An upbeat Vice President Kamala Harris spoke in Fayetteville prior to President Biden’s announcement that he is no longer seeking the Democratic nomination for president in 2024. (Photo; Video feed)
Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign appears to be driving a surge in enthusiasm among North Carolina Democrats.
Along with support from the state’s delegates to the Democratic National Convention, 47 members of the North Carolina House Democratic Caucus endorsed Harris on Tuesday.
She’s also received endorsements from all seven Democrats in the state’s congressional delegation: Reps. Don Davis, Deborah Ross, Valerie Foushee, Kathy Manning, Alma Adams, Wiley Nickel, and Jeff Jackson.
The Harris campaign reports that since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race on Sunday, thousands of voters across the state have expressed interest in becoming involved in the campaign and that it now anticipates tripling its 80-person North Carolina staff by August 1.
The vice president has appeared in North Carolina twice this month, attending rallies in Greensboro and Fayetteville. These trips took place before Biden ended his candidacy.
Gov. Roy Cooper has voiced his support for Harris, and is widely considered a potential running mate for the Californian. The pair have camaraderie from their days as attorneys general, and Democrats across the state say they’re hopeful he’ll get the nod for the Number Two spot on the ticket.
Cooper could give Harris a boost in a swing state as critical as North Carolina.
Other names in the mix are U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.
Unlike the other potential candidates, Cooper is just months away from ending his time in his current office. As he’s term-limited, he cannot run again as governor.
The Democratic National Convention’s rules committee will meet later this afternoon to formalize the presidential nomination process. A vice presidential candidate could be tapped as early as next week.
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