USA Harris starts the election campaign with a tailwind

US Vice President Kamala Harris is starting the presidential election campaign with a lot of tailwind as a possible replacement candidate for Joe Biden. According to media estimates, the 59-year-old Democrat currently has the support of enough Democratic delegates to run as her party's presidential candidate against Republican Donald Trump in November. She has also collected a record 81 million US dollars in donations in 24 hours since her boss withdrew. Meanwhile, US President Biden is returning to the capital, Washington, after isolating himself in his private home since last Wednesday with a coronavirus infection.

Harris' success has raised hopes among the Democrats for a long-awaited turnaround in the election campaign against Trump. Important party members, including top Democrat Nancy Pelosi, have publicly backed her. However, the support of the two Democratic leaders in the US Congress is still pending.

Media: Enough delegates back Harris

Harris could be chosen as the candidate at the Democratic nominating convention in Chicago from August 19 to 22 at the latest. The presidential election will take place on November 5. However, a number of delegates have already announced that they will follow Biden's recommendation and vote for the Vice President - they are now free to decide who to vote for due to his withdrawal. Harris needs just under 2000 delegate votes to be chosen as the candidate. According to estimates by various US media, she has already reached this hurdle. However, the delegates at the party conference in August are initially free to vote for another candidate.

Nevertheless, Harris thanked the delegates for their support in a statement. "I look forward to officially accepting the nomination soon," it said. She was proud that the delegates from her home state of California had helped to get her over the relevant hurdle, Harris emphasized. According to media reports, the support of the many delegates from the most populous state in the USA is primarily due to Pelosi, who represents a Californian constituency as a member of Congress.

Pelosi supports Harris "officially, personally and politically"

The former Speaker of the House of Representatives had previously backed Harris "officially, personally and politically". As a long-serving member of parliament, the 84-year-old continues to wield great influence within her own party - she was seen as an important string-puller in the debate about Biden's suitability for a second term in office.

The US President was the first to promise Harris his full support. Other party greats then quickly spoke out in her favor - including above all Governors Gavin Newsom (California), Josh Shapiro (Pennsylvania) and Roy Cooper (North Carolina), who were also considered possible candidates. The Vice President also has no need to fear competition from the influential Governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer, following her withdrawal. From the left wing of the party, Harris received support from MP Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Former US President Barack Obama, on the other hand, spoke only of his confidence that "an outstanding candidate" would be found. The minority leader of the Democrats in the House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries, and the majority leader of the party in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, also initially remained cautious. They did give Harris "a good start". However, there was no direct support.

Harris campaign team announces record donations

Not only does Harris appear to be largely assured of support from within the party - she would also start the race against Trump well-funded: According to her campaign team, she has raised 81 million US dollars (73 million euros) in the past 24 hours. This is the highest sum ever raised by a potential candidate in this period of time, according to reports. The 81 million US dollars will flow into a coffers already filled with around 240 million US dollars (220 million euros).

Biden comes back to Washington

While Harris is warming up for the election campaign, Biden will return to the US capital Washington today. The 81-year-old has been in isolation at his private residence in Rehoboth Beach in the US state of Delaware since last Wednesday due to his coronavirus infection. According to his personal physician, Biden is on the road to recovery. However, it remains unclear whether the US President is still infected with the coronavirus. It is also unclear exactly which of Biden's appointments will take place this week. Before Benjamin Netanyahu's planned speech to both US chambers of Congress on Wednesday, Israel's prime minister wanted to meet with Biden. The US President had also announced that he would explain his reasons for withdrawing from the election campaign in more detail this week.

Harris: "Know guys like Donald Trump"

Shortly before announcing his return to the White House, Biden had joined Harris by telephone during a visit to the Democrats' campaign headquarters. It was the first time the president's voice had been heard in public since his withdrawal. He had announced his decision in writing from the coronavirus isolation.

During the appearance in front of campaign workers in Wilmington in the US state, Harris gave a glimpse of how she would present herself as an opponent to Trump. Among other things, she said that she had dealt with criminals of all kinds as a prosecutor and attorney general of California. "Criminals who abused women, scammers who ripped off consumers and con artists who broke rules for their own gain," she said. "So listen to me when I say I know guys like Donald Trump."

Vance: Harris "a million times worse than Biden"

For their part, the Republican opponents launched further verbal attacks on Harris. At appearances in the states of Ohio and Virginia, Trump's running mate J.D. Vance described her as "a million times worse than Biden", among other things. She was partly responsible for the policies of the incumbent, he said. Vance painted a picture of "clouded rooms" in which "elite Democrats" had conspired to overthrow Biden. Last week, the Harris team described the vice presidential candidate as an "extremist" who had himself been "bought" by major donors from Silicon Valley.

Whether Harris can beat Trump remains to be seen. Many Democrats are hoping that she will at least prevent the Republicans from ultimately taking control of both chambers of the US parliament - as all seats in the House of Representatives and around a third of the seats in the Senate will also be up for grabs in the fall election.

SDA