Gretchen Whitmer supports Kamala Harris: Democrats united

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Lerato Khumalo

Joe Biden has withdrawn his candidacy, and his vice president Kamala Harris now wants to run. Meanwhile, rival Trump is demanding compensation. All information in the news blog.

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10:03 p.m.: US Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign says it has raised $81 million in the first 24 hours after announcing her bid for the presidential nomination. In a statement, the campaign said the amount “reflects funds raised by the campaign, the Democratic National Committee and the joint fundraising committees.”

21:48: Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign is hoping to finalize her nomination for the presidential election by Wednesday evening, according to insiders. By then, she wants to secure the support of enough delegates to win at the party’s convention, insiders say. Campaign aides and allies have made hundreds of calls to secure delegate support for Harris ahead of the party’s convention in Chicago from August 19 to 22.

Harris needs the support of a simple majority, or an estimated 1,969 of the 3,936 delegates, to secure her nomination at the convention. About a quarter of them have endorsed her so far, according to public statements. President Joe Biden recommends Harris, but he cannot force delegates to follow his suggestion.

Pelosi recommends Harris as presidential candidate

19:44: Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic candidate for the presidential election. This was stated in a statement. She had not previously expressed her support for Harris. “Politically, there is no doubt: Kamala Harris is a brilliant and astute woman in politics – and I have full confidence that she will lead us to victory in November,” Pelosi said.

17:57: At a reception for college athletes at the White House, Kamala Harris spoke publicly for the first time. She used the opportunity to praise Joe Biden. She praised his legacy as “unmatched in modern history.” “In just one term, he has already surpassed the legacy of most two-term presidents,” Harris said in Washington.

She said she could witness firsthand how the 81-year-old fights “every day for the American people” and she was deeply grateful “for his service to our nation.”

16:28: Gretchen Whitmer, Governor of Michigan, has also announced her support for Kamala Harris as the Democratic presidential candidate. She herself was recently mentioned as a possible candidate for the post. The governor announced her support together with the governors of other Midwestern states: JB Pritzker (Illinois), Tim Walz (Minnesota) and Tony Evers (Wisconsin).

In a statement on X, she now explains: “With Vice President Harris, Michigan voters have a presidential candidate they can count on to cut their costs, restore their freedoms, create jobs and bring supply chains back from overseas, and build an economy that works for working people.” As a former prosecutor, she is a “champion of reproductive freedom.” This puts her in contrast to Donald Trump, a convicted criminal.

3.44 p.m.: Chancellor Olaf Scholz is counting on close transatlantic relations to continue after the end of US President Joe Biden’s term in office. “In my view, it will stay that way,” said Scholz during a visit to a mountain infantry unit of the German army. “Biden is a good friend of Germany and Europe. I also got on very well with him and still do. He has contributed greatly to the great progress made in transatlantic cooperation,” said the Chancellor.