Steph Deschamps / July 24, 2024
Kamala Harris is in pole position Monday towards the Democratic presidential nomination in November against Donald Trump, with a wave of rallies within her party after Joe Biden's shock withdrawal plunged the campaign into uncertainty.
At 59, the first female vice-president in US history praised Joe Biden's record as “unparalleled in modern history”.
Kamala Harris made no reference to the November 5 elections, however, in her first speech since Sunday, which was highly symbolic because it was made from the White House while the president was convalescing outside Washington.
The day before, she had declared herself ready to “win the nomination” at the mid-August Democratic convention in Chicago, having won the support of the president worn down by his 81 years.
However, a number of leading Democrats, including Barack Obama, are still wary of directly endorsing the woman who is also the first black vice-president.
“We're going to be sailing into uncharted waters in the days ahead,” warned the former president, with convention delegates remaining free to cast their votes. Another major party figure, Nancy Pelosi, has so far remained silent and is reportedly in favor of an “open” nomination process.