Harris secures enough Democratic delegate votes to be the party’s nominee, committee chair says

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris has secured enough votes from delegates to become her party’s nominee for president, Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison said Friday.

The announcement was made before the online voting process ends on Monday, reflecting the breakneck speed of a campaign that is eager to maintain momentum after President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid and endorsed Harris as his successor less than two weeks ago.

Harris is poised to be the first woman of color at the top of a major party’s ticket, and she joined a call with supporters to say she is “honored to be the presumptive Democratic nominee.”

“It’s not going to be easy. But we’re going to get this done,” she added. “As your future president, I know we are up to this fight.”

Harrison pledged that Democrats “will rally around Vice President Kamala Harris and demonstrate the strength of our party” during their convention in Chicago later this month.

The Democratic National Committee did not provide details of the delegate vote count, including a number or state-by-state breakdowns, during a virtual event that had the flavor of a telethon, with campaign officials keeping tabs on a delegate-counting process whose result is a foregone conclusion.

No other candidate challenged Harris for the nomination, and she swiftly solidified Democratic support in the days after Biden endorsed her.

Democrats still plan a state-by-state roll call during the party’s convention, the traditional way that a nominee is chosen. However, that will be purely ceremonial because of the online voting.

As Harris prepares to face off with Republican nominee Donald Trump, her campaign is reorganizing its senior staff and bringing on a coterie of veterans of President Barack Obama’s successful campaigns.

David Plouffe will serve as a senior adviser focused on Harris’ pathway to the 270 Electoral College votes she needs to win the election. To take the role, he will stop consulting for TikTok, the social media app, as well as a podcast that he was hosting with Kellyanne Conway, the former Trump campaign manager, according to a person familiar with his plans.

In addition, Stephanie Cutter will advise on messaging and strategy, while Mitch Stewart will serve as senior adviser for battleground states. Brian Nelson, who until recently was an undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence at the Treasury Department, has shifted to the campaign to advise Harris on policy.

Despite the new additions, many aspects of the campaign remain the same from when Biden was the candidate. Jen O’Malley Dillon still serves as chairwoman and will oversee the entire staff structure.

Other unchanged senior roles include Julie Chavez Rodriguez as campaign manager, Quentin Fulks as principal deputy campaign manager and Michael Tyler as communications director.

Sheila Nix will continue as Harris’ senior adviser and chief of staff on the campaign. Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge, who was recently brought on as a campaign co-chair, is expanding her portfolio to include outreach and strategy.

Brian Fallon, who had been Harris’ campaign communications director when Biden was still on the ticket, will now serve as senior adviser of communications.

Elizabeth Allen, most recently an undersecretary at the State Department, will be chief of staff for Harris’ running mate, who has not yet been chosen. Harris is expected to interview candidates over the weekend.

Democratic officials have said the accelerated roll call process was necessary because of an Aug. 7 deadline to ensure candidates appear on the Ohio ballot.

Ohio state lawmakers have since changed the deadline, but the modification doesn’t take effect until Sept. 1. Democratic attorneys said that waiting until after the initial deadline to determine a presidential nominee could prompt a legal challenge.