11 months ago
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ATLANTA (AP) — Former President Barack Obama and erstwhile archetypal woman Michelle Obama person endorsed Kamala Harris successful her White House bid, giving the vice president the expected but inactive important backing of the nation’s 2 astir fashionable Democrats.
The endorsement, announced Friday greeting successful a video showing Harris accepting a associated telephone telephone from the erstwhile archetypal couple, comes arsenic Harris continues to physique momentum arsenic the party’s apt nominee aft President Joe Biden’s determination to extremity his reelection bid and endorse his second-in-command against Republican nominee and erstwhile President Donald Trump.
It besides highlights the relationship and perchance historical nexus betwixt the nation's archetypal Black president and the archetypal woman, archetypal Black pistillate and archetypal idiosyncratic of Asian descent to service arsenic vice president, who is present vying to interruption those aforesaid barriers astatine the statesmanlike rank.
“We called to accidental Michelle and I couldn’t beryllium prouder to endorse you and bash everything we tin to get you done this predetermination and into the Oval Office,” the erstwhile president told Harris, who is shown taking the telephone arsenic she walks backstage astatine an event, trailed by a Secret Service agent.
Said Michelle Obama, “I can’t person this telephone telephone without saying to my girl, Kamala, I americium arrogant of you.
“This is going to beryllium historic,” she added.
Harris, who has known the Obamas since earlier his predetermination successful 2008, thanked them for their relationship and said she looks guardant to “getting there, being connected the road” with them successful the three-month blitz earlier Election Day connected Nov. 5.
“We’re gonna person immoderate amusive with this too, aren’t we?” Harris said.
The Obamas are possibly the past large enactment figures to endorse Harris formally — a reflection of the erstwhile president’s tendency to remain, astatine slightest publicly, a enactment elder operating supra the fray. The Obamas stay prodigious fundraising draws and fashionable surrogates astatine ample run events for Democratic candidates.
According to an Associated Press survey, Harris already has secured the nationalist enactment of a bulk of delegates to the Democratic National Convention, which begins Aug. 19 successful Chicago. The Democratic National Committee expects to clasp a virtual nominating ballot that would, by Aug. 7, marque Harris and a yet-to-be-named moving mate the authoritative Democratic ticket.
Biden endorsed Harris wrong an hr of announcing his determination past Sunday to extremity his run amid wide interest astir the 81-year-old president’s quality to decision Trump. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, House Minority Whip Jim Clyburn, erstwhile President Bill Clinton and erstwhile Secretary of State Hillary Clinton followed successful the days after.
The Obamas, however, trod cautiously arsenic Harris secured the delegate commitments, made the rounds among halfway Democratic constituencies and raised much than $120 million. The nationalist caution tracks however the erstwhile president handled the weeks betwixt Biden’s statement debacle against Trump and the president’s eventual determination to extremity his campaign: Obama was a definite beingness successful the party’s maneuvers but helium operated quietly.
Barack Obama’s archetypal connection aft Biden’s announcement did not notation Harris. Instead, helium spoke generically astir coming up with a nominee to win Biden: “I person bonzer assurance that the leaders of our enactment volition beryllium capable to make a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges,” the erstwhile president wrote.
Both Obamas campaigned separately for Hillary Clinton successful 2016 and Biden successful 2020, including ample rallies connected the closing weekends earlier Election Day. They delivered cardinal speeches astatine the Democrats’ normal successful 2020, a virtual lawsuit due to the fact that of the coronavirus pandemic. The erstwhile president’s code was particularly notable due to the fact that helium unveiled a full-throated onslaught connected Trump arsenic a menace to democracy, an statement that endures arsenic portion of Harris’ campaign.
