US Vice President Kamala Harris has claimed of getting enough support to become the Democrat presidential nominee as she won the backing of more than half the Democratic delegates.
She also set a new fundraising record within her first 24 hours as a candidate by raising $81 million.
So far, Harris has been backed by more than the 1,976 pledged delegates required for her nomination on the first ballot, with supporters rallying behind her in their effort to defeat Republican Donald Trump.
"When I announced my campaign for President, I said I intended to go out and earn this nomination. Tonight, I am proud to have secured the broad support needed to become our party's nominee, and as a daughter of California, I am proud that my home state's delegation helped put our campaign over the top. I look forward to formally accepting the nomination soon," Harris said in a statement.
After President Joe Biden withdrew from his reelection campaign on July 21, Harris was the party's presumed nominee for the Democrats.
The 81-year-old withdrew the re-election bid because of the growing pressure over his health concerns. He pledged to remain in office until his term ends in January 2025.
Biden showed his support behind 59-year-old Harris.
"I am grateful to President Biden and everyone in the Democratic Party who has already put their faith in me, and I look forward to taking our case directly to the American people," Harris, the first Black American and first Indian-American to be elected as vice president said.
Now that Biden is out of the picture, there are ongoing speculations about who might join Harris as a vice presidential candidate.
Reportedly, the people being discussed are Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
On July 22, Harris will campaign in the critical battleground state of Wisconsin as a presidential candidate.
The Wisconsin trip offers another opportunity for the 59-year-old former California prosecutor to reset the Democrats' campaign and make the case that she is best positioned to beat Trump.
She offered a glimpse of how she plans to attack Republican nominee Donald Trump, referring to her profession where she pursued "predators" and "fraudsters" as San Francisco district attorney and California attorney general.
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