DENVER — Vice President Kamala Harris is cementing her spot as the Democratic presidential nominee, with Colorado Democrats largely supporting the decision after President Biden dropped out of the race.
Time is of the essence for the party as the clock clicks closer to November.
On Monday evening, hundreds of Colorado Democrats from the State Central Committee met virtually to discuss Harris as the party's selection. Colorado's 87 delegates were also on the call.
“I want to make sure that everybody is ready to support Kamala Harris," said the Chair of the Colorado Democratic Party, Shad Murib. "We don't mandate anything here at the party."
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Those who spoke online expressed overwhelming support for Harris as their nominee. Murib said they are taking a virtual vote to get an idea of how the party feels about Harris.
Murib said the vote will remain open through Monday night, and expects results to be announced Tuesday morning.
"The energy is through the roof, and so I suspect we're going to come out of this meeting with a strong endorsement for the vice president," Murib said. “I want to make sure that every delegate has a chance to be heard, that we have a conversation about it and that we move forward as one.”
Murib said the 87 Colorado delegates have pledged to support Harris at the Democratic National Convention. Any candidate needs 300 signatures to be considered for the nomination.
“President Biden received 83% of the vote here in Colorado during our Super Tuesday presidential primary, which meant that he earned the support of every single delegate we were sending to Chicago because no other candidate made a threshold, and neither did the uncommitted option that we placed on the ballot," said Murib. "We suspect Kamala Harris is going to have no problem getting those 300 signatures, and if any other candidate enters the race, they're welcome to do so and attempt to get those signatures as well.”
◼️ The tradition of picking a nominee through primaries and caucuses – and not through what is called the “convention system” – is relatively recent. In 1968, after President Lyndon B. Johnson announced he would not run for reelection, his vice president, Hubert Humphrey, was able to secure the Democratic nomination despite not entering any primaries or caucuses. Humphrey won because he had the backing of party leaders like Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, and these party leaders controlled the vast majority of the delegates.
One of the delegates heading to the Democratic National Convention is James Reyes, the Chair of the Democratic Party of Denver.
"Well, I feel energized," Reyes said after the call. “Listen, admittedly, that feeling wasn't really there before yesterday. I wasn't feeling that sort of level of enthusiasm. I was really worried about what November would look like for us, but the attitude has changed.”
Reyes acknowledged that Harris' past as a prosecutor could act as a double-edged sword.
“That sort of contrast is powerful as a prosecutor taking on a convicted felon who's running for president," Reyes said. “I would agree that probably for a lot of especially progressive Democrats, her record as a prosecutor might not be ideal, but when you look at the things that she did with that were positive, looking out for marginalized people, that's very powerful, right?”
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Our Denver news partners also asked Reyes about Harris having spent much of her political career in California — a state dominated by Democrats.
“This idea that maybe she came from this cushy, sort of blue state, and she's unprepared for battle nationally. I don't think that's true at all. She's ready to go," said Reyes. “She's indeed the best selection at this moment. And look, we also are on a tight schedule."
With all signs pointing at Harris as the party's nominee, Democrats are speculating on who her vice president pick could be. Some Democrats have brought up Colorado Governor Jared Polis as an option.
The Democratic National Convention is scheduled to start on August 19 in Chicago.
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