Several thousand delegates are set to begin voting Thursday to formally nominate Kamala Harris as the Democratic candidate to face Donald Trump in November’s US presidential election, an online process that will last several days, another illustration of the unusual nature of this campaign.
Less than two weeks after Joe Biden withdrew his candidacy for a second term, a historic decision that completely reshuffled the cards, the current vice president has managed to impose herself and faces no rival in her camp.
Typically, the candidate’s formal inauguration takes place in person at a major party convention, scheduled this year in Chicago from August 19 to 22.
But due to procedural requirements in the state of Ohio, Democrats decided to move the vote forward, online. A rare procedure but one that should be similar to that of 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Voting is scheduled to begin Thursday morning and end late Monday. The Democratic Party has not detailed how the vote might or might not be monitored day by day and how its results will be announced.
“Transparent process”
Until recently, many of the more than 3,900 Democratic delegates across the country—local elected officials, activists, and nonprofit workers—had no choice but to nominate Joe Biden, who won the primaries earlier this year.
But they were freed from that constraint after the current president threw in the towel, prompted by concerns about his age and health.
Kamala Harris, 59, has quickly established herself as the only possible replacement, amassing support among party officials, better poll numbers than Joe Biden, a surge in mobilization and funds in a soaring fundraising campaign.
The vote thus went from an open primary to an expected plebiscite, thereby removing the risks of internal war briefly feared after Joe Biden’s decision.
“Our party has met this unprecedented moment with a transparent, democratic and orderly process to unite behind a proven candidate who will lead us in the fight that lies ahead,” said Democratic Party leader Jaime Harrison.
The fight at the polls against Donald Trump in November is shaping up to be a tough one, with polls now showing him neck and neck with his Democratic rival.
With less than 100 days to go before the US presidential election, the Republican has stepped up his attacks on Kamala Harris, going so far as to accuse her on Wednesday of presenting herself as black for electoral reasons.
Born to a Jamaican father and an Indian mother, she is the first black and Asian person to have acceded to the American vice-presidency.
Mystery running mate
In addition to the inauguration, Kamala Harris has another important step to take in the coming days: choosing her running mate, who will become vice president if she is elected.
The former California attorney general and senator is likely considering inviting a white man to join her on the ticket, political observers say. The names of four key state governors and a senator are being bandied about repeatedly.
But his decision “has not yet been made”, his team stressed again on Tuesday evening.
The only certainty is that she and her running mate are due to visit no fewer than seven states together next week, a tour that is set to begin in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday, according to US media.
The duo will then be celebrated in mid-August in Chicago, a gathering that promises to be a grand induction party.