It’s been only two days since President Joe Biden announced that he would not seek reelection and would instead endorse Vice President Kamala Harris in the race for the presidency, and already, Harris has picked up an enormous amount of Democratic support.
Nearly all of the Virginia delegates who will head to the Democratic National Convention in August have agreed to back Harris as their nominee.
“Our Virginia delegation met … and we’re ready to go,” said Democratic Party of Virginia chairwoman Susan Swecker.
Virginia will have 119 Democratic delegates at the convention. As of Tuesday, 117 of them said they would vote for Harris.
“Everybody else was unanimous, of the 119 (people in the) delegation, about moving forward with this very accomplished woman who will carry our Democratic message,” said Swecker. “There’s a lot of excitement about turning a generational page here, and everyone was very much on board.”
Democrats in Virginia hope to reverse recent polling that showed former president and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump gaining ground in the state.
For example, a Virginia Commonwealth University poll showed Trump ahead of Biden 39% to 36%.
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Democratic delegates in Maryland also quickly fell in line.
All 106 Maryland delegates who will be at the convention have signed on and agreed that they would back Harris.
Biden’s unprecedented announcement, delivered less than four months before the election, immediately upended a campaign that both political parties view as the most consequential in generations.
The president — intent on serving out the remainder of his term in office — quickly endorsed Kamala Harris to take on Trump and encouraged his party to unite behind her, making her the party’s instant favorite for the nomination at its convention in Chicago.
Harris, in a statement, praised Biden’s “selfless and patriotic act” and said she intends to “earn and win” her party’s nomination.
“I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party — and unite our nation — to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda,” she said.
The Democratic National Convention is scheduled to be held Aug. 19-22 in Chicago.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.