Harris snags support of Washington Democratic delegates

Washington State Democratic Party Chair Shasti Conrad, left, and Vice President Kamala Harris at an event in 2020.

Washington state’s delegates to the Democratic National Convention united Thursday night behind Vice President Kamala Harris’s bid to be the party’s presidential nominee.

Delegates, on a 79-17 vote, endorsed Harris after President Joe Biden withdrew as a candidate a week ago. The Democratic National Committee intends to conduct a virtual nomination vote for its presidential candidate as soon as Aug. 1.

“With Harris as our nominee we will protect our fundamental rights and freedoms and defeat Donald Trump’s and MAGA’s extremist Project 2025 agenda,” Washington State Democratic Party chair Shasti Conrad said in a statement. 

“As a party, we will shield Vice President Harris from the racism and misogyny already being hurled her way while also amplifying her vision for a democratic and prosperous future,” she said.

Harris had already cemented her status as presumptive nominee before Washington’s delegation met Thursday.

A survey by The Associated Press found 3,284 delegates who had said by Thursday morning they would support her on the first ballot of the party’s nominating vote. A candidate needs 1,976 delegates on the first ballot to secure the Democratic nomination.

Democrats will still hold a ceremonial roll call of the states from the floor of the United Center in Chicago during the convention that starts Aug. 19.

Washington is sending 111 voting delegates to the convention.

Of those, 90 had been pledged to Biden, and two are uncommitted. Washington also has 19 automatic delegates who are party leaders, members of Congress and statewide elected officials. As a result of Biden’s exit, all the delegates are able to cast their vote for any qualified candidate, or not vote at all, during the virtual nomination vote. 

The purpose of Thursday’s meeting was to gauge the state’s delegation’s sentiment ahead of that tally.

State party officials said 119 people – delegates and newly elected alternates  – were eligible to participate. Those who dissented were not necessarily opposed to Harris’s ultimate nomination but seemed disinclined to making an endorsement decision at this stage, officials surmised.

In the meantime, Donald Trump is the official Republican Party candidate following his formal nomination at the GOP national convention earlier this month in Wisconsin.

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