Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi became the latest high-profile Democrat to back Vice President Kamala Harris for the party's nomination, one day after President Joe Biden announced he was exiting the presidential race.
Her announcement comes after numerous state delegations already pledged their support for Harris.
"Today, it is with immense pride and limitless optimism for our country's future that I endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for President of the United States," Pelosi wrote. "My enthusiastic support for Kamala Harris for President is official, personal and political."
Pelosi is arguably one of the highest-profile Democrats to date to back Harris, outside of Biden, who immediately pledged his support for his vice president within minutes after announcing his exit from the race. Others expressing support for Harris include former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
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Several other high-profile Democrats have not weighed in, as of Monday afternoon, including Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and former President Barack Obama.
As President Biden faced pressure from a handful of Democrats to exit the race, Pelosi was seen as a key figure in the internal discussions. In media appearances following last month's presidential debate that prompted a lot of angst among Democrats, Pelosi carefully threaded a needle between supporting President Biden and encouraging him to exit the race.
Pelosi said in a July 10 interview on MSNBC, "As long as the president – it's up to the president to decide if he is going to run. We are all encouraging him to make that decision because time is running short."
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"I think the overwhelming support of the caucus, it's not for me to say as I am not the head of the caucus anymore. But he's beloved, he's respected and people want him to make that decision," Pelosi added. "I want him to do whatever he decides to do and that's the way it is. Whatever way he decides, we go with."
Prior to Sunday, President Biden was adamant he was not going to exit the race. But as nearly three dozen members of Congress issued statements urging President Biden to exit the race, he relented.
