but if we are going to be on all 50 ballots we have to have this locked up by August 7."

President Biden, who has been isolating in Delaware with COVID, posted on X (formerly Twitter) this morning that he will speak to the nation from the Oval Office Wednesday night at 8:00pm ET, to address "what lies ahead, and how I will finish the job for the American people.”

DemList will keep you informed.

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