White House doesn’t expect a serious challenge to Harris for the Democratic nomination

Politics Jul 21, 2024 5:52 PM EDT

Inside the White House, there’s low expectation that Vice President Kamala Harris will get a serious challenge following Biden’s endorsement, according to a person familiar with deliberations who requested anonymity to discuss the private conversations.

Among potential top tier contenders, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has already said she won’t run, while California Gov. Gavin Newsom has said he would back Harris if she became the nominee.

Other names that have been bandied about as viable contenders — including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper — would also seem unlikely to run in light of Biden’s endorsement for Harris and the expected fundraising advantage she would hold over anyone else.

Meanwhile, delegates who are pledged to support Biden at the Democratic National Convention expressed admiration for the president and also showed early signs of uniting around Harris.

“I believe it’s her time and has earned the right to be our nominee,” said Paul Pezzella, a Massachusetts delegate who has been active in Democratic politics for decades. “I can’t think any American isn’t sad about Biden’s decision and that he has proven to be a patriot.”

Lee Cutler, political coordinator for the Northeast Area Labor Council affiliated with the Minnesota AFL-CIO, said he wishes Democrats had been able to start the process of replacing Biden earlier in the electoral cycle but he is also proud of the president.

“When we were voting for Biden, we were also voting for Kamala Harris,” Cutler said. “We were voting for an 82-year-old man.”