WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris is now the sole candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) announced late Tuesday.
Harris is the only contender to have met the requirement of securing 300 delegate petitions for the nomination, following President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from the race. She is set to be officially named the party’s nominee during a virtual roll call that will start Thursday, according to a DNC press release.
The DNC opened the petition process for a new nominee after Biden exited. Biden had previously secured the majority of the 3,949 pledged delegates in the Democratic primary process. With his departure, most of those delegates quickly pledged their support for Harris.
Approximately 84% of Democratic delegates participated in the petition phase, with 99% of those endorsing Harris. In total, 3,923 delegates petitioned for Harris to be the nominee, making her the presumptive choice for the party, the release stated.
“Democratic delegates from across the country have overwhelmingly supported Vice President Kamala Harris as the presumptive nominee,” said DNC Chair Jaime Harrison and Democratic National Convention Committee Chair Minyon Moore in the statement.
Harris gained support from various state parties, elected officials, and key party figures shortly after Biden endorsed her. Some candidates who had been speculated to run for president themselves have aligned with Harris, with a few potential running mates still under consideration.
The virtual roll call, which deviates from the traditional in-person format, will start at 9 a.m. Eastern on Thursday and conclude at 6 p.m. on August 5, according to the DNC.
Following the virtual roll call, Harris will campaign on August 6 in Philadelphia with her yet-to-be-announced running mate, the Pennsylvania Capital-Star reported Tuesday.