WASHINGTON (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) — Vice President Kamala Harris is moving swiftly to get Democratic delegates behind her campaign for the White House after President Joe Biden stepped aside amid concerns in his party that he'd be unable to defeat Republican Donald Trump. Biden's exit Sunday was a seismic shift in a turbulent presidential race that was rocked just a week ago by the attempted assassination of Trump.
HERE'S THE LATEST:
5 p.m. -- Harris fundraising hits $81 million in 24 hours
In total, Harris' team raised more than $81 million in the 24-hour period since Biden's announcement, campaign spokesperson Kevin Munoz said Monday.
The massive haul, which includes money raised across the campaign, the Democratic National Committee and joint fundraising committees, represents the largest 24-hour sum reported by either side in the 2024 campaign. Harris' campaign said it was the largest single-day total in U.S. history.
“The historic outpouring of support for Vice President Harris represents exactly the kind of grassroots energy and enthusiasm that wins elections," Munoz said.
1:35 p.m. -- Nancy Pelosi endorses Harris for president
Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the former House speaker, endorsed Harris a day after Biden announced he was dropping out.
Pelosi—who had been one of the notable holdouts to Harris, initially encouraging a primary to strengthen the eventual nominee—made the endorsement in an X post at 1:30 p.m. in which she praised Biden's leadership.
"As one of our country's most consequential presidents, President Biden has been not only on the right side of history, but on the right side of the future," she wrote.
"Today, it is with immense pride and limitless optimism for our country’s future that I endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for President of the United States," Pelosi went on to say. "My enthusiastic support for Kamala Harris for President is official, personal and political."
"Kamala Harris as a woman in politics is brilliantly astute – and I have full confidence that she will lead us to victory in November," Pelosi continued. "In the Democratic Party, our diversity is our strength and our unity is our power. Now, we must unify and charge forward to resoundingly defeat Donald Trump and enthusiastically elect Kamala Harris as the next President of the United States. Onward to victory!"
1 p.m. -- Harris heading to Delaware to meet with Biden campaign staff
Vice President Kamala Harris is heading to Delaware to meet with staffers of the reelection campaign that President Joe Biden gave up. Her office says Harris will hold a “campaign engagement” in Wilmington, Delaware, on Monday afternoon. Biden reelection campaign headquarters occupies space in two buildings there.Biden endorsed Harris shortly after announcing he was leaving the presidential race. The campaign announced raising $49.6 million in the hours after his announcement. Harris is not yet the formal Democratic presidential nominee, but top party elected officials and donors, as well as labor unions and leading advocacy groups, have endorsed her.
12:15 p.m. -- Gov. Ned Lamont endorses Harris for president
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont on Monday endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the 2024 Democratic nominee for president.
"I support Kamala Harris. I think she's going to be a great nominee. I think she's going to win, and I look forward to working with her as long as I'm governor," Lamont told NBC New York.
Lamont's endorsement follows New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who have also backed Harris.
11:48 a.m. -- Harris praises Biden in remarks at White House
Vice President Kamala Harris, during a speech at an event celebrating the National Collegiate Athletic Association championship teams from the 2023-2024 season, spoke about President Joe Biden, saying, "In one term he has already surpassed the legacy of most presidents who serve two terms in office."
"I first came to know President Biden through his son," Harris said. "We worked together as attorneys general in our states, and back then Beau would often tell me stories about his dad. He would talk about the kind of father and the kind of man that Joe Biden is. The qualities that Beau revered in his father are the same qualities that I have seen every day in our president—his honesty, his integrity, his commitment to his faith and his family, his big heart, and his deep love of our country. I am a firsthand witness that every day our President Joe Biden fights for the American people, and we are deeply, deeply grateful for his service to our nation. On behalf of our president and the Biden family, I am honored to welcome all of you to the White House to celebrate the achievements of these great athletes.”
11:35 a.m. -- Harris to speak for 1st time since launching campaign
Harris will make her first public remarks since Biden announced he wouldn't seek reelection and endorsed her to he his successor. She's delivering remarks at the White House "celebrating the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championship teams." Watch the address here:
11:20 a.m. -- No Democrat has challenged Harris yet
Harris' additional endorsements on Monday included Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.
That leaves a dwindling list of potential rivals to the vice president as she moves to lock up Democratic delegates behind her campaign for the White House.
Winning the nomination is only the first item on a long political to-do list for her after Biden’s decision to exit the race, which she learned about on a Sunday morning call with the president.
If she’s successful at locking up the nomination, she must also pick a running mate and pivot a massive political operation to boost her candidacy instead of Biden’s with just over 100 days until Election Day.
9:30 a.m. -- Mayor Adams backs VP Harris as Democratic nominee
Mayor Eric Adams, who said he was "riding with Biden" until he dropped out of the race Sunday, told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on Monday that he's now supporting Harris.
Adams said it must have been "very challenging" for Biden to make the decision but that it showed a "great level of patriotism" to know when to step aside.
"I'm looking forward to moving towards a convention, seeing the Vice President Harris becoming the nominee," Adams said, noting that he had endorsed her in the 2020 Democratic primary.
"I'm clear everyone knows who I am about public safety, and she was very clear on the campaign trail," the mayor continued. "I think that she is the voice that the party needs right now, that we're hemorrhaging African Americans. We're hemorrhaging Hispanic voters. We're hemorrhaging those working class people who don't realize the Democratic Party has a good product. We have to get a clear message on getting that product out there."
Adams said the country needs "real leadership" to tackle issues like the border crisis, gun violence, public safety and affordable housing—issues he has often drawn attention to during his time as mayor.
"When you hear the critique of her, it's about, I don't like the way she laughs. I don't like the way she does this or does that," the mayor said of Harris. "Listen, let's stop to silliness. These are real issues and allow her to do what she does well."
"She can articulate these issues. She could sell her case," Adams continued. "I think you're going to see that enthusiasm. You're going to see the real VP Harris move up to the level of President Harris. That's a step that you do when you're placing these positions. The person I am now was not the person I was as Borough President. You move into these very important positions. I think she's ready for it. "
9:15 a.m. -- Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand endorses Kamala Harris
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who ran against Harris in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, endorsed her for president.
Following an X post showing her support on Sunday night, the junior senator from New York said in a statement Monday: “I am proud to endorse my friend, Vice President Kamala Harris, for president. VP Harris is an unwavering champion for families, workers and justice. She is incredibly well-qualified, with experience as a prosecutor, as a lawmaker, and as a leader on the world stage. Now is the time to unite. VP Harris has the grit and toughness to beat Donald Trump and I’m eager to join her in this fight.”
The senior senator from New York, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, has not made an endorsement since President Biden announced he's not running for reelection.
8:15 a.m. -- Manchin won't challenge Harris
Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, of West Virginia, said Monday that he won't challenge Harris for the Democratic nomination in the race.
Manchin told "CBS Mornings" on Monday that "I am not going to be a candidate for president."
He said he represents moderates and that Harris is "absolutely" too far to the left for him. "The Democratic Party has gone too far left," he said. "The Republican Party has coalesced around Donald Trump on the far right. People are looking in the middle, 'where do you go?'"
Manchin left the Democratic Party earlier this year to become an independent. There was speculation he may rejoin the party to challenge Harris, but he said he wants to see more debate about how to move forward.
"I think a lot of people would like to see a mini primary," Manchin said. "That's the process, find out if you have the strongest candidate, whether it could be Kamala or whoever else."
8 a.m. -- Harris campaign raises nearly $50M since Biden's announcement
Harris for President spokesperson Lauren Hitt said the vice president's campaign had raised $49.6 million in donations in the first 15 hours after Biden's endorsement.
On Sunday afternoon, Biden’s campaign formally changed its name to Harris for President, reflecting that she is inheriting his political operation of more than 1,000 staffers and a war chest that stood at nearly $96 million at the end of June.
More than 80 Democratic members of Congress have lined up behind Harris, as have several men who'd been discussed as potential running mates for Harris—Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
But former President Barack Obama held off on an immediate endorsement, as did former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, as some in the party have expressed worry that the quick shift to Harris would appear to be a coronation.
Meanwhile, West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, who left the party earlier this year to become an independent, is considering re-registering as a Democrat to vie for the nomination against the vice president, according to Jonathan Kott, a longtime adviser to Manchin.
Harris was to make her first public appearance Monday morning at the White House, where she is scheduled to speak at an event honoring National Collegiate Athletic Association championship teams. She is filling in for Biden, who is recovering after contracting COVID-19 last week.
Biden planned to discuss his decision to step aside later this week in an address to the nation. He wrote in a letter posted Sunday, “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."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.