Kamala Harris vs Donald Trump? Where Gavin Newsom could fit in | What to know
Vice President Kamala Harris is running for president.
On Sunday, President Joe Biden announced that he would not seek a second term and endorsed Harris as his successor — becoming the first incumbent president since Lyndon Johnson in 1968 to decline to run for another term.
“Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year,” Biden, 81, said Sunday via social media. “Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this.”
Harris, 59, could make history as the first Black and Asian American woman ever to head a major party ticket.
The former California attorney general and U.S. senator still needs to be formally nominated by the Democratic convention, which begins Aug. 19.
Here a roundup of the latest news that voters need to know today:
Why did President Joe Biden decide not to seek a second term?
Biden withdrew Sunday from the 2024 presidential race, ending a weeks-long crisis within the Democratic Party over his viability against former President Donald Trump in November.
“I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” Biden said in a letter posted on social media.
Biden had faced growing pressure from top Democratic lawmakers since June 27 debate performance in Atlanta.
The president resisted calls to drop out of the race for several weeks, vowing to stay in as the Democratic nominee after winning the party’s primary. But polling data began to show Biden losing ground, wealthy donors started withholding their funds, and leading Democrats in the House and Senate personally entreated him to exit the race.
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How will Democrats choose a new party nominee?
With Biden out of the 2024 presidential race, the Democrats must choose a successor to take on Trump.
The new party nominee could be formally chosen in early August, when Democrats could take a virtual roll call. A majority of delegates would be needed to pick a candidate.
Some Democrats have floated the idea of what they call a “mini-primary.” One idea is that potential candidates would participate in forums prior to the convention.
Or the choice could wait until the party’s national convention in Chicago next month.
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What did Kamala Harris say about Joe Biden?
In her first public remarks since Biden bowed out of the presidential contest and passed the torch to her, Harris thanked her boss.
Harris, who was subbing in for Biden at a White House event celebrating collegiate athletic champions, praised Biden’s “honesty, his integrity, his commitment to his faith and his family, his big heart and his love, deep love, for our country.”
“Joe Biden’s legacy of accomplishment over the past three years is unmatched in modern history,” Harris said.
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What is Kamala Harris’ political record?
Harris’ political record — and how Republicans will use it against her — is center stage now that she’s the expected front-runner to top the 2024 Democratic ticket.
Harris became the first woman and Black and South Asian American vice president in January 2021.
Harris was tapped as Biden’s vice president in 2020, after running her own short-lived presidential campaign that year. She left the U.S. Senate seat she had held since 2017 to join the White House.
Prior to that, Harris served as California’s attorney general, and San Francisco District Attorney.
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Can Kamala Harris defeat Donald Trump?
Just hours after Biden endorsed her as his successor, Harris quickly jumped into the 2024 presidential contest, saying “My intention is to earn and win this nomination.”
Polls show she runs slightly better than Biden against Trump.
This will be Harris’ second attempt at winning the White House. Her first, in 2019, fizzled quickly.
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Do Republicans see vice president as easy to beat?
Republicans say Harris will be as easy to beat as Biden.
“Kamala Harris has lied for years now about Joe Biden’s mental condition and America suffered for it,” said Alex Pfeiffer, spokesman for the Trump-friendly MAGA, Inc.. “It’s time now for her to tell the truth and answer this one question: If Joe Biden is unfit for the campaign trail, then how is he fit for office?”
Donald Trump Jr., the former president’s son, wrote on social media Harris “owns the entire left wing policy record of Joe Biden.”
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Could Kamala Harris pick Gavin Newsom as running mate?
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday acknowledged Biden’s decision to drop out of the race and endorsed Harris as the best choice “to prosecute the case against Donald Trump’s dark vision.”
Newsom had been named as a potential Democratic nominee or running mate, along with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and governors Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Andy Beshear of Kentucky and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania.
There’s just one problem for a potential Vice President Newsom: the 12th Amendment, which outlines how presidential electors in the Electoral College cast ballots for the presidential ticket.
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This story was originally published July 22, 2024 at 2:06 PM.
