CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Democratic leaders are shifting plans after President Joe Biden decided to drop out of the 2024 presidential election.
The North Carolina Democratic National Committee (DNC) formally endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to take the democratic nomination hours after Biden's decision. Delegates voted unanimously in favor of Harris in an emergency meeting on Sunday.
"North Carolina Democrats are deeply thankful to Joe Biden," Anderson Clayton, the North Carolina Democratic Party Chair said in a statement. "He is a true public servant and history will know him as being one of the most consequential and legislatively successful presidents in our nation's history."
The South Carolina DNC also pledged its support to Harris on Sunday. The committee met on Sunday to select their nominee.
We must move forward in unity for the sake of democracy," Christale Spain, the SC Democratic Party chair, said in a statement. "By selecting President Biden in February, South Carolina Democrats also selected the Vice President for her ability to lead."
President Biden’s campaign has formally changed its name to Harris for President, reflecting that she is inheriting his political operation — a sign of the prohibitive leg up she has for the Democratic nomination.
While some Democrats remained silent on who they wanted for a nominee, many others said the party should immediately assemble behind Harris. They want to quickly move past the painful, public deliberations of the weeks since the July 27 debate.
Republican leaders attacked Harris and said she shares responsibility for the policies of the Biden administration.
Biden's withdrawal came a day after Donald Trump held his first public campaign rally since he was injured in an assassination attempt, with an event in the battleground state of Michigan alongside his new running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance.
While Harris is the presumptive nominee at this time, she could face some challenges for the nomination. However, most of the rumored candidates have already denied that they will run.