Vice President Kamala Harris has secured the Democratic presidential nomination, becoming the first woman of color to win a major party's nomination, formally setting up a showdown with former President Donald J. Trump.
The Democratic National Committee said in a statement late Monday that Harris, 59, had received the support of 99 percent of the 4,567 delegates who voted. In an unusual move to avoid legal challenges, the roll call was conducted online over five days rather than in person at the Democratic National Convention, which begins in Chicago on Aug. 19.
Before Harris and her soon-to-be-announced running mate can accept the nomination, convention secretary Jason Ray must certify the roll call results.
“Vice President Harris is riding high on historic momentum as we enter the final stages of formally certifying herself as our party's nominee,” Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison and Democratic convention chair Mignon Moore said in a statement.
Harris, whose mother is an immigrant from India and father is from Jamaica, will be the first black woman and the first person of South Asian descent to hold the position. She rose to the top of the party's candidate list after President Biden withdrew from the race on July 21 under pressure from his party, clearing the way for Harris to run.
In the two weeks since, the party has scrambled to endorse Ms. Harris, revamping its messaging, raising millions of dollars and trying to capitalize on growing enthusiasm for its new candidate, as Ms. Harris quickly picked a running mate and brought several new advisers to her campaign.
Typically, candidates confirm their nomination in a spectacular in-person roll call vote at their convention. But this year, the party conducted an unusual online vote to meet state ballot printing deadlines, the party announced. The virtual roll call began Thursday morning. By Friday afternoon, Harris, the only candidate on the ballot, had secured the majority of delegates needed for the nomination. Voting ended at 6 p.m. Monday, and the party announced the results just before midnight.
Ms. Harris first ran for president in 2019, in her third year as a senator from California. In a crowded field of Democratic candidates, she struggled to find her message, had trouble with staff and dropped out before the polls began. Now she is trying to prove she can lead a party desperate to stop Mr. Trump from returning to power.
Harris is scheduled to announce her running mate on Tuesday before holding a joint campaign rally in Philadelphia and then touring battleground states.
