Harris makes history as first Black woman, Asian American presidential nominee

WASHINGTON – The party votes have been cast: Vice President Kamala Harris is officially the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee — making U.S. history as the first Black woman and first Asian American from a major party to win that designation.

Harris secured the Democratic nomination on Friday afternoon, receiving the majority of votes — at least 2,350 — from her party’s delegates, just one day after voting opened. The Democratic National Committee held a livestream video hosted by Biden campaign aides and DNC chairman Jaime Harrison to mark the occasion.

“I am honored to be the presumptive Democratic nominee for President of the United States,” Harris said moments after she passed the delegate threshold during a Democratic party-sponsored livestream phone call. “Your dedication cannot be overstated. Your dedication to our country. I know we all feel this way so strongly. We love our country, we believe in the promise of America, and that’s what this campaign is about.”

Harris said she will officially accept the nomination next week, once the virtual voting period concludes on Monday. She added that she’s looking forward to the Democratic National Convention that begins Aug. 19 in Chicago to “have an opportunity to celebrate this historic moment together.”

Harris, 59, catapulted to the top of the ticket after President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential election on July 21. Harris will go on to face Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, the 45th president, in November.

Vice President Harris quickly gained the backing of top leaders in her party, including Biden, former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. She’s also been raking in record-breaking donations less than two weeks into her candidacy.

The DNC began a virtual roll call on Thursday at 9 a.m. for delegates to vote for Harris as the party’s candidate. Delegates still have until the deadline on Monday, Aug. 5 at 6 p.m. ET to return their ballots.

“I am so proud to confirm that Vice President Harris has earned more than a majority of votes from all convention delegates and will be the nominee of the Democratic Party,” Harrison said during the livestream.

He added: “Today, my friends, is special because we can proudly say that we will have the first woman of color at the top of a major party ticket.”

Even before voting opened, Harris had accumulated more than enough delegate support to win the nomination.

Harris is expected to announce a vice presidential candidate before she is scheduled to appear in Philadelphia on Tuesday with her highly anticipated running mate. Additional stops next week for the duo are planned for western Wisconsin, Detroit, Raleigh, N.C.; Savannah, Ga.; Phoenix and Las Vegas.

The DNC imposed an Aug. 7 deadline to virtually confirm the party’s presidential and vice presidential nominees ahead of the Democratic National Convention later this month.

With less than 100 days until the election, the race between the two candidates is heating up.

Trump, the Republican nominee, and Harris are in a dead heat in several competitive, battleground states.

The former president has come out swinging against the Democratic candidate. During a combative interview on Wednesday at the National Association of Black Journalists annual conference, Trump used racist rhetoric towards Harris, questioning her racial identity. Harris, who slammed Trump’s remarks, is Black, and of South Asian descent.

Harris is facing an uptick in racist and misogynistic attacks after she became the leading candidate for the Democrats.

Trump and GOP allies have labeled Harris as a “DEI candidate” — a talking point using the acronym for diversity, equity and inclusion that conservatives are using to disqualify people of color or women who ascend to positions of power and influence.

Days after Harris became the Democratic candidate, a video of Sen. JD Vance, Trump’s running mate, resurfaced that implied Harris was among top Democrats who were “childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they’ve made.”

Vance made those comments during an appearance on Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight” in July 2021 while he was running for Ohio’s U.S. Senate seat. He said at the time that “the entire future of the Democrats is controlled by people without children.” Harris is the step-mother of two children.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY.