Kamala Harris formally secures Democratic presidential nomination

US Vice President Kamala Harris, who has Indian and African heritage, formally secured the Democratic presidential nomination on Tuesday. She became the first Indian-American to be nominated as a presidential candidate of a major political party. Harris, 59, will face former US President and Republican nominee Donald Trump, 78, in the November general elections. Last Friday, Harris was declared the 2024 presidential nominee of the Democratic Party after she won enough votes from Democratic delegates in a virtual roll call. “I am honored to be the Democratic nominee for President of the United States. I will officially accept the nomination next week.

This campaign is about people coming together, fueled by love of country, to fight for the best of who we are,” Harris said. Harris received 99 percent of the votes of the pledged and automatic delegates at the conclusion of the roll call vote on Monday night. As many as 4,567 delegates from across the country cast their votes for Harris.

The next steps in the nominating process include the certification of the roll call by the Democratic National Convention Secretary Jason Rae and the acceptance of the nomination by Harris and her running mate, certified by DNCC Chair Minyon Moore. Democratic Party delegates from across the country will then celebrate the nomination through a celebratory roll call at the in-person convention in Chicago from August 9 to 22.

“With the support of 99 percent of all participating delegates in the virtual roll call, Vice President Harris has historic momentum at her back as we embark on the final steps in officially certifying her as our party’s nominee,” DNC Chair Jaime Harrison and DNCC Chair Minyon Moore said in a joint statement.

Harris, the first woman of color to be on the top of a presidential ticket of a major American political party, is also the first Indian American to be nominated as a presidential candidate of either the Republican or the Democratic party. Harris’ mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was Indian, and her father, Donald Jasper Harris, is Jamaican; both immigrated to the US.