Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama have thrown their support behind Kamala Harris in her bid for the White House, giving the vice president two of the most popular Democrats in the country. expected but still crucial support.
The endorsement was announced Friday morning in a video that showed Harris accepting a joint call from the former first couple. Si continues to build momentum for the party’s possible nominee.
It also highlights the friendship and potentially historic connection between America’s first black president and the first woman, first black woman and first Asian American to serve as vice president, who are now working to break the president’s Same obstacles in position.
“We’re calling to say that Michelle and I are very proud to support you and do everything we can to get you through this election and into the Oval Office,” the former president told Harris, who is pictured walking away. Answering the phone in the background.
“When I get this call, I have to say to my daughter Kamala, I’m so proud of you,” Michelle Obama said.
“This will be historic,” she added.
Harris, who met the Obamas before they were elected in 2008, thanked them for their friendship and said she looked forward to “getting there and hitting the road” with them during the three-month blitz before Election Day on Nov. 5. .
“We’re going to have some fun with it too, aren’t we?” Harris said.
The Obamas may be the last major party figures to formally endorse Harris, reflecting the former president’s desire to maintain his image as party elders, at least publicly. The Obamas still have huge fundraising appeal and popular surrogates in the Democratic candidates’ big campaigns.
According to an Associated Press survey, Harris already has the public support of a majority of delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on August 19. The Democratic National Committee is expected to hold a virtual nomination vote by August 7, with Harris and a yet-to-be-nominated running mate becoming the official Democratic nominee.
Biden endorsed Harris within an hour of announcing his decision to end his campaign on Sunday amid widespread concerns about the 81-year-old president’s ability to defeat Trump. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, House Minority Whip Jim Clyburn, former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton followed suit in the following days.
Yet as Harris delivered on delegate promises, toured core Democratic districts and raised more than $120 million, the Obamas were treading lightly. Public Caution tracks how the former president handled the weeks between Biden’s crushing defeat at the debates and the president’s final decision to end the campaign: Obama had a hand in party dynamics, but he operated Quiet.
Barack Obama’s initial statement after Biden made the announcement did not mention Harris. Instead, he spoke generally about putting forward a nominee to succeed Biden: “I am extremely confident that our party’s leaders will be able to create a process that produces an outstanding nominee,” the former president wrote.
The two Obamas campaigned for Hillary Clinton and Biden in 2016 and 2020, respectively, including holding large rallies in the final weekends before Election Day. They delivered key speeches at the 2020 Democratic National Convention, which was held virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic. The former president’s speech was particularly notable because he unveiled a blistering attack on Trump as a threat to democracy, an argument that has been a constant throughout Harris’ campaign.
