Vice President Kamala Harris is about to dodge a contested convention and clinch the presidential nomination in an unprecedented virtual Democratic National Committee roll call vote set to begin Thursday.
Party leaders announced they will open the online voting window for the more than 4,000 DNC delegates beginning Thursday, allowing for just a few days of voting that will wrap up ahead of a self-imposed Aug. 7 deadline.
Ms. Harris has already won the support of the majority of delegates, all but guaranteeing she’ll lock in the nomination online before the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, which takes place Aug. 19-22.
She quickly became the party favorite after President Biden dropped out of the race on July 21. She locked up delegates and the endorsements of top party leaders, including President Biden, the Obamas and the Clintons.
Ms. Harris has raised $100 million after Mr. Biden dropped out of the race, including the largest 24-hour fundraising total in history, according to Open Secrets, a campaign donation tracking website.
Democrats said they plan to hold only a ceremonial nomination when they meet in person at the convention next month.
SEE ALSO: Harris enjoys unparalleled momentum, but her critics doubt it will last
“We understand that this is an unprecedented situation but I’m confident that we will find a path forward together,” Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Minyon Moore said during a recent DNC meeting.
Democratic National Convention officials said their rules call for the nominee, presumably Ms. Harris, to choose a vice president by the Aug. 7 deadline.
“The process is designed to select the presidential nominee and to allow the presidential nominee to choose the vice presidential nominee in advance of the Ohio Aug. 7 certification deadline,” DNC lawyer Pat Moore said. “Once the presidential nominee has done so, the convention chair will then declare that the candidate is to be the vice presidential nominee of the Democratic Party. We will then have a ceremonial vote at the Chicago convention to celebrate and affirm the nomination.”
Possible running mates on Ms. Harris’ shortlist include Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.
Anyone who wants to challenge Ms. Harris for the presidential nomination can get on the ballot if they can quickly collect the signatures of 300 delegates, party officials said. Adding a challenger to the online ballot would postpone the start of online voting until Aug. 3, but so far, no Democrat other than Ms. Harris has publicly sought the nomination.
Ms. Harris launched her campaign and became the presumptive nominee just days after Mr. Biden dropped out.
Democrats devised the online nomination scheme weeks ago, however, when Ohio lawmakers were debating legislation to extend the states’s Aug. 7 ballot filing deadline to accommodate the Democratic convention.
Ohio lawmakers agreed to move the date to Sept. 1, but Democrats kept their plans to nominate Mr. Biden virtually ahead of the convention, claiming Republicans might try to contest the deadline extension.
Now that Ms. Harris is the presumptive nominee, DNC officials say the same threat exists in Ohio, even though Republican Gov. Mike DeWine has signed the filing extension into law.
Democrats cited former President Donald Trump’s efforts to block Mr. Biden’s victory in 2020.
“If we take chances with state processes and deadlines, Republican groups could make the same argument to challenge Democratic votes in the post-election setting, arguing that our nominee should never have been on the ballot in the first place,” Mr. Moore said. “We should not and must not give them that opportunity.”
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.