Former U.S President, Barack Obama and former First Lady, Michelle Obama have endorsed Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee for President.
This means that the U.S Vice President has now won the backing of all the party’s politically active high-profile figures for her White House bid.
The endorsement was announced on Friday, July 26, 2024, in a video showing Harris accepting a joint phone call from the former first couple.
It comes as the Harris campaign, which has made a flying start, launches a “weekend of action” marking 100 days until the election with more than 170,000 volunteers and 2,300 events across battleground states.
In the video, Harris is seen listening to the Obamas on an iPhone in her right hand.
Barack Obama said, “We called to say Michelle and I couldn’t be prouder to endorse you and do everything we can to get you through this election and into the Oval Office.”
While his wife, Michelle, stated, “I can’t have this phone call without saying to my girl Kamala: I am proud of you.”
She added, “This is going to be historic.”
Smiling, standing near a vehicle, Harris replied, “Oh my goodness. Michelle, Barack, this means so much to me.”
“I am looking forward to doing this with the two of you, Doug and I both. And getting out there, being on the road,” she added.
“But most of all, I just wanna tell you that the words you have spoken and the friendship that you have given over all these years mean more than I can express. So thank you both! It means so much. And, and we’re gonna have some fun with this too, aren’t we?”
Kamala Harris
Former U.S President, Barack Obama had conspicuously withheld his endorsement in the immediate aftermath of Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from the campaign and endorse Harris.
Obama was initially believed to favour an open nominating contest at next month’s Democratic national convention in Chicago.
His initial statement after Biden’s announcement was, “I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges.”
However, after Harris earned the backing of Bill and Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, a host of state governors and the most senior Democrats in Congress, Obama has added his voice in what amounts to a major boost for the U.S Vice President.
According to a survey by a U.S news agency, Harris already has secured the public support of a majority of delegates to the Democratic National Convention, which begins August 19, 2024 in Chicago.
The Democratic National Committee expects to hold a virtual nominating vote that would, by Aug. 7, make Harris and a yet-to-be-named running mate the official Democratic ticket.
Obama was the first Black US President, and his endorsement highlights the friendship and potentially historic link between the nation’s first Black President and the first woman, first Black woman and first person of Asian descent to serve as Vice President, who is now vying to break those same barriers at the presidential rank.
Harris Narrows Gap With Trump
According to a latest poll, Harris has narrowed the gap with Republican nominee, Donald Trump.
A New York Times/ Siena College survey found Harris just one percentage point behind Trump, a narrowing of the six-point gap between Biden and Trump.
Harris trailed Trump by 47% to 48%.
Trump was leading Biden by six percentage points in this poll after their debate.
The latest poll was conducted among 1,142 Americans and has a margin of error of 3.3 percentage points.
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