and President Biden withdraws In presidential race, California prepares to play key role in selecting candidates new democratic candidate. The state is most representativesDelegates to the Democratic National Convention, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris, a former U.S. senator who owns a house in Los Angeles.
Within hours of Biden endorsing Harris on Sunday, California Democratic leaders began working to lock in the state’s 496 delegates to support the vice president. State Democratic Party Chairman Rusty Hicks sent a form to delegates asking them to support Harris.
“Now is the time for Democrats to unite around our shared mission – to defeat Donald Trump, retake the House and preserve our democracy,” Hicks said. “My request comes from Vice President Kamala Harry Delegates from her home state of California formally endorsed her nomination for President of the United States at the convention in Chicago.”
San Francisco Democrats, including Mayor London Breed, hastily organized a rally in support of Harris on the steps of City Hall Monday morning.
After a period of waning power in the Golden State, California has the potential to flex its political muscle on the national stage.
For years, Californians have enjoyed a seat at the highest levels of power — Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) became the most powerful woman in congressional history as House speaker. Then there’s her Republican successor, Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of San Francisco became the longest-serving female senator in U.S. history and served on powerful committees.
But over the past two years, California’s power has continued to decline rapidly. Pelosi Step down Make room in 2022 for a “new generation” of Democratic leaders. McCarthy lost the speakership in a historic conflict with his own party and then resigned from Congress. Feinstein died in September.
If the Oakland-born Harris, who served as California senator and attorney general before serving as vice president, becomes the Democratic nominee, it would be the first time in decades that a Californian would be the presidential nominee of a major party.
Another Democrat may seek the party’s nomination at the Chicago convention, but California’s delegation group will be critical to securing the nomination. Several political leaders in California have been quick to call on Democrats to support Harris — Including Governor Gavin Newsom.
“Tough. Fearless. Tenacious,” Newsom said in a statement on social media. “Our democracy is at stake, our future is at stake, and there is no one better than the Vice President of the United States to prosecute Donald Trump’s dark vision and steer our country in a healthier direction.”
Newsom is widely considered Another potential alternative For his part, Biden has repeatedly denied rumors that he harbors presidential aspirations. Governor served as agent For the Biden campaign, Across the country giving him speeches – and raising his own national profile.
But as speculation about Biden has grown in recent weeks, Newsom has made clear he will not run against Harris. “Absolutely,” Newsom said recently when asked whether he stood by his remarks last year about not running against Harris. “Yes.”
California Sens. Alex Padilla and Laphonza Butler also endorsed Harris.
“This is a woman who has dedicated her entire career to public service,” Butler said in an interview Sunday. “This is a woman who never…backed down from a fight.”
Notable among Harris’s list of supporters Sunday was Pelosi, who praised Biden as “a patriotic American who always puts our country first,” but made no mention of the vice president.
The former speaker has reportedly fielded calls over the past few weeks from Democrats upset by Biden’s disastrous debate performance and concerned about his chances of reelection. According to Politico, Pelosi told fellow California Democrats last week that she hopes the party will select a new nominee through an open process rather than automatically selecting Harris.
Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) said he is confident Harris will be the nominee, but some Democrats are debating the best way to make that happen.
“Some national Democratic leaders are very supportive of Kamala Harris but also feel strongly that there should be some kind of process,” Huffman said.
Rep. Adam B. Schiff, D-Burbank, a close friend of Pelosi and another California congressional leader, immediately expressed his support for Harris. Schiff was the top congressional leader who last week called on Biden to withdraw.
“She has the judgment, experience, leadership and perseverance to confront and defeat Donald Trump,” Schiff said in a statement Sunday. “While she served as our attorney general, senator and vice president , I’ve worked with her, and I can’t wait to work with her as president.”
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Long Beach), who endorsed Harris’ 2020 presidential bid and is a member of Biden’s national campaign committee, said he was “proud to support the vice president.”
“Especially for California, this is incredible progress and an incredible day,” he said. “I think the entire state and the party are united behind her, and I think she’s going to be the nominee in a matter of days.”
While California’s political class is backing Harris, delegate numbers could still be a tough call. Democratic political consultant Steve Maviglio, an alternate in Sacramento, said delegates he has spoken to are united in their desire to defeat Trump in November. He said the consensus is that there is a desire for “a seamless transition from the Biden campaign to the Harris campaign.”
“I don’t think there’s a lot of interest in a mini-primary, four more weeks of turmoil,” Mavilio said. “We want to get this done, focus!”
Realistically, he added, it’s unlikely that another candidate will emerge and mount a proper fight against Trump within the next four months. Biden’s campaign coffers have been transferred to Harris. As vice president, Harris is also already familiar with major Democratic donors.
“It’s weird because people will look back and say ‘This was historic.’ But you actually feel like you’re living in history right now, which is a very strange feeling,” Mavilio said. “I just hope this doesn’t hurt us anymore.”
Times staff writers Noah Bierman and Seema Mehta contributed to this report.
