The Democratic Establishment Is Falling in Line Behind Harris. It’s Worth Noting Who Hasn’t.

Twenty-seven minutes after President Joe Biden withdrew from the presidential race, he announced that he would offer his “full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year.” He added that it was “time to come together and beat Trump.” Putting his money where his mouth is, Biden turned over his campaign—and its bank account—to Harris.

The decision to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris likely ends whatever drama was in store about the “miniprimary” to come. For the most part, Democrats in leading positions have been quick to follow the president’s lead and circle the wagons around his heir apparent.

Other leading figures, though, wary of appearing as if they were “coronating” Harris, kept their powder dry.

Former President Bill Clinton and former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, in a joint statement, said that they were “honored” to join the President in endorsing Vice President Harris and will do whatever we can to support her.”

“Now is the time,” the Clintons added, “to support Kamala Harris and fight with everything we’ve got to elect her. America’s future depends on it.”

Leaders of nearly all House Democrats’ power centers lined up behind Harris. Rep. Annie Kuster, chair of the vast, moderate New Democrat caucus, gave Harris her “full-throated endorsement.” Further to the left, Congressional Progressive Caucus Chairwoman Pramila Jayapal said she looked forward to Harris becoming “the first South Asian American and first Black woman to serve as President of the United States of America.” Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairwoman Nanette Barragán endorsed Harris, as did the leadership of the Congressional Black Caucus, which had been one of the last bulwarks of support for Biden since the disastrous June presidential debate.

Rank-and-file members and senators across the board, from Sens. Mark Warner and Chris Coons to Reps. Ilhan Omar and Jamaal Bowman, were falling in line at a rapid clip throughout Sunday afternoon.

You’ll notice some other major Democratic names, though, missing from this list. And there’s something that they all have in common.

Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi said in her statement, “President Joe Biden is a patriotic American who has always put our country first. His legacy of vision, values and leadership make him one of the most consequential Presidents in American history.

“God blessed America,” she added, “with Joe Biden’s greatness and goodness.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said, “Joe Biden has not only been a great president and a great legislative leader but he is a truly amazing human being. His decision of course was not easy, but he once again put his country, his party, and our future first.” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries was similarly reverential, saying, “America is a better place today because President Joe Biden has led us with intellect, grace, and dignity. We are forever grateful.”

And Biden’s old boss, former President Barack Obama, paid his respects by writing an article-length statement rather than a couple of nice sentences. In regard to the path forward, Obama said, he had “extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges. I believe that Joe Biden’s vision of a generous, prosperous, and united America that provides opportunity for everyone will be on full display at the Democratic Convention in August.”

What do these four—who did not explicitly endorse Harris—have in common? Well, they’re all at severe risk of being dropped from Biden’s Christmas card list this year, as these were the four leaders who appeared to do the most work behind the scenes to nudge Biden out of the race.

Since they are already facing some backlash from the minority of Democrats who wanted Biden to stay on, they don’t want to appear as if they’re also determining the next party nominee. As Politico reported recently, Pelosi was among those in a recent discussion who stressed “the potential political downsides of party elites quickly crowning the vice president as the next nominee.”

Harris also recognizes that there would be political downsides to coronating herself. In her statement Sunday, she said she was “honored to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination.” In other words, she is not accepting the nomination right now.

“Over the past year, I have traveled across the country, talking with Americans about the clear choice in this momentous election,” Harris added. “And that is what I will continue to do in the days and weeks ahead. I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party—and unite our nation—to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda.”

So is Harris’ nomination a lock? What of the fabled miniprimary?

It’s worth at least parsing statements from arguably the two other would-be top rivals to Harris for the nomination: California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Whitmer posted a statement that read: “My job in this election will remain the same: doing everything I can to elect Democrats and stop Donald Trump, a convicted felon whose agenda of raising families’ costs, banning abortion nationwide, and abusing the power of the White House to settle his own scores is completely wrong for Michigan.” And Newsom, in a brief post, said that Biden “will go down in history as one of the most impactful and selfless presidents.” [Update, July 21, 2024, at 8:11 p.m.: Newsom released another statement later in the day that said, “No one is better to prosecute the case against Donald Trump’s dark vision and guide our country in a healthier direction than America’s Vice President, Kamala Harris.”]

Neither of those statements endorses Harris. And neither Whitmer nor Newsom has shut the door to their own presidential hopes this cycle either. (Another Bloomberg report said that Whitmer did not “intend” to challenge Harris for the nomination this cycle. Well, I didn’t “intend” to be working on a Sunday afternoon, but here we are.) If Democrats have learned anything this cycle, it’s to keep their options open.