Arizona’s full slate of Democratic delegates pledges to support Kamala Harris

PHOENIX – Vice President Kamala Harris won’t have any opposition from the Grand Canyon State during next month’s Democratic National Convention.

The Arizona Democratic Party announced Tuesday that its full slate of 85 delegates and six alternates formally pledged to support Harris’ presidential bid.

“Vice President Harris has championed key issues Arizonans care about — protecting democracy and our fundamental freedoms — and is the only candidate in this race that will continue to push America forward towards a brighter future,” Chair Yolanda Bejarano said in a press release.

“The stakes in this election could not be higher, nor the contrast between these two candidates more clear. We, the Arizona Democratic Party 2024 Delegation, firmly stand behind Vice President Kamala Harris in her bid to become the next President of the United States of America.”

Nationwide, the party quickly coalesced around Harris’ candidacy after President Joe Biden announced he was exiting the race on Sunday.

The vice president secured enough delegate support to become the Democratic nominee against Republican Donald Trump a day later, according to a survey by The Associated Press.

The Harris campaign reported more than $81 million in donations in the 24 hours after Biden made his announcement. The president endorsed Harris to replace him at the top of the ticket when he dropped out.

Arizona Democratic delegate: ‘Now it feels like a party’

The sudden switch to Harris as the presumptive nominee appears to have changed the mood for delegates heading into the Democratic National Convention, which will be held Aug. 19-22 in Chicago.

“Before it felt like a convention, but now it feels like a party,” said Arizona delegate Gabriella Cázares-Kelly.

Pima County’s recorder and a member of the Tohono O’odham Nation, Cázares-Kelly said her enthusiasm for Harris is both personal and practical. With just two months left before ballots must be mailed to overseas voters, she said Democrats needed to unify behind a candidate as soon as possible.

And “as an Indigenous woman, watching a Black woman — woman of color — advance to the highest office in the country, it is very exciting,” she said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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