Aug. 6 (UPI) — Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday night officially won enough support during a virtual roll call to become the Democratic nominee for president.
DNC Chair Jaime Harrison said Harris received support from 99% of all participating delegates, totaling 4,567 votes.
“Vice President Harris has historic momentum at her back as we embark on the final steps in officially certifying her as our Party’s nominee,” Harrison said. “We thank the thousands of delegates from all across the country who took seriously their responsibility throughout this process to make their voices — and the voices of their communities — heard,” Harrison and Democratic National Convention Committee Chair Minyon Moore said.
Once the roll call is ratified by Democratic National Convention Secretary Jason Rae Harris will be the official Democratic candidate and face former President Donald Trump on the ballot in November.
She will be the first Black woman and first Asian woman to be a major party’s nominee for president.
The roll call was implemented to address uncertainty on ballot deadlines in Ohio, which has since been settled, that forced the party to nominate a candidate ahead of the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 19.
The convention in Chicago will include a “celebratory” roll call.
The process came after President Joe Biden decided to drop out of the race on July 21.
By Friday, less than a week later, Harris had met the threshold of support from delegates required to capture the nomination.
Harris told campaign supporters on a phone call at the time that she was “honored to be the presumptive Democratic nominee for president of the United States.”
“I will officially accept your nomination next week, once the virtual period is closed,” she said.
Harris is expected to announce her running mate on Tuesday before going on a barnstorming tour of battleground states around the country.