Mr. Schumer and Mr. Jeffries, the two top Democrats in Congress, endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s nominee after a process that played out “from the grass roots, bottom up.”
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Senator Chuck Schumer, left, and Representative Hakeem Jeffries, both of New York, endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday after party delegates quickly rallied behind her.
The top two Democrats in Congress, Senator Chuck Schumer and Representative Hakeem Jeffries, on Tuesday endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president, officially throwing their support behind her after she secured commitments from enough delegates to win the party’s nomination.
At a joint news conference in Washington, Mr. Schumer and Mr. Jeffries, both of New York, praised Ms. Harris’s record and her energy, crediting her with uniting the Democratic Party after several tumultuous weeks of uncertainty.
“Vice President Harris has done a truly impressive job securing the majority of delegates needed to win the Democratic nomination,” Mr. Schumer, the majority leader, said. “So now that the process has played out, from the grass roots, bottom up, we are here today to throw our support behind Vice President Kamala Harris.”
Mr. Schumer said in the days after Ms. Harris announced she was seeking the nomination, the number of volunteers signing up for shifts and small dollar contributions poured in “even beyond our expectations.”
The two Democratic leaders had treaded carefully in the immediate aftermath of President Biden’s decision to step aside from the top of the ticket and endorse Ms. Harris. They initially stopped short of formally backing the vice president, even as they praised her as “off to a great start” in gathering support within the party. Their light touch was regarded as an effort to avoid being seen as dictating the outcome of the nominating contest.
Mr. Schumer said when he had spoken to Ms. Harris following Mr. Biden’s announcement, she had expressed a desire to “earn” the nomination.
After she clinched commitments on Monday night from enough delegates to secure the Democratic nomination and much of the rest of the party had already unified around her, the two leaders followed suit.
“Kamala Harris and her candidacy has excited and energized the House Democratic Caucus, the Democratic Party and the nation,” Mr. Jeffries, the minority leader, said. “She is ready, she is willing, she is able to energetically and emphatically lead America into the future.”
As for when Mr. Schumer and Mr. Jeffries would meet with Ms. Harris, the New York senator had just one word: “Soon.”
Catie Edmondson covers Congress for The Times. More about Catie Edmondson
Maya C. Miller covers Congress and is a Times Fellow, a program for journalists early in their careers. She is based in Washington. More about Maya C. Miller
See more on: 2024 Elections, Charles Schumer, Kamala Harris
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Source: nytimes.com
