Kamala Harris officially secures Democratic party’s nomination with 99% of roll call votes

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox

Get our free Inside Washington email

Vice President Kamala Harris has now officially been declared the Democratic party’s presidential candidate for the 2024 election in place of President Joe Biden – making history as the first Black woman and Asian American to top a major party ticket.

Her nomination became official late on Monday night, after a five-day round of online balloting by Democratic National Convention (DNC) delegates came to an end.

The DNC announced her win in a statement, revealing that she had earned the support of 99 per cent of the 4,567 delegates casting ballots in the roll call vote.

By comparison, Trump secured 2,387 votes from the near-2,500 delegates in attendance at last month’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, according to House speaker and convention chair Mike Johnson, which equates to approximately 95.5 per cent of the total.

“Vice President Harris has historic momentum at her back as we embark on the final steps in officially certifying her as our party’s nominee,” DNC chair Jaime Harrison and convention chair Minyon Moore said in a statement.

The results of the roll call must be certified before Harris and her running mate will accept the nomination at the DNC later this month.

The DNC began its virtual roll call vote for delegates on Thursday, with a deadline in place to return ballots by Monday evening.

On Friday, it was announced that the former California attorney general had already received enough votes (2,350) from delegates to clinch the nomination to take on Donald Trump in November.

In a call with the DNC that day, Harris said she was “honored to be the presumptive Democratic nominee for president of the United States and I will tell you, the tireless work of our delegates, our state leaders, and our staff has been pivotal to making this moment possible.”

“We believe in the promise of America: the promise of freedom, opportunity, and justice – not just for some, but for all,” the Vice President told supporters on Friday’s call, according to her campaign.

“And, ultimately, in this election – you all have heard me say many times – we each face the question: What kind of country do we want to live in?”

“Do we want to live in a country of freedom, compassion, and rule of law, or a country of chaos, fear, and hate?” she asked.

“And the beauty of our democracy is we each, every one of us, has the power to answer that question. And that is why I say, and know, the power is with the people.”

Harris will formally accept the nomination in person at the party’s convention beginning on August 19.

The presidential nominee is now expected to announce her running mate on Tuesday, as the duo kick off a series of campaign stops in battleground states beginning in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz are believed to be the final two candidates in contention for the role.

Harris moved quickly to secure key endorsements and delegate pledges within days of Biden’s withdrawal from the race, which rocketed Harris to the top of the ticket.

Biden, former Democratic presidents, party officials, lawmakers, celebrities and scores of voters embraced her candidacy while she earned record-breaking donations to support her run.

Trump’s campaign has since come out swinging against his new challenger, trying to blame her for Biden’s actions in office and targeting her ethnicity and heritage.

While both Harris and Trump have seen a surge in donations since Biden dropped out, the Democrat has far surpassed her Republican rival. Supporters injected $310m into her campaign’s coffers in July – more than double the $139m that Trump’s campaign raked in.