Elections
The move by the former president and first lady, Barack and Michelle Obama, marks the last major Democratic endorsement for Kamala Harris, the party’s presumptive nominee.
In a new campaign video released on Friday, former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama called Vice President Kamala Harris to endorse her for president.
“Kamala!” the former president shouted over the phone as Harris headed to her motorcade while on the campaign trail.
“We called to say, Michelle and I couldn’t be prouder to endorse you and do everything we can to get you through this election and into the Oval Office,” said the 44th president of the United States.
Michelle Obama added, “… my girl Kamala: I am proud of you. This is going to be historic.”
The campaign video doesn’t show the Obamas, only Harris, who holds a phone to her ear while standing outside her black SUV with Secret Service agents nearby.
“Oh my goodness. Michelle, Barack, this means so much to me. I am looking forward to doing this with the two of you, Doug and I both. And getting out there, being on the road,” replied Harris, referencing second gentleman Doug Emhoff. Harris is set to officially become the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee in August.
“But most of all, I just wanna tell you that the words you have spoken and the friendship that you have given over all these years mean more than I can express,” the vice president added.
Harris is poised to make history as the first Black woman to clinch a major party’s presidential nomination on Aug. 22 in Chicago at the Democratic National Convention, though she will likely secure it ahead of time during a DNC virtual roll call. She would also become only the second woman to do so, following former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Before ending the historic call with the Obamas, Harris noted that she, Emhoff, and the Obamas would “have some fun” on the campaign trail.
“You’re a happy warrior,” Barack Obama said of Harris, to which the former first lady added, “And the country needs a happy warrior.”
Friday’s endorsement from the Obamas marks the last major Democratic endorsement for Harris, who on Sunday announced her intention to “earn” and “win” the party’s nomination after President Joe Biden suspended his reelection campaign.
To date, the Harris for President campaign said the vice president has garnered tens of thousands of new volunteers and raised more than $100 million. Harris even broke Obama’s single-day fundraising record with $81 million in the first 24 hours of her campaign.
Since launching her campaign for president, Harris has amassed massive online appeal and is the subject of countless social media memes. While on the campaign trail, the presumptive Democratic nominee has sought to lay out a clear contrast between herself and former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee.
“The Obamas’ endorsement adds to the already massive groundswell of support for the vice president’s candidacy,” said the Harris campaign in a press release, “including endorsements from labor unions, advocacy groups, and dozens of Democratic elected officials who are dedicating their robust organizing infrastructure to supporting her campaign.”
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Gerren Keith Gaynor
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Kay Wicker
Michael Blake, a former Obama White House and campaign operative, told theGrio that Harris, who ran an unsuccessful 2020 presidential bid, will be victorious in November because she’s now “battle-tested.”
While some may doubt that a Black woman of South Asian descent can win the presidency, Blake said he heard similar doubts while campaigning for Obama. “I was told the same thing,” he said, but noted that, “You put together an operation, and you win.”
The founder and CEO of Kairos Democracy Project explained that Harris’ electoral map chances are strong, pointing to advantages in many swing states, including her “personal relationships” with Democratic governors in three critical battleground states: Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.
“In Detroit and Philly and Milwaukee, do we really believe that a Black woman as the nominee is going to lead to anything but high turnout?”
Other electoral advantages could be in Georgia, another battleground state, where there are several HBCUs with eligible young voters. And in North Carolina, where Biden lost by only 1.2 percentage points, Democrats have been building momentum, including with the nation’s youngest state party chair, Anderson Clayton, 26. Blake also noted that U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford, the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, represents a district in Nevada. And in Arizona, he noted, there are “Black and brown coalitions across the state.”
“Kamala Harris can win,” said Blake, “and she’s going to win.”
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