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[Text/Observer Network Wang Shichun] After US President Biden announced that he would withdraw from the 2024 presidential election, whether US Vice President Harris can obtain unanimous support within the Democratic Party has become the focus of outside attention.

According to reports from CNN, Reuters and Bloomberg on July 22, sources familiar with the situation said that the Democratic state chairmen held a conference call on Sunday (21st), at which all Democratic state chairmen in the United States "fully supported" Harris to become the party's number one presidential candidate.

Some well-known Democrats have expressed their support for Harris, including former President Clinton and Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential candidate nominee in 2016. In addition, at least 27 Senate Democrats and 60 Democratic House members have publicly supported Harris, and Harris has already spoken with congressional Democratic leaders.

However, so far, senior Democratic Party officials, including former US President Obama, former House Speaker Pelosi, Democratic Senate and House leaders, and Democratic National Committee Chairman Harrison, have not expressed their views. CNN commented that the reason why these Democratic Party officials did not express their views immediately was to avoid giving the outside world the impression that "Harris was chosen by voters" and triggering criticism. Other Democrats are in a "wait-and-see" state, trying to remain neutral before the convention. People familiar with Obama said that Obama hopes to help unite the Democratic Party as soon as the official nominee is found, rather than supporting it too early.

In a statement on the afternoon of July 21, US President Biden announced his withdrawal from the 2024 US presidential election and gave up seeking re-election. He also supported Harris to take over the party nomination and run for president. In response, Harris said that she was honored to receive Biden's support, and her goal was to win the nomination and do her best to unite the party and the country to defeat former Republican President Trump.

The Biden-Harris campaign has notified the Federal Election Commission of the nomination of Harris for president.

Currently, Harris is seeking support from the Democratic Party. Bloomberg News quoted people familiar with the matter as saying that Biden and Harris had several conversations on the 21st before he announced his decision to withdraw from the race. CNN also quoted sources as saying that Harris has begun contacting Democratic Party representatives. Reuters quoted sources as saying that Harris' team has made hundreds of calls in the hope of seeking support from party representatives.

Although Harris has not yet been unanimously confirmed by the Democratic Party as the new presidential candidate, Harris has begun to take over Biden's campaign team, which has about 1,300 staff members and dozens of offices across the country.

The Democratic National Committee of the United States submitted an amendment on the 21st to change the name of its joint fundraising committee and renamed it the "Harris Victory Fund" and the "Harris Action Fund." According to reports, these two funds simply changed "Biden" to "Harris" and inherited the previous cash. The "Harris Victory Fund" has nearly $40 million in cash, while the "Harris Action Fund" has $23 million in cash.

Although Harris has not yet been unanimously confirmed as the new presidential candidate by the Democratic Party, some Democrats have begun to lay the groundwork for Harris' presidential election. At present, the Democratic Party convention is about to be held. 3,936 Democratic delegates will meet in Chicago from August 19 to 22 to select the Democratic nominee. Harris needs to get the support of 1,969 people to ensure her nomination.

Some well-known Democrats and liberal groups have expressed support for Harris, including former President Clinton and Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee in 2016. Former President Clinton and his wife expressed their support for Harris in a joint statement and said they would "do everything they can to support her."

In addition, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, who is running for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, Pramila Jayapal, chairwoman of the Democratic Congressional Progressive Caucus, the Democratic Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and several members of the House of Representatives have expressed their support for Harris. In addition, several Democratic governors have also spoken with Harris.

In addition, as of 11 p.m. on July 21, U.S. time, at least 27 Senate Democrats and 60 House members publicly supported Harris. Although Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has not yet expressed support or opposition, CNN reported that Harris spoke with Chuck Schumer, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and Senate Democratic Campaign Director Senator Gary Peters on Sunday night. A source close to Harris told CNN that Harris plans to meet with Schumer soon.

However, so far, senior Democratic Party officials, including former President Obama and former House Speaker Pelosi, have not expressed support or opposition to Harris's campaign. Former President Obama expressed his gratitude to Biden, calling him "the most influential president," but did not express support for Harris. Similarly, Pelosi also praised Biden's decision, but did not express support for Harris.

As for why the top Democratic Party officials did not make a statement, CNN commented that the reason they did not make a statement immediately was to avoid giving the outside world the impression that they were "imposing Harris on voters."

The New York Times said Republicans saw it as a "snubbing." But people close to him disputed that, saying Obama "positioned himself as an impartial senior politician" rather than a party conspirator. Don't read too much into this. Even when Obama decided not to immediately endorse Harris, he didn't consider alternative candidates, these sources said.

In addition, a person familiar with Obama's thinking said late on Sunday that Obama was in a "wait-and-see" mode. The source said the former president was following the neutral policy he adopted during the 2020 Democratic primary, when Biden faced a range of competitors, but Obama was unwilling to "actively change the scale."

These sources familiar with Obama said it would also be a political mistake to endorse too soon, fueling criticism that Harris’s nomination, if successful, is a coronation ceremony rather than the best possible consensus in an emergency. Obama hopes to help unify the Democratic Party as soon as he has a formal nominee.

CNN commented that Harris, 59, is the first female, Filipino and Asian vice president of the United States. She is popular in some key parts of the Democratic Party's base and can rally voters' support. The Democratic Party relies heavily on the voter turnout of people of color, including black women, so if the Democratic Party gives up nominating Harris, it may bring political risks to the Democratic Party.

Regarding Harris' future political prospects, the New York Times commented that Democrats are well aware of the harsh reality of identity politics. Harris is the first black and Asian American woman to serve as vice president. They believe that if Harris is nominated as a presidential candidate, she is likely to balance with a white man. This man is likely to be a white governor of the Democratic Party.

This article is an exclusive article of Observer.com and may not be reproduced without authorization.