Biden drops out: Kamala Harris blooms, says will earn nomination as challengers emerge

WASHINGTON: US vice-president Kamala Harris said on Sunday that she intends to earn and win the Democratic Party nomination for the Presidency even after endorsement by President Biden and other key figures in the party, amid indications there could be at least one other marginal challenge.
"I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination. I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party—and unite our nation—to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda," Harris said in a statement, hours after turbulent developments in the Democratic Party led to President Biden bowing out of the 2024 Presidential election under pressure.
Harris' promotion to the top of the ticket also resulted in a surge in political contributions to the Democratic Party, with supporters donating more than $50 million online on Sunday, making it the single biggest day for online Democratic contributions since the 2020 election.
Several Democratic veterans and lawmakers, notably Hillary and Bill Clinton, Senator Elizabeth Warren, and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) also backed Harris, with the mainstream in the party appearing to close ranks behind her.
But two party grandees, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former President Barack Obama, did not directly endorse her, although they have been her close allies. It appears they would like her to go through the nomination process and win the support of majority of delegates, which also is the route she prefers.
Barack Obama conspicuously withheld endorsing Harris, instead alluding to the possibility of an open convention. He expressed confidence in Democratic leaders’ ability to “create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges.”
One direct challenge to her prospective candidacy came from a previous aspirant, author Marianne Williamson, who declared that "nomination of a new Democratic candidate must be opened to a genuinely democratic process at an open convention."
"No one should simply be anointed to the position of nominee; all candidates must be heard and their agendas explored. Our party’s basic first principle is democracy. We cannot save our democracy without practicing it ourselves," she said in a statement.
Another potential opposition from Senator Joe Manchin from West Virginia, who decamped from the Democratic side to become independent following differences with the party leadership, but was said to be considering returning to the fold to mount a challenge for the nomination, died on his own accord.
Ardent Biden supports from Black and Hispanic caucus such as Congressman Jim Clyburn and Ocasio-Cortez, who had said they would support Harris if and when Biden drops out, are keeping their word.
"Kamala Harris will be the next President of the United States. I pledge my full support to ensure her victory in November. Now more than ever, it is crucial that our party and country swiftly unite to defeat Donald Trump and the threat to American democracy. Let’s get to work," AOC tweeted.