Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries gave their simultaneous endorsements of Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic nominee for president.
The Democrats' congressional leaders joined numerous other prominent Democrats in rallying behind Harris after President Joe Biden announced Sunday he would no longer seek reelection. President Biden immediately endorsed Harris to be his replacement.
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With no other prominent Democrats announcing a presidential bid of their own, and numerous state delegations announcing their intentions to support Harris, the likelihood of Harris facing a significant challenge for the nomination is small. Late Monday, Harris' campaign boasted that it had gotten over $100 million in donations in the 36 hours following Biden's announcement.
Schumer said on Tuesday that the process has already "played out."
"Now begins the next chapter in our quest to make sure Donald Trump does not become president," Schumer said. "Today, with one voice, we speak about the dangers he presents to working families, to our country and to our democracy."
Neither Jeffries nor Schumer had called on President Biden to drop out of the race, but many of their House and Senate colleagues issued statements urging President Biden to drop out. While for weeks, President Biden had resisted those calls, he relented on Sunday after more than three dozen Congressional Democrats said they wanted a new nominee.
Schumer said on Tuesday that he agreed with President Biden's decision. Jeffries called Biden's decision was "selfless."
"The president has done an amazing, amazing job as president, one of the best we've ever had. And he put his country first and made the right decision," Schumer said.
