Barack and Michelle Obama endorse Harris for president
Former first couple waited for the Democratic Party to unite before backing the Vice-President.
Former president Barack Obama and Michelle Obama endorsed Kamala Harris’s presidential bid on Friday, lending their support in the most notable sign yet of the Vice-President’s rapid consolidation of the Democratic Party.
The endorsement from the Obamas came at the end of Ms Harris’s first week since becoming the party’s expected nominee in the aftermath of President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from the race against his GOP rival, former president Donald Trump.
In a video released by the campaign, Ms Harris spoke to the Obamas by phone while she was in Indianapolis on Wednesday.
Mr Obama said he and the former first lady “couldn’t be prouder to endorse you and do everything we can to get you through this election and into the Oval Office”.
Michelle Obama added “This is going to be historic”, a nod to Ms Harris’s potential of becoming the nation’s first woman to win the presidency.
In a statement released by the couple, the Obamas noted that they had known Ms Harris for more than two decades and recalled what they saw as her achievements in California as a prosecutor, an attorney-general, a senator and as Mr Biden’s Vice-President.
“She has the vision, the character, and the strength that this critical moment demands. There is no doubt in our mind that Kamala Harris has exactly what it takes to win this election and deliver for the American people,” said the statement, which was to be released as an email to supporters.
The former president was the last major figure in the Democratic Party to give Ms Harris his endorsement. People close to Mr Obama had said he first wanted to see the party united and the nomination settled. And that he wanted to avoid overshadowing Mr Biden’s valedictory Oval Office address on Wednesday night.
Ms Harris’s rapid ascension against no opposition so far and the endorsements of Democrat elected officials across the party, along with advocacy groups and unions, left little doubt that Mr Obama would offer his public support. He remains a popular figure within the party and has been a fundraiser for Democrats up and down the ballot and a proven surrogate. The endorsement comes ahead of next month’s Democratic National Convention in Mr Obama’s hometown of Chicago, where he is expected to address delegates.
In election years, Mr Obama typically ramps up his political activity after Labour Day, headlining rallies in battleground states – an approach he is expected to take this year.
David Axelrod, Mr Obama’s former senior adviser, warned that Mr Trump, confirmed last week as the Republican presidential nominee, remained the clear favourite to win the White House.
“I still rate him a … pretty substantial favourite in this race just because of the electoral challenges,” Axelrod, 69, said on his Hacks on Tap podcast on Wednesday. Axelrod said he wanted to see Ms Harris earn the nomination and worried that a “coronation” would be a turn-off for voters. The veteran political strategist said Ms Harris’s choice of running-mate could be key to her chances of victory, adding that Arizona senator Mark Kelly and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro were the “two most serious candidates”.
Ms Harris has won the support of a majority of Democrat delegates, but still needs to officially clinch the nomination when party officials hold a roll call early next month. On Wednesday, her campaign reported that it had raised $US126m ($192m) in three days.
The Wall Street Journal
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