Iowa DNC delegates endorse Kamala Harris as presidential nominee

Vice President Kamala Harris laughs as she takes the stage at a voting rights event at Howard University in Washington, D.C., on July 8, 2021. (Screen shot from White House livestream)

The Iowa delegation for the Democratic National Convention unanimously endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday to become the 2024 presidential nominee.

The Iowa’s DNC delegates made the decision during a virtual meeting Monday evening in the aftermath of President Joe Biden’s Sunday announcement that he was dropping out of the 2024 presidential race. Biden endorsed Harris to take his place as the Democratic nominee, who will face former President Donald Trump in the November general election.

Since Biden’s exit from the race, Harris has accrued numerous endorsements from high-profile Democratic leaders, lawmakers and party members. Other state delegations, including North Carolina and Tennessee, put their support behind Harris as the nominee Sunday.

Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart, the chair of Iowa’s delegation, said in a statement that she was excited to support Harris as the nominee.

“This is a historic moment for our country and for Iowans,” Harris said. “We’ve seen a swell of support in the last 24 hours since Vice President Kamala Harris announced her campaign for the White House. Not only has Vice President Harris broken national fundraising numbers — here in Iowa, we’ve had a substantial number of people reach out asking to volunteer.”

While Iowa delegates have pledged to support Harris at the Chicago convention in August, delegates for Biden are not officially obligated to support Harris. However, some Iowa Democrats have said supporting Harris is the correct move. C.J. Petersen, a delegate who serves on the Democratic state central committee, said before the meeting that the vice president is a “proven and effective leader” who can unify Democrats ahead of the convention, and heading into the general election.

State Rep. Ako Abdul-Samad, D-Des Moines, a delegate for the convention, said that while Biden has done a good job as president, his decision to step aside and support Harris has given a “boost of hope” to Democrats across the country ahead of the election.

“The Iowa delegation, you know, saw this as a plus because we supported President Biden,” Abdul-Samad said. “So we look at as a plus, we’re looking at individuals like President Biden said — he says not only this is a good step that he needed to take for him and his family, this is a great step for the party. And he said, ‘I have to look at what’s best for the party.’ And that’s the kind of leadership you want, and that’s the kind of leadership that we see in VP Harris.”

Other Iowans have also come out in support of Harris since the announcement. Iowa House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst endorsed Harris in a Monday news release, saying that she is excited to support the vice president “as the experienced leader our party and our country needs for this time in our history.”

“Vice President Harris understands what’s at stake this fall, including the vital issue of reproductive freedom for Americans,” Konfrst said in a statement. “She has been a fierce and vocal advocate for the rights of women to make their own healthcare decisions. Just last summer, she was in Iowa to highlight the risks of Iowa Republicans’ extreme abortion ban. With so much at stake, she will be a critical voice for this important issue.”

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