South Dakota Democratic delegates unanimously endorse Harris as presidential pick

A supporter holds a sign as members of the San Francisco Democratic Party rally in support of Kamala Harris, following the announcement by President Joe Biden that he is dropping out of the 2024 presidential race, on July 22, 2024 at City Hall in San Francisco, California. Biden has endorsed Harris, the former San Francisco district attorney, to be the Democratic nominee. (Photo by Loren Elliott/Getty Images)

The South Dakota delegates to the Democratic National Convention met virtually Monday night and voted unanimously to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris as their nominee in the 2024 presidential race.

In voting to endorse Harris, South Dakota Democrats fell in line with other state and national Democratic leaders who quickly followed the lead from President Joe Biden, who dropped out of the 2024 race via social media Sunday afternoon and endorsed Harris as his successor shortly thereafter.

Nebraska, Maryland, Florida, New Hampshire, Alabama, North Carolina and Virginia were among the states where Democrats backed Harris as of Monday evening. 

Harris has also picked up endorsements from key leaders at the national level. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, mentioned as a possible Democratic contender himself, endorsed Harris quickly on Sunday. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi endorsed Harris Monday. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries had not endorsed Harris as of Monday evening, but Jeffries said earlier in the day that Harris had “excited the House Democratic Caucus and she’s exciting the country.”

Late Monday evening, the New York Times, CNN and other national media organizations reported that Harris had secured the backing of more than the 1,976 delegates needed to win the nomination in the first round of voting at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next month. The news came by way of a poll from The Associated Press, which broke the story.

The poll listed 2,668 delegates pledged to Harris and 54 undecided as of 10 p.m. CST Monday.

The Democratic National Committee will move forward with the process to formally nominate a presidential candidate Wednesday when its Rules Committee meets in a public virtual session amid ongoing efforts to set up a virtual roll call vote ahead of the convention next month in Chicago, according to reporting from States Newsroom.

South Dakota Democrats backed Biden with around 75% of the vote in the state’s June 4 primary. In a news release, the South Dakota Democratic Party announced that its 20 voting delegates to the August convention had voted unanimously to back Harris.

“We thank President Biden for his leadership throughout his career and for choosing Kamala Harris four years ago to be his Vice President,” said Delegate Chair Jessica Meyers. “Harris has proven that she is more than equipped to take on the Presidency and we as a delegation are looking forward to casting the official vote for her.”

The post South Dakota Democratic delegates unanimously endorse Harris as presidential pick appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight.