WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign officials, allies, and supporters have started making calls to secure the support of delegates for her nomination ahead of the Democratic National Convention in August, multiple sources said.
The outreach, which started soon after President Joe Biden dropped his reelection bid on Sunday, would be essential to ensuring Harris replaces Biden on the Nov. 5 ballot as the party’s rival to Republican Donald Trump.
“A lot of people are working on it right now,” a source familiar with the matter said. “She has made clear she will work to earn their support,” the source said.
About 4,000 Democratic delegates, meeting in Chicago from Aug. 19-22, will pick the Democratic Party’s nominee. Most are committed to Biden. After his abrupt announcement, they are not bound by any law or party rules to back anyone.
Biden was the party’s presumptive nominee, but he has no direct power over choosing the delegates’ formal nominee.
Harris needs the support of 1,969 of the 3,936 Democratic delegates to secure her nomination at the August convention.
Abortion rights groups including Emily’s List and Reproductive Freedom for All have been reaching out to delegates to make the case also for Harris. The vice president has been the leading voice for abortion rights in the Biden administration.
The vice president’s office declined to comment.
(Reporting by Nandita Bose in Washington and Jarrett Renshaw in Pennsylvania. Editing by Heather Timmons and Howard Goller)
