Newsom backs Harris as best candidate to take on Trump – as it happened | US elections 2024

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Louisiana delegation to DNC endorses Harris by ‘overwhelming majority vote’

Philadelphia Congressman Brendan Boyle:

New York Congresswoman Grace Meng has posted on X, saying she is “upset. I’m mad that the bullies won.I’m mad that the most accomplished & empathetic @JoeBiden was treated the way he was-even by some in his own party.”

She also said that her child has told her to “stop being sad and start helping” Kamala Harris.

Here is what we know about what Harris’s schedule holds for this week:

• She will host an event on the South Lawn of the White House on Monday with sports teams from across the country that won NCAA championships this year.

• She is planning to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit to Washington later this week.

• Harris also has a previously scheduled campaign swing to Milwaukee on Tuesday.

All six Black US state attorneys general have voiced their support for Harris, too. In a statement on X, they say she, “has staunchly defended our right to choose and preserved our most sacred right to vote. There is no one more qualified to lead and continue to uphold the values of our great nation.”

The statement lists Letitia James, New York; Kwame Raoul, Illinois; Anthony Brown, Maryland; Andrea Campbell, Massachusetts; Keith Ellison, Minnesota; and Aaron Ford, Nevada.

CNBC’s Washington correspondent, Emily Wilkins, and Democrat pollster and strategist Matt McDermott report that donations have now passed $50m:

The only other day where $50m was raised in a single day was after Ruth Bader Ginsberg died, McDermott says – the Guardian has not confirmed this independently:

Biden’s campaign website, joebiden.com, now automatically redirects to a fundraising page.

Here is a chart from Bloomberg economist Michael McDonough:

The Democratic delegations of multiple states have decided to back Vice President Kamala Harris for the party nomination at next month’s national convention, the AP reports.

“Tonight, all 168 delegates of the North Carolina Democratic Party made history,” North Carolina party chair Anderson Clayton said in a post on Twitter/X.

In South Carolina, party chair Christale Spain said in an email statement Sunday night that that state’s delegation met virtually. The vice president “has been fully vetted, and she has earned our unwavering support,” Spain said.

Harris received her first delegates earlier in the day from Tennessee, when the state party posted on X that its delegation voted during a meeting to back her.

Another state where the switch was made was New Hampshire, where the 25 pledged delegates voted unanimously Sunday night to endorse Harris.

ActBlue says $46.7m raised between Biden announcement and 9pm ET

The New York Times editorial board has written an opinion piece praising Biden’s decision to withdraw.

“Mr. Biden has now done what Mr. Trump never will: He has placed the national interest above his own pride and ambition,” the board writes.

On Harris, it says:

Choosing Ms. Harris would be a reasonable path for Democrats to take; she has been Mr. Biden’s running mate, and while no votes were cast for her as a presidential candidate in primaries, the president’s voters expected her to be on the ticket in November.

Nonetheless, party delegates should have a voice in a decision of this consequence. There are other qualified Democrats who could take on Mr. Trump and win, and picking a candidate without a real contest is how the party got into a position of anointing a standard-bearer that large majorities of Democrats and independents had profound concerns about. While the hour is late, there is still time to put leading candidates through a process of public scrutiny before the party’s nominating convention begins on Aug. 19, to inform the choice of a nominee and to build public support.

Biden started to come to the conclusion that he should withdraw on Saturday evening, AP reports. He was at his beach home with some of his and Jill Biden’s closest aides: chief strategist Mike Donilon, counselor to the president Steve Ricchetti, White House deputy chief of staff Annie Tomasini, and Anthony Bernal, senior adviser to the first lady.

AP:

By Sunday, his decision crystallized. He spoke multiple times with Vice President Kamala Harris, whom he would endorse. He informed White House chief of staff Jeff Zients, and his longtime aide and campaign chairwoman Jen O’Malley Dillon.

A small group of senior advisers from both the campaign and the White House were assembled for the 1.45pm. call to relay Biden’s decision, while his campaign staff released the social media announcement one minute later.

Just about a half-hour later came his public vote of support for Harris. It was a carefully choreographed strategy meant to give the president’s initial statement full weight, and to put a period on the moment before launching forward into the next step.

…

The president had lost his voice, but he was recovering well and his doctor had sent an update to the public shortly before 1pm on his condition. His small circle decided to post the statement on X on Sunday, rather than let it leak out for days before he was prepared to address the nation, which he is expected to do sometime early this week.

Much of his campaign was blindsided, and it was clear by how little had changed after he dropped out. For hours after the announcement, Biden’s campaign website reflected that he was still running and KamalaHarris.com still redirected to Biden’s page.

Even Harris’ statement announcing her intent to succeed Biden was sent from “Joe Biden for President.”