The rally was held Tuesday on Temple University’s campus at the Liacouras Center.

“Since the day that I announced my candidacy, I set out to find a partner who can help build this brighter future,” Harris said while standing with Walz in Philadelphia. “I’m here today because I’ve found such a leader, Gov. Tim Walz of the great state of Minnesota.”

“He’s the kind of person who makes people feel like they belong and then inspires them to dream big. … That’s the kind of vice president America deserves,” Harris said.

Taking the microphone after Harris, Walz revved up the crowd for the rigorous campaign to come. “We’ve got 91 days. My God, that’s easy. We’ll sleep when we’re dead,” he said.

The remarks reflected the urgency of the moment, with Harris tapping Walz for the ticket during one of the most turbulent periods in modern American politics. Republicans have rallied around former President Donald Trump after he was targeted in an attempted assassination in July. Just days later, President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign, forcing Harris to scramble to unify Democrats and decide on a running mate over a breakneck two-week stretch.

In choosing the 60-year-old Walz, Harris is elevating a Midwestern governor, military veteran and union supporter who helped enact an ambitious Democratic agenda for his state, including sweeping protections for abortion rights and generous aid to families.

Harris hopes Walz will help her shore up her campaign’s standing across the upper Midwest, a critical region in presidential politics that often serves as a buffer for Democrats seeking the White House. The party remains haunted by Trump’s wins in Michigan and Wisconsin in 2016. Trump lost those states in 2020 but has zeroed in on them as he aims to return to the presidency this year and is expanding his focus to Minnesota.

Since Walz was announced, the team raised more than $20 million from grassroots donations, the campaign said.

Many voters and supporters of Harris showed up bright and early hours ahead of the rally at the center in Philly.

“A month ago I could not have told you I’d be interested in a political event today. A month later so much is changing so fast, so I’m genuinely interested to hear what they have to say I want to hear the speeches,” Caryn Solly, from Trenton, NJ, said.

Many shared how they felt about Harris picking Walz as her running mate.

“I was a little surprised because part of me thought it would be Josh Shapiro,” Anthonio Dawkins from South Jersey said.

There had long been speculation the Pennsylvania’s own governor, Josh Shapiro, might get the call from the vice president.

Many voiced that they supported her choice.

“I was hoping for Josh but I’m glad she made a pick it’s a good pick I think people will accept it and move forward with a strong ticket,” Michael Robinson from Temple University said.

“Very exciting to have a progressive as a young person I think we need someone that sees the nuances in modern politics and speaks to people in my generation,” Mark Maddock from Illinois said.

Harris announced Walz as her new running mate hours before the rally Tuesday.

“Since the day that I announced my candidacy, I set out to find a partner who can help build this brighter future,” Harris said on her first rally with Walz in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Tuesday. “I’m here today because I’ve found such a leader, Gov. Tim Walz of the great state of Minnesota.”

“I’m thrilled to be on this journey with you and Doug, this incredible journey,” Walz told Harris, referring to her husband. “Thank you for trust you put in me, and maybe more so, thanks for bringing back the joy.”

Who is Tim Walz?

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The Minnesota governor was set to visit the Granite State this past Sunday, but he canceled at the last minute amid rumors that he was on a list of contenders for her running mate. The campaign confirmed those rumors were true in an official announcement Tuesday. NBC10 Boston spoke with voters in the swing state to get their reaction — and Walz isn’t exactly getting rave reviews.

“I was definitely disappointed that it wasn’t Pete Buttigieg because I think he is the man for the job and I think he will be president someday,” New Hampshire voter Rebecca Leedberg said. “I will support the Democratic party regardless, so I am supportive of Kamala and her pick.”

Leedberg used to work on the primary presidential campaign for now U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and was hopeful that he would run again this time around. On the other hand, Craig Brown worked for the Harris primary campaign that same year and couldn’t be happier to see her on the top of the ticket.

“I’m really excited for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz,” Brown said. “I think in her time as Vice President, she’s done a really great job of focusing on issues that matter.”

Meanwhile, neither Biden’s decision to drop out of the race, nor Walz as a running mate is doing much to sway Trump’s base.

“I think it’s a very poor pick because he’s far too liberal,” New Hampshire voter Dave Neises said. “I think Trump has many flaws but I think that he is actually in favor of improving the country and keeping it the country that it was as opposed to moving it towards Marxism.”

“I know he’s got a lot of faults,” New Hampshire business owner Robert Abrams said. “Things all boil down to policy and the policy of Trump worked.”

Political analyst Scott Spradling said Harris has been enjoying a boost in the polls over the last couple of weeks since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race. The big question, according to Spradling, is whether Harris leaves a lot of votes on the table among moderate, independent voters who tend to decide elections in November.

“She’s not going to win over a lot of Republican votes. Period,” Spradling said. “So the ownness is still going to be on the Vice President to come to New Hampshire and close the deal and sell the ticket, if you will.”

Vice President Kamala Harris has selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, to be her running mate in the 2024 election, according to NBC News.

Harris interviewed multiple candidates ahead of the announcement, the Associated Press reported. That included Govs. Andy Beshear of Kentucky, J.B. Pritzker of Illinois, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, as well as Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

Harris opted for the governor of a swing-state who has successfully pushed multiple democratic initiatives, including expanding abortion rights, legalizing marijuana and gun reform.

“I am proud to announce that I’ve asked @Tim_Walz to be my running mate,” Harris posted on X Tuesday morning. “As a governor, a coach, a teacher, and a veteran, he’s delivered for working families like his. It’s great to have him on the team.”

Walz posted shortly after.

“It is the honor of a lifetime to join @kamalaharris in this campaign,” Walz posted on X. “I’m all in. Vice President Harris is showing us the politics of what’s possible. It reminds me a bit of the first day of school. So, let’s get this done, folks! Join us.”

Those who Walz were competing with for the bid posted their support on X.

“Tim Walz is an exceptionally effective governor – and also great to work with,” Buttigieg posted on X. “I’m excited for what his Midwestern voice, military experience, and common-sense values will bring to our winning ticket, and for everything the Harris-Walz administration will deliver for Americans.”

“My friend @Tim_Walz is an excellent choice to be the next Vice President of the United States,” Pritzker posted. “I’m ready to work alongside the Harris-Walz team to help ensure victory for Democrats up and down the ballot in November. Let’s win this!”

“My work here in Pennsylvania is far from finished — there is a lot more stuff I want to get done for our Commonwealth,” Shapiro posted. “Over the next 90 days, I look forward to traveling all across the Commonwealth to unite Pennsylvanians behind my friends Kamala Harris and Tim Walz and defeat Donald Trump.”

“Vice President @KamalaHarris and Governor @Tim_Walz are going to move us forward,” Kelly posted. “They’re already building a campaign to unite our country — and @GabbyGiffords and I are ready to do everything we can to help them win.”

“It was an honor to be considered in this process, but @Tim_Walz is a great friend and a great choice,” Beshear posted. “I fully support this new ticket and will work to elect @KamalaHarris as our next President of the United States.”

Here’s how others – from prominent politicians to celebrities to Minnesota representatives – reacted to the announcement.

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And Walz, Harris’s choice as running mate, has been at the forefront of the attacks on Republican Donald Trump, labeling him “weird” during a July appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” NBC News noted. The characterization stuck among Democrats. 

Harris announced her pick Tuesday, a day after becoming the official Democratic nominee for president.

During a fundraiser for Harris on Monday in Minneapolis, Walz said, according to The Associated Press: “It wasn’t a slur to call these guys weird. It was an observation.”

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Walz, 60, has worked to enact an ambitious Democratic agenda for his state, measures that included protections for abortion rights and funded with a $17.6 million budget surplus. At the same time, he has appealed to voters who voted for Trump in 2016.

Trump won Michigan and Wisconsin in 2016, and although he lost four years later he is focused on the states again during this campaign. And he is eyeing Minnesota too. The area is seen as critical to a presidential win for Harris.

He has both a progressive record and proven appeal to white working-class voters in the Rust Belt states, NBC News noted.

As governor, he also had to respond to sometimes violent protests that followed the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020. Republicans said he was too slow to deploy the National Guard after requests from the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

A Nebraska native, Walz has a folksy style that matches his background as a former high school social studies teacher, football coach and Army National Guardsman. He served in Congress in an agricultural district in Minnesota and won re-election in the district even as it swung to Trump in 2016. 

Walz said, “What I know is that people like JD Vance know nothing about small-town America” speaking about Trump’s vice presidential pick in July.

“My town had 400 people, 24 kids in my graduating class, 12 were cousins,” Walz added. “And he gets it all wrong.”

Among Walz’s legislative accomplishments, besides abortion rights: restricted access to guns, tax credits for families with children intended to cut childhood poverty, protections for trans youth, universal school breakfasts and lunches, and a cap on the price of insulin before President Joe Biden enacted one nationally.

They are progressive laws his backers say could play well across the country, and which his legislative experience could help get passed.

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Walz also served in the House of Representatives for more than a decade and had a decades-long military career in the Army National Guard, but many voters are still getting to know Minnesota’s chief executive.

Born in Nebraska, Walz enlisted in the Army National Guard out of high school. He served in the Guard for more than two decades before retiring his position in 2005.

During that time, Walz completed college and became a high school teacher. He first gained fame in the state after leading Mankato West to their first-ever state championship in football, according to his official campaign biography.

After retiring from the National Guard, Walz decided to run for Congress, and was elected to the House in 2006 in a district that had typically voted for Republicans. He was reelected in four successive elections, and according to NPR was the highest-ranking retired enlisted solider to ever serve in Congress.

Walz typically supported key progressive values in Congress, including opposing continued increases of troop levels in Iraq and in favor of the Affordable Care Act. He also occasionally would push back on the Obama administration, at one point joining 17 Democrats who voted to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in criminal contempt of Congress after he declined to turn over documents related to the Fast and Furious scandal.

After serving five terms in Congress, Walz was elected governor of Minnesota in 2018, and quickly went about establishing himself as a progressive liberal with a slew of legislation to back up that classification.

Among the pieces of legislation highlighted on his official biography are a bill to provide free college tuition to students whose family incomes are under $80,000, expanding background checks on all weapons purchases, and providing free meals to all Minnesota school students.

He also has a track record of backing labor unions and workers, including expanding protections for workers in Amazon warehouses and banning non-compete agreements, according to his official website.

In recent weeks, Walz has stepped up his attacks on former President Donald Trump and Sen. JD Vance. His most famed contribution to the current political climate was the introduction of the adjective “weird,” which he used during an MSNBC interview to describe Republican politicians who he said misrepresented small-town values.

“We do not like what has happened where we can’t even go to Thanksgiving dinner with our uncle because you end in some weird fight that is unnecessary,” he said. “It’s true. These guys are just weird.”

The “weird” adjective has become a source of heated debate, with Republicans and Democrats slinging the term at one another as it became a viral hit on multiple social media platforms.

Now, Walz will take his folksy approach directly to voters on a massive battleground state tour with Harris, including stops in Wisconsin, Michigan and Nevada. He’ll also address voters on a national stage in Chicago at the Democratic National Convention later this month, with a presumed Wednesday speaking slot at the event.

“Since the day that I announced my candidacy, I set out to find a partner who can help build this brighter future,” Harris said at her first rally with Walz in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Tuesday. “I’m here today because I’ve found such a leader, Gov. Tim Walz of the great state of Minnesota.”

“I’m thrilled to be on this journey with you and Doug, this incredible journey,” Walz told Harris, referring to her husband. “Thank you for trust you put in me, and maybe more so, thanks for bringing back the joy.”

Walz, the governor of swing-state Minnesota, has become a powerful figure in the party thanks to his great success in pushing a variety of democratic initiatives, including expanding abortion rights, legalizing marijuana and gun reform.

The 60-year-old’s success in Minnesota has been viewed by Democratic operatives as an example of how Harris’ campaign could model her message on crucial issues in the 2024 election.

In 2022, Walz defied a “red wave” and won reelection in a heated race that also gave Minnesota Democrats control over both chambers for the first time in eight years.

“This isn’t about jamming down Democratic priorities. These are proven things that improve people’s lives,” Walz said in an interview according to NBC News, adding that Democratic policy goals so far “are about not allowing our people to be demonized” because of “Republicans wanting to go to war on social issues.”

Walz also oversaw the 2020 George Floyd protests, where he mobilized the National Guard to control protests and later filed civil rights charges against the Minneapolis Police Department.

“The investigation will review MPD’s policies, procedures and practices over the last 10 years to determine if the department has utilized systemic discriminatory practices towards people of color,” Walz said in a statement.

Among his most recent accomplishments, in 2023 Walz spearheaded a bill that gave free lunch and breakfast to all Minnesota students, regardless of income requirements set by a federal program. He also signed a bill allowing driver’s licenses for all, regardless of immigration status.

“If there’s one thing I hope folks across this country recognize and take away from what we’re doing here in Minnesota, is it’s amazing what you can accomplish when you stop complaining about corporations going ‘woke’ and start giving a damn about real people and real lives,” Walz said.

Walz was born in 1964 in West Point, Nebraska, a small town of less than 4,000 people.

Before becoming governor, Walz was a social studies high school teacher who later ran for office and served in the House of Representatives from 2007 to 2019. He then held the highest position for a Democrat on the Veterans Affairs Committee.

Walz also served for more than two decades in the Army National Guard, where he reached the Command Sergeant Major rank and was awarded the Army Commendation and Achievement medals.

Since 1995, Walz has been married to Gwen Whipple, who he met while they were teachers. They have two children together, Hope and Gus.

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More than four years after her first attempt at the presidency collapsed, Harris’ coronation as her party’s standard-bearer caps a tumultuous and frenetic period for Democrats prompted by President Joe Biden’s disastrous June debate performance that shattered his own supporters’ confidence in his reelection prospects and spurred extraordinary intraparty warfare about whether he should stay in the race.

Harris’ nomination became official after a five-day round of online balloting by Democratic National Convention delegates ended Monday night, with the party saying in a statement released just before midnight that 99% of delegates had cast their ballots for Harris. The party said it would next formally certify the vote before holding a celebratory roll call at the party’s convention later this month in Chicago.

Already Harris has telegraphed that she doesn’t plan to veer much from the themes and policies that framed Biden’s candidacy, such as democracy, gun violence prevention and abortion rights. But her delivery can be far fierier, particularly when she invokes her prosecutorial background to lambast Trump and his 34 felony convictions for falsifying business records in connection with a hush money scheme.

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“Given that unique voice of a new generation, of a prosecutor and a woman when fundamental rights, especially reproductive rights, are on the line, it’s almost as if the stars have aligned for her at this moment in history,” said Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla of California, who was tapped to succeed Harris in the Senate when she became vice president.

A splash in Washington before a collapse in the 2020 primaries

Kamala Devi Harris was born Oct. 20, 1964, in Oakland, California, to Shyamala Gopalan, a breast cancer scientist who emigrated to the United States from India when she was 19 years old, and Stanford University emeritus professor Donald Harris, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Jamaica.

She spent years as a prosecutor in the Bay Area before her elevation as the state’s attorney general in 2010 and then election as U.S. senator in 2016.

Harris arrived in Washington as a senator at the dawn of the volatile Trump era, quickly establishing herself as a reliable liberal opponent of the new president’s personnel and policies and fanning speculation about a presidential bid of her own. Securing a spot on the coveted Judiciary Committee gave her a national spotlight to interrogate prominent Trump nominees, such as now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

Harris launched her 2020 presidential campaign with much promise, drawing parallels to former President Barack Obama and attracting more than 20,000 people to a kickoff rally in her hometown. But Harris withdrew from the primary race before the first nominating contest in Iowa, plagued by staff dissent that spilled out into the open and an inability to attract enough campaign cash.

She also struggled to deliver a consistent pitch to Democratic voters and wobbled on key issues such as health care.

Joining Biden’s team — and an evolution as vice president

Still, Harris was at the top of the vice presidential shortlist when Biden was pondering his running mate, after his pledge in early 2020 that he would choose a Black woman as his No. 2. He was fond of Harris, who had forged a close friendship with his now-deceased son Beau, who had been Delaware’s attorney general when she was in that job for California.

Her first months as vice president were far from smooth. Biden asked her to lead the administration’s diplomatic efforts with Central America on the root causes of migration to the United States, which triggered attacks from Republicans on border security and remains a political vulnerability.

For her first two years, Harris also was often tethered to Washington so she could break tie votes in the evenly divided Senate, which gave Democrats landmark wins on the climate and health care but also constrained opportunities for her to travel around the country and meet voters.

Her visibility became far more prominent after the 2022 Supreme Court ruling that dismantled Roe v. Wade, as she became the chief spokesperson for the administration on abortion rights and was a more natural messenger than Biden, a lifelong Catholic who had in the past favored restrictions on the procedure.

Headed to the top of the ticket

After Biden ended his candidacy July 21, he quickly endorsed Harris. And during the first two weeks of her 2024 presidential bid, enthusiasm among the Democratic base surged, with donations pouring in, scores of volunteers showing up at field offices and supporters swelling so much in numbers that event organizers have had to swap venues.

“The country is able to see the Kamala Harris that we all know,” said Bakari Sellers, who was a national co-chair of her 2020 campaign.

Yet Democrats are anticipating that Harris’ political honeymoon will wear off, and she is inevitably going to come under tougher scrutiny for Biden administration positions, the state of the economy and volatile situations abroad, particularly in the Middle East. Harris has also yet to answer extended questions from journalists or sit down for a formal interview since she began her run.

The Trump campaign has been eager to define Harris as she continues to introduce herself to voters nationwide, releasing an ad blaming her for the high number of illegal crossings at the southern border during the Biden administration.

The Republican nominee’s supporters have also derisively branded Harris as a diversity hire, while Trump himself has engaged in ugly racial attacks of his own, wrongly asserting that Harris had in the past only promoted her Indian heritage and only recently played up her Black identity.

“I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black and now she wants to be known as Black,” Trump said while addressing the annual convention of the National Association of Black Journalists. “So, I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?”

In her response, Harris called it “the same old show — the divisiveness and the disrespect” and said voters “deserve better.”

Harris must decide on her wingman before the two set off Tuesday on a tour across key battleground states where they will introduce the new Democratic ticket to voters and highlight the stakes of the election.

Everything about her campaign has been rapid-fire out of necessity. She’s only been a candidate for a little over two weeks, since President Joe Biden bowed out of the race following a dismal debate performance and escalating calls within the Democratic party for him to step aside. Harris became the party’s nominee Monday night.

And about 8 in 10 Democrats say they would be somewhat or very satisfied if Harris became the Democratic nominee for president, according to a survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, which was conducted after Biden withdrew from the race.

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Harris has had to do condensed vetting of her potential running mates as the party’s convention draws near. That means there’s not much time left for advocates for and against different picks get in their final licks.

Harris was zeroing in on three running mate contenders, whom she interviewed Sunday in Washington. They were Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, according to a person familiar with the process who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the negotiations.

Three other men have been in the mix: Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

Some congressional Democrats have promoted Kelly, a former Navy pilot and astronaut whose state has more than 370 miles or 600 kilometers of border with Mexico. They say his selection could help defuse Trump’s arguments that the Biden-Harris administration’s immigration policies are too relaxed.

Shapiro has prominent supporters, too, like Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker. She caused a stir by posting a video Friday depicting several Philadelphia-area officials and Democrats promoting Harris, but also playing up Shapiro as her running mate. A person familiar with the mayor’s thinking said she had no insider knowledge about Harris’ intentions.

When asked about the veepstakes Monday, Shapiro said he had no information.

“I got nothing for you, man,” he told an Associated Press reporter as he arrived at the Pennsylvania state capitol in Harrisburg. “Have a great day.”

Shapiro is scheduled to deliver remarks at the campaign rally tonight at Temple University, NBC News is reporting.

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Both Kelly and Shapiro have seen their detractors become more vocal as Harris closes in on a decision.

Walz is in his second term as governor of Minnesota. He has made his state a bastion of liberal policy and, this year, one of the few states to protect fans buying tickets online for Taylor Swift concerts and other live events. He comes from rural America and in his first race for Congress, Walz upset a Republican incumbent.

Harris and her running mate — whoever that is — will launch Tuesday into an aggressive battleground tour that begins in Philadelphia on Tuesday and winds through Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona and Nevada. Scheduled stops in Georgia and North Carolina have been postponed by rains associated with Hurricane Debby.

Her early rallies have attracted enthusiastic thousands. Campaign officials say each stop will be loaded with local election officials, religious leaders, union members and more in an effort to show the diversity of her coalition. Some Republicans will also appear with her, according to the campaign.

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The campaign this week launched “Republicans for Harris.” The program will be a “campaign within a campaign,” according to Harris’ team, using well-known Republicans to activate their networks, with a particular emphasis on primary voters who backed former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.

Campaign officials are aware that momentum can be fleeting and are working to capitalize on the energy now, while managing expectations by continuing to emphasize that the race with Republican nominee Donald Trump is tight. But the strong rollout has allowed the Harris campaign to put a number of states back in play that had been feared out of reach when Biden remained at the top of the ticket.

Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, told Fox News on Sunday that Harris’ pick doesn’t matter to him. “Whoever she chooses, the problem is going to be Kamala Harris’ record and Kamala Harris’ policies,” he said, adding “it’s not going to be good for the country.”

Taiwan is under growing pressure to build up its defense capabilities and deterrence against China in the face of uncertainty surrounding the U.S. elections slated for November, according to security and policy analysts. 

Taiwan’s foreign minister, Lin Chia-lung, last month told reporters that the self-governed island must rely on itself for defense and will likely keep spending and modernizing its military in the face of threats from China, which sees the island as its own.

The minister’s comments came in response to presidential candidate Donald Trump suggesting that Taipei should pay Washington for military protection. Trump said that the country “doesn’t give us anything” and has taken “100% of our chip business.” 

Experts said Trump’s remarks highlighted the unpredictability that faces Taiwan, especially after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed his vice president, Kamala Harris, who has relatively less foreign policy experience.

‘Unpredictable’ Trump

While Biden has been “more consistent in his policy toward Taiwan,” Trump, since the start of his first term, has proven to be “erratic and unpredictable,” said Stephen Naggy, professor of politics and international studies at the International Christian University in Tokyo, Japan.

This is largely due to a difference in strategy between the two leaders. While Biden has, on several occasions, stated the U.S. would come to Taiwan’s defense, Trump has opted for “strategic ambiguity,” Naggy added. 

Just days after his inauguration, Trump had become the first U.S. president in decades to communicate directly with Taiwan‘s president. 

Soon after, he suggested that the U.S. may change its long-held position that Taiwan was part of “one China.” However, he reportedly walked back on that position on a call with Chinese President Xi Jinping in February 2016. 

Regardless, Trump’s tough stance on China has led many in Taiwan to believe he would support the island substantially, according to Lu-Chung Weng, a Political Science professor at Sam Houston State University.

Similar to 2016, the candidate is running on a tough-on-China policy and has already proposed a major ramp-up of his trade war against the country. 

According to Muhammad Faizal, a research fellow at Singapore-based S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, a tougher China containment stance by Trump 2.0 would be welcomed by the ruling party of Taiwan and other Indo-Pacific partners. 

However, he added that they also fear that Trump’s “myopic and transactional approach” to foreign and defense relations — exemplified by his comments about Taiwan paying the U.S. for defense — could place them back on his geopolitical dartboard.

Meanwhile, while experts who spoke to CNBC agreed that a second Trump administration was likely to be packed with China hawks who see defending Taiwan as a top priority, the extent to which they may be able to steer policy remains unclear. 

“I think anyone who says they’re sure where [the administration] would head is out of their mind … I think the degree of unpredictability would be greater than ever,” said Richard Heydarian, policy adviser and senior lecturer of international affairs at the University of the Philippines.

Harris’ statecraft?

On the other side of the ballot is presumptive democratic nominee Harris, after Biden succumbed to pressure to drop out of the race amid concerns about his age. 

According to analysts, she is expected to remain somewhat consistent with Biden’s agenda and foreign policy. 

“I see [Harris] as a continuity play in terms of foreign policy trends more broadly over the last several decades,” Tina Fordham, founder of Fordham Global Foresight, told CNBC’s “Worldwide Exchange” last week. 

Dewardric McNeal, managing director and senior policy analyst at Longview Global, said there was a lack of clarity on exactly what Harris thinks as distinct from Biden, with her first 100 days to be closely watched by Beijing if she were to win.

As vice president, Harris has expressed support for Taiwan and met with the island’s new leader, Lai Ching-te, in 2022. However, she would come into office with significantly less foreign policy experience than President Biden.  

“While I anticipate some continuity [with Biden] in her China policy, it is essential to recognize the strong influence that personalities have on policy shaping, making, and execution,” McNeal said. 

“Vice President Harris is not Joe Biden, and her approach to statecraft will differ,” he added. 

Taiwan’s defense measures

As both candidates pose a level of uncertainty for Taiwan, policy experts said the island-nation was under more pressure to accelerate efforts to build up its own deterrence.

These efforts have already been building momentum since the election of Lai in January, with U.S. elections only injecting more urgency, according to Ava Shen, who covers Taiwan and Chinese foreign policy and domestic politics at Eurasia Group. 

Lai, a member of Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party, is seen by Beijing as a separatist and has continued his predecessor’s efforts of relationship building with Washington amid intensifying military and political pressure by China. 

His inaugural speech emphasized the importance of aligning with democracies and strengthening national defense. Around the same time, an extended one-year mandatory military service for men came into effect, an initiative announced under former DPP president Tsai Ing-wen. 

Meanwhile, Taiwan has been raising total spending on defense in its annual budgets, with the amount reaching 2.6% of GDP this year, and another proposed increase for 2025, according to local reports.

Bolstering defense has entailed securing more weapons from the U.S. As of February this year, the country was waiting on a backlog of some $19 billion worth of already-purchased American weapons, according to the Cato Institute.

A bipartisan delegation of U.S. lawmakers met with Lai in May, promising that weapons and $2 billion of a support package for Taiwan’s military was on the way.

China’s latest official defense budget was $224 billion, about 12 times that of Taiwan’s, according to a report from the Council for Foreign Relations.

“In general, the government and society of Taiwan feel a certain degree of disquiet or anxiety,” said Kwei-Bo Huang, professor of diplomacy at Taiwan’s National ChengChi University and secretary-general of the Taiwan-based Association of Foreign Relations. 

He added that in the event of a Trump victory, Taiwan is expected to continue to expand its defense budget to at least 3% of its GDP, which is at par with what the former president’s advisors are reportedly considering asking NATO members.

According to Professor Lu-Chung of Sam Houston State University, while the U.S. elections are certainly bringing more pressure on Taiwan to boost deterrence, this is beneficial for the country, as it must grapple with tough realities.

“As to the self-defense plan, Taiwan will continue what it is doing, but filling the gaps across the Taiwan Strait is not easy,” he said.

A political action committee backed by billionaire Elon Musk is under investigation in Michigan amid efforts to collect voter data.

Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has said he created and helped fund the America PAC, which is supporting former President Donald Trump. Musk has a net worth of over $225 billion, according to Forbes.

The committee has been acquiring detailed voter information from those living in Michigan and other battleground states after people submit their personal data through a section on the PAC’s website that says “register to vote.”

After clicking on the “register to vote” tab on America PAC’s website, users in states like Michigan can submit a ZIP code, address and phone number. People with a Michigan address are brought to a page that says “thank you” and asks users to “complete the form below” to help wrap up the voter registration process. As of Sunday afternoon, though, there was no other form to complete below the words “thank you.”

“Every citizen should know exactly how their personal information is being used by PACs, especially if an entity is claiming it will help people register to vote in Michigan or any other state,” a spokeswoman for the Michigan secretary of state’s office said in a statement to CNBC.

“While the America PAC is a federal political action committee, the Department is reviewing their activities to determine if there have been any violations of state law. We will refer potential violations to the Michigan Attorney General’s office as appropriate,” the spokeswoman added.

CNBC first reported on the group’s efforts and how the site does not directly register people to vote for those with an address in a swing state.

A person with direct knowledge of the PAC’s operations told CNBC that, at one point since the group registered with the Federal Election Commission in May, the links on the website were functioning properly — but admits now they’re not.

The group is planning to launch a new website in the coming weeks, this person explained. The person declined to be named in order to speak freely about private matters.

A spokesman for the America PAC declined to comment. Musk did not return emails seeking comment.

Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, is Michigan’s secretary of state and the lead election official in the state. She has been a vocal opponent of election-related misinformation and taken on such statements made by former President Donald Trump.

The Republican National Committee has sued Benson and other Michigan Democrats at least twice this year, according to legal records.

Unclear if any laws broken

It’s unclear if any laws in Michigan have been broken by the America PAC.

Barbara McQuade, who once served as a U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, was not convinced that the the PAC was necessarily breaking any state laws. “I am not aware of any laws being broken,” McQuade said in an email on Sunday.

Mary Massaron, a partner at law firm Plunkett Cooney, raised concerns in an email to CNBC, but did not say whether the PAC could have broken state laws.

“It is very troubling for any candidate or PAC funded project to deliberately fail to provide information or a link to register to vote when someone asks because they would potentially vote for the opposing candidates,” Massaron said in an email.

The campaign is tapping state political directors to lead outreach to Republicans in their regions, the source told NBC News. However, the source said that the campaign is having a difficult time locking in support from certain state leadership teams to head GOP outreach.

“That’s the dream of theirs, but I don’t actually think that’s going to happen on the level they want,” the person said.

The source has been nervous about getting Republicans behind Harris because of some of her policy positions during the 2020 Democratic primaries, such as her co-sponsorship of the Green New Deal and her support for mandatory gun buyback programs. But her shifting positions on some of those policy issues have reassured the person.

The campaign on Sunday announced a new push to appeal to GOP voters, which includes the creation of state advisory committees across battleground states that the campaign said will “play a pivotal role in facilitating Republican-to-Republican voter contact,” such as door knocking, phone banking and hosting events featuring Republicans. As part of Sunday’s announcement, the Harris campaign said that it will unveil a digital campaign where Republican Harris supporters make “their case online to fellow Republicans.”

During the 2020 election the Biden-Harris campaign relied on independent, never-Trump groups to court GOP voters. This time around, the 2024 campaign created a specific position to court them, hiring Rep. Adam Kinzinger’s former chief of staff, Austin Weatherford a few months ago.

“Donald Trump’s MAGA extremism is toxic to the millions of Republicans who no longer believe the party of Donald Trump represents their values and will vote against him again in November,” Weatherford, the Harris’ campaign’s national director of Republican outreach said in a statement. “Donald Trump said he doesn’t want these voters, but Vice President Harris and our campaign are working overtime to earn the support of my fellow Republicans who care about defending democracy and restoring decency.”

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The campaign also unveiled a slew of endorsements from Republicans, many of whom were already openly critical of former President Donald Trump, including former Gov. Bill Weld, R-Mass.; former Rep. Denver Riggleman, R-Va.; and former Trump administration press secretary Stephanie Grisham.

Republican surrogates will also join Harris at events during her seven-state campaign blitz this week, though the campaign did not specify which ones are slated to appear.

When the Harris campaign asked whether there were high-profile Republicans who could be courted to make an endorsement, the source said that it was difficult to find people who were willing to endorse the Democratic ticket in 2020, and they suspect it will be harder now. That source believes former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., will eventually endorse Vice President Kamala Harris, though she was not included in Sunday’s rollout of campaign endorsements. The source also said that they suggested that the Harris campaign court the endorsement of former Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., who endorsed President Joe Biden in 2020.

Neither Cheney nor Flake had made a 2024 endorsement before Biden bowed out of the race.

If Cheney were to endorse Harris, it would once again align her with former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., the only Republican other than Cheney to serve on the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and a fellow Trump critic.

“As a proud conservative, I never thought I’d be endorsing a Democrat for President,” Kinzinger said in a statement. “But, I know Vice President Harris will defend our democracy and ensure Donald Trump never returns to the White House.”

Similarly, Grisham said in a statement that she “might not agree with Vice President Kamala Harris on everything, but I know that she will fight for our freedom.”

“I encourage other Trump administration officials who saw the tyrant we worked for in office to speak out and stand with Kamala Harris this November to keep integrity in the White House and ensure democracy for our country,” she continued.

The endorsements come as the Trump campaign is working to paint Harris as “dangerously liberal,” a position the former president reiterated during his rally in Atlanta, Georgia, on Saturday when he called Harris a “radical left freak.”

But the broadsides from Trump have not dissuaded the person familiar with the Harris campaign’s GOP outreach, who previously worked in Republican politics.

“I feel really at peace with doing everything we can to beat him with Harris,” said the source. “I think defeating Trump is the best way to get to a healthy Republican Party.”

This story first appeared on NBCNews.com.  More from NBC News:

• They built their careers fighting Trump. Now they could face him on the Democratic ticket.
• ‘This is the A-team’: Harris campaign brings on big new hires as it sprints to Election Day
• The pros and cons of Harris’ VP list — and how contenders would balance the ticket

Trump has been criticized by Harris and other Democrats for refusing to commit to the previously agreed-upon debate on ABC, which was made before President Joe Biden said he was no longer seeking the Democratic nomination.

The ABC debate was scheduled for Sept. 10. There have been days of questions about whether Trump would participate in the ABC debate.

“I have agreed with FoxNews to debate Kamala Harris on Wednesday, September 4th. The Debate was previously scheduled against Sleepy Joe Biden on ABC, but has been terminated in that Biden will no longer be a participant,” Trump said on Truth Social.

Harris’ presidential campaign’s rapid-response social media account responded Saturday in a tweet.

Our statement on Donald Trump backing out of the debate he already agreed to pic.twitter.com/r8VrZRI0q8

— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) August 3, 2024

After Biden decided to not seek the nomination and the presidential race dramatically changed with Harris as the de facto Democratic nominee, Trump said he did not like ABC and suggested a debate on Fox News instead. Some Democrats have said that Trump is afraid of debating Harris.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, made that claim Thursday. “He’s afraid to debate her,” Schumer said.

Trump also said in the post that because he is in litigation against ABC and George Stephanopoulos, there is “a conflict of interest.”

The agreed-upon ABC debate between Trump and Biden was announced in May. Trump sued ABC and Stephanopoulos in March, as Reuters reported at the time.

Trump said in his Truth Social post the Fox debate was to be held in Pennsylvania, an important state in the presidential election, and would have a “full arena audience.”

A spokesperson for Fox did not immediately reply to an emailed request for comment early Saturday.

This story first appeared on NBCNews.com. More from NBC News:

• Trump struggles to keep his edge against Harris with fewer than 100 days until the election
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• Trump struggles to keep his edge against Harris with fewer than 100 days until the election

The DNC will not make an official announcement of results until Monday evening, when the virtual voting process closes for delegates to next month’s Democratic National Convention.

“I will officially accept your nomination next week, once the virtual voting process is closed, but I’m happy to know we have enough delegates to secure the nomination,” Harris said on call with supporters organized by her campaign, where Harrison made the announcement.

Harris would be the first Black woman and first Indian American in American history to secure a major party’s presidential nomination.

Democratic delegates are holding an unusual pre-convention virtual vote in order to finalize their nomination before a ballot access deadline in Ohio next week, which was set before the party’s national convention kicks off in Chicago on Aug. 19. They had been planning to formally select their presidential candidate that way since May, long before Biden withdrew his re-election bid.

Harris is running unopposed for the Democratic nomination after President Joe Biden dropped his re-election bid and endorsed her last month. Democrats threw together a new lightning-fast nomination process that allowed other candidates to compete, but no major Democrats threw their hats in the ring and the unknown candidates who submitted nomination papers failed to secure enough support to qualify for the internal ballot.

Virtual voting for the roughly 4,700 delegates to the convention began Thursday morning and is not scheduled to conclude until 6 p.m. ET on Monday. Harris’ campaign says she received more than the 2,350 votes needed to secure the nomination a little over day into the process. Delegates cannot change their votes once cast.

Delegates will hold a “ceremonial and confirmatory” roll vote in-person at the convention, according to the party’s newly adopted rules, but the nomination will be made official once the virtual voting ends next week.

This story first appeared on NBCNews.com. More from NBC News:

• Democrats battle Trump’s efforts to define Harris
• Harris to meet with final vice presidential contenders in the coming days
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The recount results confirmed McGuire beat Good, after McGuire initially led Good by just 374 votes in the June primary in Virginia’s 5th District. 

Good had previously said he would step down as chairman of the hard-right Freedom Caucus if he did not prevail in the primary recount. 

The recount officially brings the race to an end, with Good becoming the first sitting House Republican to lose to a primary challenger this year. Good faced a broad coalition of GOP opposition, which included former President Donald Trump and former Speaker Kevin McCarthy. 

Trump jumped into the race shortly before the June 18 primary by endorsing McGuire, who attended the “Stop the Steal” rally that preceded the Jan. 6, 2021, attack and walked to the U.S. Capitol grounds, saying, “We felt like we were being cheated.”

McGuire declined to commit to certifying the 2024 presidential election results in an interview with NBC News shortly before the primary, saying he “would “need to see what happens.” 

“I can understand why people lack trust in elections,” McGuire added. 

Good drew Trump’s ire by backing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the presidential primary, and his subsequent endorsement of Trump wasn’t enough to put him in the former president’s good graces. 

Trump appeared in a TV ad and held a tele-rally for McGuire ahead of the primary, telling supporters, “John is running against Bob Good, who is not good. Despite his name, he’s very bad for Virginia.” 

McGuire, a former Navy SEAL whose campaign slogan was, “We can do better than Good,” previously told NBC News that Trump’s endorsement was helpful in the race. 

“I’ve had many people say ‘I don’t know anything about you, never met you before, but if Trump’s endorsing you, I’ve got you,’” McGuire said. “I believe with all that Trump has been through he has earned the right to call the shots and pick his team.”

McCarthy also played a role in the race, as he looked to target the handful of Republicans who ousted him as speaker late last year. 

Outside groups tied to McCarthy allies and GOP establishment donors blanketed the district’s airwaves, spending $6.9 million against Good, according to the ad tracking firm AdImpact. And while Good also had support from outside groups that helped match that spending, McGuire also vastly outspent Good on ads, helping to get his message out to the sprawling district. 

McGuire acknowledged McCarthy had given him advice, noting he has spoken to the former California congressman over the phone a few times. And he pointed to the vote to oust McCarthy as evidence that Good was not focused on helping his party or the district.  

“If you’re on the Republican team, and you’re part of the Democrat team to take out the Republican team, You’re not on the Republican team,” McGuire said. “Bob is on the Bob Good team.” 

McGuire is now expected to win in November, given the 5th District’s Republican lean. Trump carried the district by 8 percentage points in 2020, according to calculations from Daily Kos Elections. 

Good joins two other members of Congress who failed to advance out of their primaries this year. Rep. Jerry Carl lost to a fellow incumbent, Rep. Barry Moore, in an Alabama GOP primary spurred by redistricting. And Rep. Jamaal Bowman, a member of the ‘squad’ of progressive lawmakers of color and vocal Israel critic, was defeated by Westchester County Executive George Latimer in a New York Democratic primary.

This story first appeared on NBCNews.com. More from NBC News:

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NBC News’ Syedah Asghar contributed.

Journalism organizations for people of color traditionally invite presidential candidates to address their summer gatherings during election years. But Trump’s acceptance of NABJ’s invitation has led at least one high-profile group member to step down as a convention co-chair and others to argue their convention may become a platform for Trump to make false claims or be seen as winning NABJ’s endorsement.

Trump will be interviewed at 12 p.m. CDT Wednesday in Chicago by three reporters: Kadia Goba of Semafor, Rachel Scott of ABC News and Harris Faulkner of Fox News. Vice President Kamala Harris, the likely Democratic nominee and first Black woman to hold her office, is not currently scheduled to address the convention. A person familiar with her schedule, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Harris campaign was unable to find a time to appear at NABJ in person and claimed the organization turned down an offer for her to appear virtually.

The debate over NABJ’s invite reflects how many journalists are still grappling with how to approach Trump nearly a decade after his first presidential run. Some group members argued journalists should allow newsmakers to be heard, while others pointed to Trump’s demeaning of prominent Black journalists while president and his frequent attacks on the free press, including labeling reporters “the enemy of the people.”

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Trump and NABJ also have a tense history over his treatment of Black women journalists. In 2018, NABJ condemned Trump for repeatedly using words such as “stupid,” “loser” and “nasty” to describe Black women journalists including several Black journalists such as Yamiche Alcindor of NBC News; Abby Phillip of CNN; and April Ryan of The Grio.

“The most powerful man in the free world is verbally abusing journalists,” said then-NABJ President Sarah Glover. “His dismissive comments toward journalists April Ryan, Abby Phillip and Yamiche Alcindor are appalling, irresponsible, and should be denounced.”

When Trump told Alcindor “don’t be threatening” during a 2020 press conference, then-NABJ President Dorothy Tucker condemned the remarks as “not only unnecessary but demeaning and inappropriate.”

Former presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have all attended NABJ. President Biden attended a virtual NABJ panel during his 2020 run for president where he received criticism for saying: “Unlike the African American community, with notable exceptions, the Latino community is an incredibly diverse community.”

But for many NABJ members, the decision to host Trump polarizes the organization and threatens the convention’s ethos, which aspires to safeguard and advance Black journalists.

“I understand that the job should put us in tough situations if we’re doing it in a meaningful way,” wrote Tyler J. Davis, an NABJ member and freelance journalist, in The TRiiBE, a local Chicago Black news outlet.

“But this isn’t a story assignment or a news conference or a newsroom. NABJ is a place of learning, networking and feeling supported. It’s a space for Black folks to feel safe and celebrated; for Black media, specifically, to feel safe and celebrated,” Davis wrote.

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Ken Lemon, president of NABJ, insisted that the invitation was “absolutely not an endorsement.”

“We invited both of them, we got a yes from one of them,” Lemon said. “We’d love to get a yes from Kamala as well, but in this case this is an important hour.”

Lemon added that the event would be a “great opportunity for us to vet the candidate right here on our ground” and added that the association had worked with both campaigns for “probably for more than a month” and each had given “the inclination that both were interested in being a part of what we’re doing.”

Yet, Lemon and other leaders at NABJ have faced internal backlash and calls to resign since Trump’s appearance was announced.

Karen Attiah, a global opinions columnist for The Washington Post, stepped down as the co-chair of the 2024 convention in the wake of the announcement of Trump’s appearance.

“To the journalists interviewing Trump, I wish them the best of luck,” Attiah wrote on social media. “While my decision was influenced by a variety of factors, I was not involved or consulted with in any way with the decision to platform Trump in such a format,” she continued.

Some industry leaders pushed back on the claim that Black journalists should not take opportunities to interview Trump, noting that any opportunity to hold powerful figures to account should not be wasted and that NABJ as a forum is especially suited to that mission.

“To suggest they not interview a Presidential candidate on issues relevant to the organization’s constituency is outrageous,” Rana Cash, the executive editor of the Charlotte Observer and an NABJ member, wrote on X.

___

Associated Press writer Seung Min Kim in Washington contributed to this report.

“No,” Vance, R-Ohio, said in an interview aboard his campaign plane en route to a rally here Tuesday. “I mean, I knew that when I came out of the gate there was going to be a couple of days of positive media coverage and then immediately they would go and attack me over everything that I had ever said in my life.”

Vance has faced relentless criticism from allies of Vice President Kamala Harris, the de facto Democratic presidential nominee, for his 2021 comments questioning the societal value of women who don’t have children and referring to them as “childless cat ladies.” Harris’ campaign over the last week has tried to brand Vance and his political point of view as “weird.” Trump has stood by Vance.

“The price of entry of being on the national ticket and giving me an opportunity to govern is you have to … take the shots, and so I sort of expected it,” Vance said. “I think that, frankly, the people who’ve made a lot of money and acquired a lot of power screwing the country up are not going to go easily.”

Vance is in the midst of a big Western swing that includes California fundraisers, traditional campaign rallies and a visit Thursday morning to the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona. With his wife, Usha, seated next to him at the front of their chartered 737, Trump Force Two, Vance discussed the early days of his vice presidential campaign, as well as what he hopes to accomplish if the GOP ticket wins this fall.

“My attitude is I want to be a good public servant,” Vance said when he was asked what particular policy areas he would carve out for himself. “I’ll help out wherever I’m asked to help out. Certainly, I’d love to be given some influence over our border policy, and I’d basically do the exact opposite of what Kamala Harris did.” 

This week’s trip is a bit of a reboot meant to sharpen Vance’s role as an attack dog against Harris, whom President Joe Biden endorsed as his successor when he ended his re-election bid days after Vance accepted the Republican nomination for vice president. While Harris backers have tried to define Vance as weird, Vance tried Tuesday to define Harris as weak — particularly on immigration and border security.

“It all starts with strength — strong borders, strong families, a strong economy and a strong president,” Vance said in an afternoon speech at a high school in Henderson, Nevada, near Las Vegas. “Of all of Kamala Harris’ faults, the worst of all is that she left America weak and vulnerable. The entire world now knows that she helped cover up Joe Biden’s declining mental capacity for years.”

“Our adversaries,” Vance added, “are licking their chops and the world is in disarray because of weak American leadership.”

Asked aboard his plane whether the weird vs. weak contrast was intentional, Vance described it as more of a coincidence.

“I wouldn’t say there’s some particular effort to tag her as weak,” he said. “If there’s a particular label we want the American people to be aware of, it’s that she’s an ultra-liberal.”

Aside from border issues, Vance said he could see himself in the Trump administration as a spokesperson on combating drug abuse. His mother, Beverly Aikins, is nearly 10 years sober after having battled addiction — a struggle he wrote about in his best-selling 2016 memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy,” and talked about in his speech at this month’s Republican National Convention. On the plane, Vance mentioned that he attends Narcotics Anonymous meetings with his mother “fairly frequently” to support her.

“One of the largest providers of medical care for people who have substance abuse disorder is Medicare,” Vance said. “And another big one is Medicaid, right? So the federal government has a huge role to play, I think, in solving or at least addressing the substance abuse problem. I think one of the roles that I can play is just a basic leadership role and remind people that there is hope on the other side of addiction — there is recovery.”

Vance then connected the issue back to a central issue in his recent speeches: the border.

“For people to get second chances, they have to not die when they’re at the bottom of the addiction crisis, and the best way to solve that problem is to prevent the worst poison from coming into our streets in the first place,” he said, blaming Mexican drug cartels. “And if there’s an attitude shift that I’ve seen over the last five years, the last three years, it’s that there’s so much fentanyl out there, and everything is laced with fentanyl, that the consequence of falling off the wagon could very well be death, right? There’s a sense of fear in the addiction recovery space that I didn’t notice five years ago.” 

Vance got enthusiastic receptions in Henderson and Reno. At the first stop, after he noted that he will turn 40 on Friday, the crowd broke into a rendition of “Happy Birthday.” He also has reinforcements on this trip. Jason Miller, a senior adviser on the Trump campaign, and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., were among those traveling with him Tuesday.

“I’m here today because of the nasty attacks on JD Vance claiming that he’s anti-woman,” Luna said from the stage in Henderson. “Can you believe that? This is, mind you, by the same party that can’t define what a woman is.”

Speaking with reporters afterward, Luna, who traveled on Vance’s plane, said no one asked her to make the trip. 

“It was actually me,” she said. “I was like, you know, I have some things to say. So I kind of invited myself. But they’re happy to have me.”

On the plane, Vance stood by his old comments about childless women, which at the time he applied specifically to Harris, a stepmother of two, and other Democrats. Vance also said at the time that the criticism didn’t extend to women who have trouble conceiving. 

“What I was criticizing and continue to criticize is a particular neurosis in American leadership that I think leads people to say crazy things, like you shouldn’t have children because climate change is a threat to the future,” Vance said Tuesday. “Climate change may very well be a problem, but it is not a problem that should motivate people to not have families. And I think that attitude is quite damaging. It’s quite destructive.

“I’ll keep on calling it out, even though I’m sure that Democrats will misrepresent what I say,” he added. “I just think that the substance of what I said is actually quite defensible.” 

Vance, who remarked last week that he was “pissed off” that he would no longer face Harris in a vice presidential debate, said he had no particular preference for a new opponent.

“I don’t really care,” Vance said. “I think that obviously different guys — and they’re all guys, I guess, except for [Michigan Gov.] Gretchen Whitmer, but I don’t feel like she has a good chance — they all present different strengths and different weaknesses. My attitude is I have a job, but it’s to persuade as many people to vote for us as possible. And I’m going to have that same job whoever the Democrats nominate.”

This story first appeared on NBCNews.com. More from NBC News:

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According to the Democratic National Committee, 99% of delegates signed Harris’ nominating petition.

With no internal competition, Democrats will avoid the messy fight that some party officials feared when President Joe Biden stepped aside in the race less than two weeks ago.

“Our Party has met this unprecedented moment with a transparent, democratic, and orderly process to unite behind a nominee with a proven record who will lead us in the fight ahead,” DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison said in a statement Tuesday night.

Delegates to next month’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago will begin voting virtually to formalize Harris’ nomination Thursday morning, sticking to the party’s existing plan to finalize its nominee before an Aug. 7 ballot access deadline in Ohio. Harris’ campaign has indicated she will select her vice presidential running mate before then, as well.

Democrats raced to rewrite their nominating rules after Biden dropped his re-election bid nine days ago, creating a lightning-fast nomination process that was open to anyone but was almost immediately seen as favoring Harris.

Any candidate who wanted to seek the nomination had until 6 p.m. ET Tuesday to secure the support of at least 300 delegates to qualify; Harris was the only candidate who did, according to the Democratic National Committee.

With virtually the entire party united behind Harris, the only candidates who declared their intentions to challenge her were a handful of unknown figures with no known support bases or funding.

Marianne Williamson, the self-help author who ran a long-shot Democratic presidential campaign in 2020, said she was planning to vie for the nomination at the Chicago convention but ultimately opted against throwing her name in the ring. She re-suspended her campaign Monday night.

“We did everything possible to stand for a blitz primary, an open convention and so forth. Yet the way the rules were made there truly was no way, Kamala’s momentum was in full swing, and all we could have done is create noise,” Williamson wrote to supporters. “I was in the race to create fundamental change, yes — but not as a chaos agent or metaphorical bomb thrower.”

Convention delegates will begin an unusual preconvention virtual roll call vote to ratify Harris as their top candidate. Voting will begin Thursday and continue for several days, according to the party’s plans, with a ceremonial in-person roll call planned for the convention, as well.

Even though Democrats stripped so-called super delegates of much of their power a few years ago, they will be able to vote virtually for Harris, the DNC said, since Harris has demonstrated that she has already secured an overwhelmingly majority support, meaning there’s no chance of the super delegates changing the outcome.

Democrats had been planning to nominate Biden virtually since May, when they realized they would have an issue in Ohio. The state initially set its deadline for all parties to submit the names of their candidates before the Democratic National Convention, and it was slow to resolve the matter.

While Ohio election officials argued that Democrats do not need to take drastic measures like a preconvention virtual roll call, conservative groups have already signaled their intention to sue if Democrats miss the state’s Aug. 7 deadline. Democrats say the party cannot risk litigation that could result in its losing its place on Ohio’s ballot this fall.

This story first appeared on NBCNews.com. More from NBC News:

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In Maricopa County, which includes metro Phoenix and 60% of Arizona’s voters, Republicans also were choosing between a slate of incumbents who have stood up to former President Donald Trump’s lies about the 2020 election and challengers who claim it was stolen.

The primary will give insights about where the narrowly divided state is headed going into the final sprint of the 2024 election, when Arizona is central to the fight for control of the White House and Congress.

Gallego ran unopposed in the Democratic primary for Senate.

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“Go vote,” Trump urged supporters in a telephone rally with Lake on Monday evening. “She’s fantastic. She will not let us down. Kari Lake, I just think she’s going to be as good as you can get. There’s nobody going to be better.”

The once-crowded field of Republicans looking at the Senate race thinned out when Lake, who built a national profile in Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement in an unsuccessful 2022 bid for Arizona governor, made clear she planned to run for the seat.

Lake defeated Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, who had contended he is more electable and the best candidate to secure the border. But he struggled to raise the money needed to make his case to voters. Through the end of June, Lake had raised $10.3 million compared with Lamb’s $2 million.

Lake faces Gallego in the race to replace Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who was elected as a Democrat in 2018 but left the party to become an independent after her standing among the Democratic base cratered. Sinema considered running as an independent but opted against it.

Lake entered politics after leaving the news anchor desk at the Phoenix Fox affiliate and quickly became a rising star on the right. Grassroots Republicans were drawn to her biting critiques of her former colleagues in the news media, her tough talk on border security and her unwavering support for Trump, who for a time considered her for his running mate.

“We’re looking forward to getting you back in Washington, DC,” Lake said to Trump during Monday’s telephone rally. “And I’m looking forward to helping back you up and make sure that we get this country gets turned back around.”

She defeated an establishment-backed Republican in the 2022 primary for Arizona governor but narrowly lost the general election. Convinced she had victory in hand after winning the primary, Lake did not move toward the center or work to unify Republicans behind her.

Since launching her Senate campaign late last year, Lake has made fitful efforts to moderate her most unpopular views but has not been consistent. She disavowed a near-total ban on abortion in Arizona, which she’d previously called “a great law,” but later spoke favorably for it.

She has at times steered clear of false claims of election fraud, but she continues trying to overturn her loss in the race for governor. Just this month she filed a longshot request for the Arizona Supreme Court to take up the issue, though the justices, all of whom were appointed by Republican governors, have already rejected her claims.

Meanwhile, Republican voters in Maricopa County got their first chance to oust elected officials who did not embrace Trump’s and Lake’s false claims that the 2020 and 2022 elections were rigged. Recorder Stephen Richer, one of the elected officials responsible for administering elections, has become a pariah on the right for aggressively defending the integrity of elections. Several members of the county board of supervisors also face challengers aligned with Trump’s MAGA movement. Those races were too early to call.

The feeling that elections are rigged against Republicans has permeated the Arizona GOP, though judges, election experts and Trump’s own attorney general have repeatedly rejected claims of widespread fraud.

“I think that there’s primarily the discussion about how to do the elections and how to do them less corruptly,” said Barb Schwisow, a retired critical care nurse who sat outside a polling place at a table full of Republican pamphlets in Sun City West, a retirement community outside Phoenix.

Republicans also had an eclectic group of candidates vying to replace retiring GOP Rep. Debbie Lesko in a safe Republican district. The field includes Blake Masters and Abraham Hamadeh, one-time allies who have turned bitterly on each other since both lost campaigns in 2022. A state lawmaker indicted for his involvement in Trump’s fake-elector scheme is also running, along with former Rep. Trent Franks, who resigned in 2017 when two aides said he sexually harassed them by asking them to carry a child through surrogacy.

On the Democratic side, voters will decide two hotly contested U.S. House primaries in the Phoenix area.

The winner in the 1st Congressional District will face Republican Rep. David Schweikert to represent an affluent district centered in Scottsdale that exemplifies the changing makeup of the political parties.

Two Democrats are also facing off in a bitter primary in the 3rd District, a safe Democratic district that includes the heart of the west Phoenix Latino community. The Democratic nominee is strongly favored in November to replace Gallego.

The two governors were demonstrating a time-honored tradition in presidential campaigns: Summertime auditions from vice presidential contenders who walk the line between open self-promotion and loyal advocacy for the potential boss.

Vice President Harris, the likely Democratic nominee, appears intent on making a choice that she’s comfortable with personally and that can expand her electoral appeal. Her campaign has been vetting about a dozen potential running mates, according to people familiar with the search process. Shapiro and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly are seen as among the front-runners, according to the people.

Harris advisers, led by former Attorney General Eric Holder, have been combing through reams of paperwork submitted by potential running mates, while the candidate herself is holding personal conversations with the finalists, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Harris, according to another person familiar with the matter, is seeking someone with executive experience who can also serve as a governing partner. Notions of a so-called short list have not stopped those on the Democrats’ broader national bench from finding the spotlight.

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“I’m not going to talk about the interactions I’ve had with the campaign,” Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker declared recently on MSNBC. He added, though: “Let’s just say I’m aware that the vetting process is quite an in depth one.” Then he listed his accomplishments, offering that he was the only Midwestern governor to raise his state minimum wage to $15 per hour.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, once held out as an ideal nominee if Biden bailed out, has said, more or less, that she’s not a contender. But she appeared Monday with Shapiro in Pennsylvania and mused on MSNBC last week that “two women on the ticket would be exciting.”

Harris would be the first woman, first Black woman and first person of South Asian descent to serve as president. Many Democrats have argued she should balance her ticket both demographically and politically.

Dems’ VP list has notable differences

Shapiro, 51, is among the most popular U.S. governors, winning his 2022 election in a rout over a Trump-endorsed Republican. He’s an outspoken supporter of abortion rights who has won three statewide elections in Pennsylvania. His speaking style draws comparisons to former President Barack Obama. But he has taken flak from the left for his support for Israel’s war on Hamas, a private school voucher program and natural gas infrastructure.

His allies argue that he would help Harris win Pennsylvania, complicating if not blocking Republican Donald Trump’s path to an Electoral College majority.

Like all contenders, Shapiro sidesteps questions about the vetting process and stresses Harris should not be pressured. But he’s mentioned more than once that he’s known her for nearly two decades.

Beshear stands out in a heavily Republican state. During his weekend stop in Georgia, he talked of winning votes in “tough counties” but emphasized liberal bona fides: “I am a proud pro-union governor. I am a proud pro-choice governor. I am a proud public education governor. I am a proud pro-diversity governor.”

Closest in age to JD Vance among the Democrats’ possibilities, Beshear openly mocks Trump’s understudy for presenting himself as a son of Appalachia. “I mean, there’s a county that JD Vance says he’s from in Kentucky – and I won it by 22 points last November,” he said.

Back home in Frankfort recently, Beshear played down the importance of being from a battleground, saying, “About every successful ticket going back to 2000 did not have someone in a swing state.”

Of course, sometimes the spotlight can produce mistakes. Twice in Georgia, Beshear mispronounced Harris’ first name as “Kah-MAH-lah,” rather than the correct “KAH-mah-lah.”

Beshear and Shapiro were both state attorneys general, like Harris, before becoming governors. But their tenures did not overlap considerably with Harris’ service in California. She worked more closely with North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper during his days as an attorney general, but Cooper on Monday said he had opted not to be considered for vice president.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, 60, is a favorite of some progressives. He brings an atypical national political resume: He was a non-commissioned Army officer, public school teacher and state high school championship football coach before entering politics. Before being elected governor, he was one of the last white Democrats in Congress to represent a mostly rural, small-town House district — a notable juxtaposition for Harris, the Bay Area Californian.

“She will make the best choice she’s going to,” Walz said Sunday on CNN, a day after Trump held a mass rally in St. Cloud, Minnesota. “One way or another, she is going to win in November, and that’s going to benefit everyone,” Walz said, including “a lot of those folks who were out in St. Cloud with the (former) president.”

Kelly, 60, is the only top contender in Congress. He boasts an impressive military resume and experience as an astronaut. He has strong Latino support locally and solid relationships with Arizona officials along the U.S.-Mexico border. That balance could give him credibility on immigration policy as Republicans frame high numbers of migrant border crossings as a national crisis.

But Kelly has had to shore up his credentials with labor, a key Democratic faction. Kelly changed his position on union-backed legislation known as the PRO Act, which would make it easier to organize workers. He was one of just a handful of Democrats who didn’t co-sponsor the bill, saying at the time he supported the goals but had concerns. Following opposition from labor leaders, Kelly said this month he would vote for the bill if it came up for a vote.

Everyone has an opinion

Harris is expected to announce her pick in time for Democratic delegates to ratify her decision in a virtual nominating vote that could conclude by Aug. 7. Whatever her timetable, the media and campaign circuit is allowing plenty of Democrats additional time in the spotlight.

In the meantime, everyone seems to have an opinion.

Steven Benjamin, the White House director of public engagement, laughed as he told reporters on Air Force One on Monday that his office has received thousands of recommendations from around the country.

Donna Brazile, who managed Democrat Al Gore’s presidential campaign in 2000 and was instrumental in urging Biden to pick Harris in 2020, said the selection process involves “a lot of noise” that underplays the complexity of the decision.

“The most important stage is what the lawyers will do to you,” she said, with a laugh and emphasizing the seriousness. “It’s worse than a dental hygiene check. … Before you get to suitability and other factors, before it gets to political people like me, they’ve done a forensic examination of your life.”

___

Barrow reported from Cumming, Georgia. Associated Press reporters Zeke Miller in Washington, Gary Robertson in Raleigh, North Carolina; Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Bruce Schreiner in Frankfort, Kentucky; Jonathan J. Cooper in Phoenix; and Colleen Long aboard Air Force One contributed.

But now that Biden has bowed out of the race and Vice President Kamala Harris is the likely nominee, Democrats say they have new hope for the state. They’re betting that a fresh burst of energy and a surge in fundraising has helped make Georgia — the state that delivered Biden his narrowest victory margin in 2020 — a toss-up again.

Harris is planning to make a show of political force with a rally in Atlanta on Tuesday night that will feature a performance by hip hop star Megan Thee Stallion, the latest example of just how much the race against Republican Donald Trump has shifted since Biden abandoned his reelection bid. She will be appearing in the same city where Biden’s dismal performance in a debate against Trump on June 27 sparked a Democratic revolt that ultimately ended his campaign.

Harris is hoping a large rally will help affirm her campaign’s momentum. Her campaign argues that Harris’ appeal with young people, working-age women and non-white voters have scrambled the dynamics in Georgia and other states that are demographically similar, from North Carolina to Nevada and Arizona.

“The energy is infectious,” said Georgia Democratic Chairwoman Nikema Williams, a congresswoman from Atlanta. “My phone has been blowing up. People want to be part of this movement.”

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In a strategy memo released after the president left the race, Harris campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon, who held the same role for Biden, reaffirmed the importance of winning Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, a trio of industrial states that have formed the traditional Democratic blue wall.

But she also argued that the vice president’s place atop the ticket “opens up additional persuadable voters” and described them as “disproportionately Black, Latino and under 30” in places like Georgia.

Republicans, who still control Georgia’s state government, counter that Biden’s lagging popularity and concern over higher consumer prices and immigration will transfer to Harris in the historically conservative state.

But they concede that the landscape suddenly looks much closer to 2020 – when Biden won by about 0.25 percentage points — than when Trump was riding high after the Republican National Convention and surviving an assassination attempt.

“Trump was going to win Georgia. It was over,” said Republican consultant Brian Robinson. “The Democrats have a chance here for a reset.”

Robinson said Harris still has plenty of liabilities, including the progressive positions she took in her failed 2020 primary campaign and her various rhetorical stumbles. But he said Harris so far in this campaign has been “in command,” and if that continues “we have a new ballgame and she will be competitive in Georgia.”

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Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt did not give similar ground. She dismissed Harris as “just as weak, failed and incompetent as Joe Biden” and said the vice president would have to explain her support of Biden administration policies that “hurt working families in Georgia over the past four years.”

The Harris campaign and Georgia Democratic officials have 24 offices across the state, including two added last weekend in metro Atlanta. Trump and the Republican National Committee opened their first Georgia offices only recently.

Democrats are betting that a combination of high turnout among traditional, core Democratic constituencies, as well as a strong showing in the suburbs and small pickups elsewhere can be enough for Harris to carry Georgia. That approach was on display at the weekend office openings.

On Saturday, the venue was East Point, a majority Black municipality and Democratic stronghold south of Atlanta. Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., was the featured guest, telling a crowd of mostly Black women that they were the key to victory — “the people who are really going to save the country.”

A day later, it was Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, among several contenders Harris is considering for her running mate, campaigning in Forsyth County. The area is historically very conservative, though Democrats have narrowed the GOP margins in recent cycles.

“Every county matters,” Beshear said, holding out his ability to win two governor’s races in Kentucky despite Trump’s domination of the state in presidential elections.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, said in a recent interview that the best GOP campaigns can win comfortably in Georgia but bad efforts — combined with strong Democratic campaigns — lose.

Democrats recently have held wide advantages in the core of metro Atlanta, where Jayapal spoke. The party also performed well in Columbus and Savannah, as well as some rural, majority-Black counties. But Republicans dominated in other rural areas and small towns and cities –- where Trump has held multiple rallies in recent years.

The fast-growing, diversifying Atlanta suburbs and exurbs, like those where Beshear campaigned on Sunday, offer the most opportunity for swings, especially from GOP-leaning moderates disenchanted with Trump.

For Harris, that means depending on voters as varied as Michael Sleister, a white suburbanite, and Allen Smith, a Black man who lives not far from downtown Atlanta.

Sleister, who considers himself an independent, has lived in Forsyth County for 35 years. “I’ve voted Republican many times in my life,” he said, but not since the GOP took a rightward turn during President Barack Obama’s administration.

“Now I see the Republican Party as representing a direct threat to my grandchildren,” he said, adding that he sees Trump “as just a horrible person.”

Smith is a 41-year-old Atlanta native who has become a first-time campaign volunteer since Harris became the likely nominee.

“I was driving when I heard the news about President Biden endorsing her, and I started pounding my fist — I decided right then I would do whatever I could to help her get elected,” Smith said.

And Arizona’s position on the front lines of fights and conspiracy theories about election results over the last four years will take center stage once again, as a top election official in Arizona’s largest county faces a primary after having defended it from critics since 2020.

Here’s what to watch for after the polls close at 10 p.m. ET Tuesday.Setting up a critical Senate race

Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego, who is running uncontested in his primary, will officially learn his general election opponent — though he and GOP front-runner Kari Lake have been sparring for months under the assumption she will be her party’s nominee. 

Lake, who has been endorsed by Donald Trump, has steadfastly refused to mention her nearest Republican rival, Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, on the stump. When she was questioned about whether she would be open to debating Lamb in March, Lake said: “I am focusing on the general election. We feel very confident in what those poll numbers look like.” 

The closest the two came to a formal debate was on May 23, when Lake and Lamb both participated in a virtual forum and Lake, an election denier, ripped on him for not sharing her unfounded theories. 

“He’s a total coward when it comes to election integrity,” Lake said of Lamb’s refusal to reject the results of the election in 2020, when Joe Biden defeated Trump in Arizona and nationally.

“I don’t think Joe Biden got 81 million votes,” Lamb said at the forum. “But I don’t live in the world of feelings and thoughts. I live in the world of evidence, what you can prove in court beyond a reasonable doubt.” 

While Lake is the heavy favorite in the primary, having outraised Lamb and snagged big-name endorsements from Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., Vivek Ramaswamy and more, some in the Arizona Republican establishment have expressed skepticism that her firebrand style will be successful in a general election. She narrowly lost the governor’s race in 2022.

Republican former Gov. Jan Brewer was complimentary of Lamb in an interview with KSAZ-TV of Phoenix this summer. Talking about Lake, Brewer had less favorable things to say: “There’s a lot of people that are unhappy with her. They don’t think that she is a truth teller and that she has changed her opinion on certain things. She goes to different rallies, she says different things to different audiences.”

Looking ahead to November, Gallego launched his Latino campaign coalition, Juntos con Gallego, on Monday. Speaking afterward, he agreed to debate Lake should she clinch the GOP primary. 

“Unlike her, where she didn’t debate her opponent, we will gladly debate Kari Lake,” he said.

While Lake refuses to utter Lamb’s name, she has choice words for Gallego at every campaign stop, rotating insults from “swamp rat” to “deadbeat.” 

A battle over who’s more loved by Trump

One of the most closely watched GOP primaries of the election features a battle between a pair of Trump acolytes who have both made him the most prominent feature of their campaigns in the 8th Congressional District.

Blake Masters, a financier who lost his 2022 Senate bid, and Abraham Hamadeh, who lost his 2022 race for state attorney general by just 280 votes (and has made unfounded claims that the race was stolen a centerpiece of his current campaign), are the front-runners in a race crowded with several other well-known Republicans. Also running are state House Speaker Ben Toma; former Rep. Trent Franks, who served in Congress for 16 years before he abruptly resigned in 2017, acknowledging at the time that he discussed surrogacy with two former female staffers; and state Sen. Anthony Kern, who was among 18 Trump aides and allies whom an Arizona grand jury indicted in April for their roles in the effort to overturn the 2020 election results in the state.

Hamadeh and Masters have been duking it out over who remains closer to Trump. Hamadeh won Trump’s endorsement in December, though Masters had for months touted that he had won Trump’s backing during his failed 2022 Senate bid. In an unusual move, Trump recast his endorsement in this year’s primary to throw support to both of them. Masters, like Vance, won major financial support from tech billionaire Peter Thiel in 2022.

The 8th District — in the northwest valley of the metropolitan Phoenix area with an older, retired population and a large chunk of evangelical Christians — is solidly Republican. Tuesday’s winner is all but certain to defeat likely Democratic nominee Greg Whitten in November.

Two of the closest House battlegrounds in the country

Former state Sen. Kirsten Engel is running uncontested in the Democratic primary in the swing 6th District, which covers a large chunk of the southeastern part of the state, including Tucson.

The race for the seat — currently held by Republican Juan Ciscomani, who is in his first term — is considered a toss-up by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report with Amy Walter. It is one of two toss-ups in Arizona, which could help decide control of the tightly divided House.

The match-up would be a repeat of the race in 2022, when Ciscomani defeated Engel by less than 2 percentage points.

Meanwhile, GOP Rep. David Schweikert is a heavy favorite in his primary against lesser-known and lesser-funded candidates in the 1st District. But across the aisle, the Democratic primary is tight, with six candidates in contention.

Locked in battle for the Democratic nomination for the seat Schweikert barely held in 2022 are Andrei Cherny, a businessman and former chair of the Arizona Democratic Party who previously ran for Congress; Amish Shah, a former member of the state House; Conor O’Callaghan, a businessman; Marlene Galán-Woods, a former television news broadcaster; Kurt Kroemer, a former Red Cross regional CEO; and Andrew Horne, a photographer and orthodontist. 

As the only woman in her party’s primary, Galán-Woods is emblematic of a larger trend in congressional politics. The Rutgers University-based Center for American Women and Politics, the pre-eminent organization tracking the topic, found fewer women are running as major-party candidates for the House this year. 

The race to succeed Gallego

Arizona’s 3rd District, currently represented by Gallego, has a rich Latino history: The area sent Arizona’s first Latino member of Congress, Ed Pastor, to Washington before Gallego continued that legacy, and now former state Democratic Party chair Raquel Terán hopes to extend it. 

“We are making the case that we need to make sure that we have our voices heard in Congress,” Terán said in an interview Friday. 

“Of course, this is a Democratic primary, and we welcome healthy competition. But what we don’t welcome is that Republican investors, donors that have bankrolled Donald Trump, are meddling in a Democratic primary,” Terán added, swiping at her primary opponent, Yassamin Ansari.

Ansari, a former Phoenix City Council member, has been backed by $1.3 million from the Protect Progress PAC, which has spent money backing Democratic candidates around the country — but whose cryptocurrency industry funders are also supporting Trump. In an interview with NBC affiliate KPNX of Phoenix, Ansari distanced herself from the donors. 

“I’m not sure what they want,” Ansari told KPNX’s Brahm Resnick of her PAC supporters. “I ran for office because I hate Donald Trump. I cannot stand MAGA extremism.”

A big election about elections

In most counties, and in a previous time, the race for county recorder would not typically generate a whole lot of hoopla. Maricopa County is not most counties. 

Stephen Richer, one of the most outspoken Republican defenders of election processes in the country, is simultaneously fighting to keep his job while preparing to manage the vote this fall in Maricopa, the largest county in battleground Arizona.

The Maricopa County recorder’s administrative role is vast, including processing deeds and overseeing the voter file and other parts of elections. Since 2020, that is what has captured the most attention.

After ballot printers and vote tabulation machines malfunctioned during Arizona’s 2022 election, baseless claims of malicious activity arose, and conspiracy theories about Richer, fueled by Lake, resulted in Richer’s facing death threats. 

Richer has continued to face a slew of attacks to this day. Last month, he posted a video on X of Shelby Busch, the chair of Arizona’s delegation to the Republican National Convention this month, saying she would “lynch” him if she had the chance. The video stemmed from a livestreamed event on Rumble, a conservative video platform, in Mesa on March 20. 

Richer’s main primary challenger is state Rep. Justin Heap, who has dodged questions about whether the 2020 election was fraudulent. But he has been endorsed by many of Arizona’s most prominent election deniers, including Lake.

Don Hiatt, a long-shot candidate who worked in information management technology, has more explicitly sown doubt about the 2020 election.

This story first appeared on NBCNews.com.  More from NBC News:

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Cooper, 67, withdrew before Harris formally began soliciting vetting material from potential vice presidents, the people said. They spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive search process. Harris’ search is ongoing and her teams of lawyers and political aides are still reviewing information on a narrowing list of potential candidates.

Harris’ team was initially said to looking at about a dozen potential contenders, but the field has narrowed and now Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly are seen as among the front-runners, according to the people.

Cooper said in a statement, “This just wasn’t the right time for North Carolina and for me to potentially be on a national ticket.” He said Harris “has an outstanding list of people from which to choose, and we’ll all work to make sure she wins.”

Cooper, the former chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, has been close to Harris since they were both state attorneys general. His potential selection was seen as a possible asset in shifting North Carolina — the Democrats’ only significant opportunity to expand on their 2020 map — into Harris’ hands.

Under the state constitution, North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who is the GOP’s nominee to replace the term-limited Cooper, becomes acting governor and can assume the Democrat’s powers when he travels out of state.

Cooper, according to one of the people, has expressed concern about what Robinson might do if he were to leave the state extensively for campaign travel.

Robinson is an ardent social conservative, who once called abortion “child sacrifice.” In various church pulpits, Robinson has asserted men as the rightful leaders in church and society. He once mused that leaders of the original birth control movement in the U.S. were “witches, all of ’em.” He has discussed LGBTQ people with words like “filth” and “maggots.”

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In the weeks before President Joe Biden withdrew from the race, Cooper appeared with Harris at campaign events in Greensboro and Fayetteville. He has deflected questions about the vetting process.

“I trust her to make the right decision,” he told reporters in North Carolina recently.

The New York Times first reported that Cooper had withdrawn himself from the process, but did not detail the timing of his decision or his rationale. The Harris campaign declined to comment.

__

AP writer Gary Robertson in Raleigh, North Carolina, contributed.

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The rally was held Tuesday on Temple University’s campus at the Liacouras Center.

“Since the day that I announced my candidacy, I set out to find a partner who can help build this brighter future,” Harris said while standing with Walz in Philadelphia. “I’m here today because I’ve found such a leader, Gov. Tim Walz of the great state of Minnesota.”

“He’s the kind of person who makes people feel like they belong and then inspires them to dream big. … That’s the kind of vice president America deserves,” Harris said.

Taking the microphone after Harris, Walz revved up the crowd for the rigorous campaign to come. “We’ve got 91 days. My God, that’s easy. We’ll sleep when we’re dead,” he said.

The remarks reflected the urgency of the moment, with Harris tapping Walz for the ticket during one of the most turbulent periods in modern American politics. Republicans have rallied around former President Donald Trump after he was targeted in an attempted assassination in July. Just days later, President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign, forcing Harris to scramble to unify Democrats and decide on a running mate over a breakneck two-week stretch.

In choosing the 60-year-old Walz, Harris is elevating a Midwestern governor, military veteran and union supporter who helped enact an ambitious Democratic agenda for his state, including sweeping protections for abortion rights and generous aid to families.

Harris hopes Walz will help her shore up her campaign’s standing across the upper Midwest, a critical region in presidential politics that often serves as a buffer for Democrats seeking the White House. The party remains haunted by Trump’s wins in Michigan and Wisconsin in 2016. Trump lost those states in 2020 but has zeroed in on them as he aims to return to the presidency this year and is expanding his focus to Minnesota.

Since Walz was announced, the team raised more than $20 million from grassroots donations, the campaign said.

Many voters and supporters of Harris showed up bright and early hours ahead of the rally at the center in Philly.

“A month ago I could not have told you I’d be interested in a political event today. A month later so much is changing so fast, so I’m genuinely interested to hear what they have to say I want to hear the speeches,” Caryn Solly, from Trenton, NJ, said.

Many shared how they felt about Harris picking Walz as her running mate.

“I was a little surprised because part of me thought it would be Josh Shapiro,” Anthonio Dawkins from South Jersey said.

There had long been speculation the Pennsylvania’s own governor, Josh Shapiro, might get the call from the vice president.

Many voiced that they supported her choice.

“I was hoping for Josh but I’m glad she made a pick it’s a good pick I think people will accept it and move forward with a strong ticket,” Michael Robinson from Temple University said.

“Very exciting to have a progressive as a young person I think we need someone that sees the nuances in modern politics and speaks to people in my generation,” Mark Maddock from Illinois said.

Harris announced Walz as her new running mate hours before the rally Tuesday.

“Since the day that I announced my candidacy, I set out to find a partner who can help build this brighter future,” Harris said on her first rally with Walz in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Tuesday. “I’m here today because I’ve found such a leader, Gov. Tim Walz of the great state of Minnesota.”

“I’m thrilled to be on this journey with you and Doug, this incredible journey,” Walz told Harris, referring to her husband. “Thank you for trust you put in me, and maybe more so, thanks for bringing back the joy.”

Who is Tim Walz?

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

The rally was held Tuesday on Temple University’s campus at the Liacouras Center.

“Since the day that I announced my candidacy, I set out to find a partner who can help build this brighter future,” Harris said while standing with Walz in Philadelphia. “I’m here today because I’ve found such a leader, Gov. Tim Walz of the great state of Minnesota.”

“He’s the kind of person who makes people feel like they belong and then inspires them to dream big. … That’s the kind of vice president America deserves,” Harris said.

Taking the microphone after Harris, Walz revved up the crowd for the rigorous campaign to come. “We’ve got 91 days. My God, that’s easy. We’ll sleep when we’re dead,” he said.

The remarks reflected the urgency of the moment, with Harris tapping Walz for the ticket during one of the most turbulent periods in modern American politics. Republicans have rallied around former President Donald Trump after he was targeted in an attempted assassination in July. Just days later, President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign, forcing Harris to scramble to unify Democrats and decide on a running mate over a breakneck two-week stretch.

In choosing the 60-year-old Walz, Harris is elevating a Midwestern governor, military veteran and union supporter who helped enact an ambitious Democratic agenda for his state, including sweeping protections for abortion rights and generous aid to families.

Harris hopes Walz will help her shore up her campaign’s standing across the upper Midwest, a critical region in presidential politics that often serves as a buffer for Democrats seeking the White House. The party remains haunted by Trump’s wins in Michigan and Wisconsin in 2016. Trump lost those states in 2020 but has zeroed in on them as he aims to return to the presidency this year and is expanding his focus to Minnesota.

Since Walz was announced, the team raised more than $20 million from grassroots donations, the campaign said.

Many voters and supporters of Harris showed up bright and early hours ahead of the rally at the center in Philly.

“A month ago I could not have told you I’d be interested in a political event today. A month later so much is changing so fast, so I’m genuinely interested to hear what they have to say I want to hear the speeches,” Caryn Solly, from Trenton, NJ, said.

Many shared how they felt about Harris picking Walz as her running mate.

“I was a little surprised because part of me thought it would be Josh Shapiro,” Anthonio Dawkins from South Jersey said.

There had long been speculation the Pennsylvania’s own governor, Josh Shapiro, might get the call from the vice president.

Many voiced that they supported her choice.

“I was hoping for Josh but I’m glad she made a pick it’s a good pick I think people will accept it and move forward with a strong ticket,” Michael Robinson from Temple University said.

“Very exciting to have a progressive as a young person I think we need someone that sees the nuances in modern politics and speaks to people in my generation,” Mark Maddock from Illinois said.

Harris announced Walz as her new running mate hours before the rally Tuesday.

“Since the day that I announced my candidacy, I set out to find a partner who can help build this brighter future,” Harris said on her first rally with Walz in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Tuesday. “I’m here today because I’ve found such a leader, Gov. Tim Walz of the great state of Minnesota.”

“I’m thrilled to be on this journey with you and Doug, this incredible journey,” Walz told Harris, referring to her husband. “Thank you for trust you put in me, and maybe more so, thanks for bringing back the joy.”

Who is Tim Walz?

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Vance told “The Megyn Kelly Show” in an interview that aired Friday: “Obviously, it was a sarcastic comment. I’ve got nothing against cats” and then blamed the media for “focusing so much on the sarcasm and not on the substance of what I actually said.”

Vance made the remarks in 2021 on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News show, referring to Vice President Kamala Harris, now the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, as one of the “childless cat ladies” running the nation who “want to make the rest of the country miserable too.”

The Ohio Republican added, “If you look at Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, AOC [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez], the entire future of the Democrats is controlled by people without children.”

Kamala Harris Jul 25

Kamala Harris' family, stepdaughter defend her over ‘childless cat ladies' comments

Celebrity News Jul 25

Jennifer Aniston calls out JD Vance's ‘childless cat ladies' comment with message on her IVF journey

Decision 2024 Jul 23

Clip resurfaces of Vance criticizing Harris for being ‘childless,' testing Trump's new running mate

Vance told Kelly in Friday’s interview, “It’s not a criticism of people who don’t have children. I explicitly said in my remarks … this is not about criticizing people who for various reasons don’t have kids. This is about criticizing the Democratic Party for becoming anti-family and anti-child.”

Vance also accused the media of wanting “to attack me and [wanting] me to back down,” before adding that “what this is fundamentally about [is] the Democrats in the past five to 10 years, Megyn, they have become anti-family.”

Vance’s 2021 remarks resurfaced this week and quickly drew criticism from celebrities, politicians and members of Harris’ family. Some of the criticism drew comparisons between Vance’s “childless” comments and his stance on abortion rights and reproductive health care.

Earlier this week, after Vance’s 2021 comments resurfaced, actress Jennifer Aniston was one of the highest-profile names to criticize the senator, posting on her Instagram Stories: “I truly can’t believe this is coming from a potential VP of The United States.”

“All I can say is … Mr. Vance, I pray that your daughter is fortunate enough to bear children of her own one day. I hope she will not need to turn to IVF as a second option. Because you are trying to take that away from her, too,” Aniston added.

Harris’ stepdaughter, Ella Emhoff also posted on Instagram, writing “How can you be ‘childless’ when you have cutie pie kids like Cole and I?,” referring to her brother Cole Emhoff.

Ella Emhoff added, “I love my three parents.”

Her comments were posted over an image of a statement her mother, Kerstin Emhoff, gave to news outlets, saying: “For over 10 years, since Cole and Ella were teenagers, Kamala has been a co-parent with Doug and I. She is loving, nurturing, fiercely protective, and always present. I love our blended family and am grateful to have her in it.

This story first appeared on NBCNews.com. More from NBC News:

• Harris calls Sonia Massey’s family
• Boar’s Head recalls more than 207,000 pounds of meat due to listeria concerns
• California education official embezzled over $16 million, hid cash in mini fridge

The rally was held Tuesday on Temple University’s campus at the Liacouras Center.

“Since the day that I announced my candidacy, I set out to find a partner who can help build this brighter future,” Harris said while standing with Walz in Philadelphia. “I’m here today because I’ve found such a leader, Gov. Tim Walz of the great state of Minnesota.”

“He’s the kind of person who makes people feel like they belong and then inspires them to dream big. … That’s the kind of vice president America deserves,” Harris said.

Taking the microphone after Harris, Walz revved up the crowd for the rigorous campaign to come. “We’ve got 91 days. My God, that’s easy. We’ll sleep when we’re dead,” he said.

The remarks reflected the urgency of the moment, with Harris tapping Walz for the ticket during one of the most turbulent periods in modern American politics. Republicans have rallied around former President Donald Trump after he was targeted in an attempted assassination in July. Just days later, President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign, forcing Harris to scramble to unify Democrats and decide on a running mate over a breakneck two-week stretch.

In choosing the 60-year-old Walz, Harris is elevating a Midwestern governor, military veteran and union supporter who helped enact an ambitious Democratic agenda for his state, including sweeping protections for abortion rights and generous aid to families.

Harris hopes Walz will help her shore up her campaign’s standing across the upper Midwest, a critical region in presidential politics that often serves as a buffer for Democrats seeking the White House. The party remains haunted by Trump’s wins in Michigan and Wisconsin in 2016. Trump lost those states in 2020 but has zeroed in on them as he aims to return to the presidency this year and is expanding his focus to Minnesota.

Since Walz was announced, the team raised more than $20 million from grassroots donations, the campaign said.

Many voters and supporters of Harris showed up bright and early hours ahead of the rally at the center in Philly.

“A month ago I could not have told you I’d be interested in a political event today. A month later so much is changing so fast, so I’m genuinely interested to hear what they have to say I want to hear the speeches,” Caryn Solly, from Trenton, NJ, said.

Many shared how they felt about Harris picking Walz as her running mate.

“I was a little surprised because part of me thought it would be Josh Shapiro,” Anthonio Dawkins from South Jersey said.

There had long been speculation the Pennsylvania’s own governor, Josh Shapiro, might get the call from the vice president.

Many voiced that they supported her choice.

“I was hoping for Josh but I’m glad she made a pick it’s a good pick I think people will accept it and move forward with a strong ticket,” Michael Robinson from Temple University said.

“Very exciting to have a progressive as a young person I think we need someone that sees the nuances in modern politics and speaks to people in my generation,” Mark Maddock from Illinois said.

Harris announced Walz as her new running mate hours before the rally Tuesday.

“Since the day that I announced my candidacy, I set out to find a partner who can help build this brighter future,” Harris said on her first rally with Walz in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Tuesday. “I’m here today because I’ve found such a leader, Gov. Tim Walz of the great state of Minnesota.”

“I’m thrilled to be on this journey with you and Doug, this incredible journey,” Walz told Harris, referring to her husband. “Thank you for trust you put in me, and maybe more so, thanks for bringing back the joy.”

Who is Tim Walz?

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“Michelle and I couldn’t be prouder to endorse you and to do everything we can to get you through this election and into the Oval Office,” Obama says in a video that shows Harris getting a call from the Obamas.

Michelle Obama says in the approximately one-minute video: “I can’t have this phone call without saying to my girl Kamala: I am proud of you. This is going to be historic.”

Obama, the first Black president, and Harris, who could become the first female president, have been in close touch since she announced her candidacy Sunday, and he has privately been fully supportive, according to four people familiar with their discussions, NBC News has reported.

“He has been in regular contact with her and thinks she’s been off to a great start,” one of them said.

Aides to Obama and Harris have discussed their appearing together on the campaign trail at some point, three of the people familiar with the discussions said.

Obama had supported Biden’s re-election effort, but he had “concerns” about Biden’s prospects in November after his weak debate performance in late June.

Decision 2024 Jul 25

Kamala Harris debuts official TikTok account as presidential campaign picks up

Decision 2024 Jul 25

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Moments after he announced he was dropping out of the race Sunday, Biden endorsed Harris for president, and Democrats quickly coalesced around her.

Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also endorsed Harris in a joint statement Sunday.

While Obama praised Biden’s leadership as president and his life dedicated to public service in a statement released the day he made his announcement, he didn’t endorse Harris then.

Harris’ and Obama’s political lives have intertwined over the last two decades as they have campaigned with and endorsed each other for various elected offices. When she was San Francisco district attorney, Harris was a co-chair of Obama’s California campaign when he ran for president as a senator. During the race, she attended Obama’s launch speech in Springfield, Illinois; campaigned for him in Iowa, Nevada, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire; and attended his victory speech in Chicago’s Grant Park when he won the general election, the San Francisco Chronicle reported at the time.

Soon after Obama won in 2008, Harris announced she would run for attorney general of California, telling the Chronicle: “To be sure, Obama has excited a whole new generation of voters — and … they span all ages and categories. But they’re an excited group of people who are feeling good about the country, and they want to be involved in it — and those are the people I want to talk to.”

In 2010, Obama endorsed Harris for attorney general, an office she won and held for six years. And in 2016, he endorsed and cut a TV ad for Harris when she ran for the Senate.

Obama also nominated Harris’ brother-in-law, Tony West — another prolific Obama supporter — to be the head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division in 2009. He went on to become an associate attorney general at the Justice Department in the Obama administration.

This story first appeared on NBCNews.com. More from NBC News:

• Republicans see Gov. Josh Shapiro as Kamala Harris’ ‘super strong’ VP contender
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She accused him of “backpedaling” away from a previous agreement for a debate hosted by ABC News on Sept. 10.

“I think the voters deserve to see the split screen that exists in this race on the debate stage,” she said after landing at Joint Base Andrews following a trip to Indiana and Texas.

The Sept. 10 debate was one of two debates that President Joe Biden and Trump had agreed on. The first one was hosted by CNN on June 27, but Biden has since dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris as his successor.

Kamala Harris Jul 25

Kamala Harris' family, stepdaughter defend her over ‘childless cat ladies' comments

Kamala Harris Jul 25

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Trump has said he would prefer to shift the debate to Fox News, but he would be willing to face off with Harris more than once.

Harris did not respond to a question about having Fox News host a debate.

Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement late Thursday that debate arrangements “cannot be finalized until Democrats formally decide on their nominee.”

“Democrats very well could still change their minds,” Cheung said.

Alex Conant, a Republican consultant, said the debate could be “decisive.” “It’s the only time voters really tune in,” he said.

This year’s campaign has already shown the potential power of a debate. Biden’s disastrous performance on June 27 revived concerns that he was too old for a second term. His support within the Democratic Party crumbled, and he ended his reelection bid on Sunday.

Vice President Kamala Harris debuted an official TikTok account on Thursday, underscoring the social broadcasting app’s importance to the 2024 presidential campaign as a way to reach voters.

In her first short TikTok video, Harris described why she joined the popular app, saying that she’s “heard that recently I’ve been on the For You Page, so I thought I’d get on here myself.”

The vice president was referring to the widespread attention her recently announced presidential campaign garnered on social media platforms like TikTok. Numerous TikTok users, for instance, created a swarm of humorous videos — including fusing clips from Charli XCX’s ‘Brat’ summer trend — featuring Harris as a way to celebrate her rise as the Democratic Party’s leading presidential nominee in the aftermath of President Joe Biden’s recent announcement that he would drop out of the 2024 presidential race.

Harris’s quick adoption of TikTok contrasts with President Joe Biden, who personally appeared with Harris on the campaign’s @BidenHQ (now @KamalaHQ) page. U.S. lawmakers have expressed concern over TikTok’s ownership by a Chinese tech company.

TikTok’s immense popularity with the youth of America and the broader public has made the app an important campaigning tool by politicians, even though the company does not allow political advertising.

Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump debuted an official TikTok account in June. Earlier this year, Trump told CNBC that while he shares national security and privacy concerns about TikTok, he believed that banning the app would only “make Facebook bigger, and I consider Facebook to be an enemy of the people.”

Watch: “There is no rebranding Kamala Harris,” former Trump aide.

The rally was held Tuesday on Temple University’s campus at the Liacouras Center.

“Since the day that I announced my candidacy, I set out to find a partner who can help build this brighter future,” Harris said while standing with Walz in Philadelphia. “I’m here today because I’ve found such a leader, Gov. Tim Walz of the great state of Minnesota.”

“He’s the kind of person who makes people feel like they belong and then inspires them to dream big. … That’s the kind of vice president America deserves,” Harris said.

Taking the microphone after Harris, Walz revved up the crowd for the rigorous campaign to come. “We’ve got 91 days. My God, that’s easy. We’ll sleep when we’re dead,” he said.

The remarks reflected the urgency of the moment, with Harris tapping Walz for the ticket during one of the most turbulent periods in modern American politics. Republicans have rallied around former President Donald Trump after he was targeted in an attempted assassination in July. Just days later, President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign, forcing Harris to scramble to unify Democrats and decide on a running mate over a breakneck two-week stretch.

In choosing the 60-year-old Walz, Harris is elevating a Midwestern governor, military veteran and union supporter who helped enact an ambitious Democratic agenda for his state, including sweeping protections for abortion rights and generous aid to families.

Harris hopes Walz will help her shore up her campaign’s standing across the upper Midwest, a critical region in presidential politics that often serves as a buffer for Democrats seeking the White House. The party remains haunted by Trump’s wins in Michigan and Wisconsin in 2016. Trump lost those states in 2020 but has zeroed in on them as he aims to return to the presidency this year and is expanding his focus to Minnesota.

Since Walz was announced, the team raised more than $20 million from grassroots donations, the campaign said.

Many voters and supporters of Harris showed up bright and early hours ahead of the rally at the center in Philly.

“A month ago I could not have told you I’d be interested in a political event today. A month later so much is changing so fast, so I’m genuinely interested to hear what they have to say I want to hear the speeches,” Caryn Solly, from Trenton, NJ, said.

Many shared how they felt about Harris picking Walz as her running mate.

“I was a little surprised because part of me thought it would be Josh Shapiro,” Anthonio Dawkins from South Jersey said.

There had long been speculation the Pennsylvania’s own governor, Josh Shapiro, might get the call from the vice president.

Many voiced that they supported her choice.

“I was hoping for Josh but I’m glad she made a pick it’s a good pick I think people will accept it and move forward with a strong ticket,” Michael Robinson from Temple University said.

“Very exciting to have a progressive as a young person I think we need someone that sees the nuances in modern politics and speaks to people in my generation,” Mark Maddock from Illinois said.

Harris announced Walz as her new running mate hours before the rally Tuesday.

“Since the day that I announced my candidacy, I set out to find a partner who can help build this brighter future,” Harris said on her first rally with Walz in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Tuesday. “I’m here today because I’ve found such a leader, Gov. Tim Walz of the great state of Minnesota.”

“I’m thrilled to be on this journey with you and Doug, this incredible journey,” Walz told Harris, referring to her husband. “Thank you for trust you put in me, and maybe more so, thanks for bringing back the joy.”

Who is Tim Walz?

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

The rally was held Tuesday on Temple University’s campus at the Liacouras Center.

“Since the day that I announced my candidacy, I set out to find a partner who can help build this brighter future,” Harris said while standing with Walz in Philadelphia. “I’m here today because I’ve found such a leader, Gov. Tim Walz of the great state of Minnesota.”

“He’s the kind of person who makes people feel like they belong and then inspires them to dream big. … That’s the kind of vice president America deserves,” Harris said.

Taking the microphone after Harris, Walz revved up the crowd for the rigorous campaign to come. “We’ve got 91 days. My God, that’s easy. We’ll sleep when we’re dead,” he said.

The remarks reflected the urgency of the moment, with Harris tapping Walz for the ticket during one of the most turbulent periods in modern American politics. Republicans have rallied around former President Donald Trump after he was targeted in an attempted assassination in July. Just days later, President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign, forcing Harris to scramble to unify Democrats and decide on a running mate over a breakneck two-week stretch.

In choosing the 60-year-old Walz, Harris is elevating a Midwestern governor, military veteran and union supporter who helped enact an ambitious Democratic agenda for his state, including sweeping protections for abortion rights and generous aid to families.

Harris hopes Walz will help her shore up her campaign’s standing across the upper Midwest, a critical region in presidential politics that often serves as a buffer for Democrats seeking the White House. The party remains haunted by Trump’s wins in Michigan and Wisconsin in 2016. Trump lost those states in 2020 but has zeroed in on them as he aims to return to the presidency this year and is expanding his focus to Minnesota.

Since Walz was announced, the team raised more than $20 million from grassroots donations, the campaign said.

Many voters and supporters of Harris showed up bright and early hours ahead of the rally at the center in Philly.

“A month ago I could not have told you I’d be interested in a political event today. A month later so much is changing so fast, so I’m genuinely interested to hear what they have to say I want to hear the speeches,” Caryn Solly, from Trenton, NJ, said.

Many shared how they felt about Harris picking Walz as her running mate.

“I was a little surprised because part of me thought it would be Josh Shapiro,” Anthonio Dawkins from South Jersey said.

There had long been speculation the Pennsylvania’s own governor, Josh Shapiro, might get the call from the vice president.

Many voiced that they supported her choice.

“I was hoping for Josh but I’m glad she made a pick it’s a good pick I think people will accept it and move forward with a strong ticket,” Michael Robinson from Temple University said.

“Very exciting to have a progressive as a young person I think we need someone that sees the nuances in modern politics and speaks to people in my generation,” Mark Maddock from Illinois said.

Harris announced Walz as her new running mate hours before the rally Tuesday.

“Since the day that I announced my candidacy, I set out to find a partner who can help build this brighter future,” Harris said on her first rally with Walz in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Tuesday. “I’m here today because I’ve found such a leader, Gov. Tim Walz of the great state of Minnesota.”

“I’m thrilled to be on this journey with you and Doug, this incredible journey,” Walz told Harris, referring to her husband. “Thank you for trust you put in me, and maybe more so, thanks for bringing back the joy.”

Who is Tim Walz?

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Biden insisted “the defense of democracy is more important than any title.” He did not directly call out former President Donald Trump, whom he has called an existential threat to democracy. “Nothing, nothing can come in the way of saving our democracy,” Biden said. “And that includes personal ambition.”

Here’s a transcript of Biden’s address to the nation on July 24, 2024:

My fellow Americans, I’m speaking to you tonight from behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office. In this sacred space, I’m surrounded by portraits of extraordinary American presidents. Thomas Jefferson wrote the immortal words that guide this nation. George Washington, who showed us presidents are not kings. Abraham Lincoln, who implored us to reject malice. Franklin Roosevelt, who inspired us to reject fear.

I revere this office, but I love my country more.

It’s been the honor of my life to serve as your president. But in the defense of democracy, which is at stake, I think it’s more important than any title.

I draw strength and I find joy in working for the American people, but this sacred task of perfecting our union is not about me. It’s about you, your families, your futures. It’s about we the people, and we can never forget that. And I never have.

I’ve made it clear that I believe America is at an inflection point, one of those rare moments in history when the decisions we make now will determine our fate of our nation and the world for decades to come.

America is going to have to choose between moving forward or backward, between hope and hate, between unity and division. We have to decide, do we still believe in honesty, decency, respect, freedom, justice and democracy? In this moment, we can see those we disagree with not as enemies, but as fellow Americans. Can we do that? Does character in public life still matter?

I believe you know the answer to these questions because I know you, the American people, and I know this, we are a great nation because we are a good people.

When you elected me to this office, I promised to always level with you, to tell you the truth. And the truth, the sacred cause of this country, is larger than any one of us, and those of us who cherish that cause cherish it so much, a cause of American democracy itself must unite to protect it.

You know, in recent weeks it’s become clear to me that I needed to unite my party in this critical endeavor. I believe my record as president, my leadership in the world, my vision for America’s future all merited a second term, but nothing, nothing can come in the way of saving our democracy, and that includes personal ambition.

So I’ve decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation. That’s the best way to unite our nation. I know there is a time and a place for long years of experience in public life, but there’s also a time and a place for new voices, fresh voices, yes, younger voices, and that time and place is now.

Over the next six months, I’ll be focused on doing my job as president. That means I’ll continue to lower costs for hard-working families, grow our economy. I’ll keep defending our personal freedoms and our civil rights, from the right to vote to the right to choose. I’ll keep calling out hate and extremism, make it clear there is no place, no place in America for political violence or any violence ever, period. I’m going to keep speaking out to protect our kids from gun violence, our planet from climate crisis, is the existential threat.

And I will keep fighting for my for my cancer moonshot, so we can end cancer as we know it because we can do it. And I’m going to call for Supreme Court reform because this is critical to our democracy, Supreme Court reform. You know, I will keep working to ensure America remains strong and secure and the leader of the free world.

I’m the first president in this century to report to the American people that the United States is not at war anywhere in the world. We’ll keep rallying a coalition of proud nations to stop Putin from taking over Ukraine and doing more damage. We’ll keep NATO stronger, and I’ll make it more powerful and more united than at any time in all of our history. I’ll keep doing the same for allies in the Pacific.

You know, when I came to office, the conventional wisdom was that China would inevitably surpass the United States. That’s not the case anymore. And I’m going to keep working to end the war in Gaza, bring home all the hostages and bring peace and security to the Middle East and end this war.

We’re also working around the clock to bring home Americans being unjustly detained all around the world. You know, we’ve come so far since my inauguration. On that day, I told you as I stood in that winter — we stood in a winter of peril and a winter of possibilities, peril and possibilities. We were in the grip of the worst pandemic in the century, the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, the worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War, but we came together as Americans, and we got through it. We emerged stronger, more prosperous and more secure.

Today, we have the strongest economy in the world, creating nearly 16 million new jobs — a record. Wages are up, inflation continues to come down, the racial wealth gap is the lowest it’s been in 20 years. We’re literally rebuilding our entire nation, urban, suburban, rural and tribal communities. Manufacturing has come back to America.

We’re leading the world again in chips and science and innovation. We finally beat Big Pharma after all these years, to lower the cost of prescription drugs for seniors, and I’m going to keep fighting to make sure we lower the cost for everyone, not just seniors.

More people have health care today in America than ever before. And I signed one of the most significant laws helping millions of veterans and their families who were exposed to toxic materials. You know, the most significant climate law ever, ever in the history of the world, the first major gun safety law in 30 years. And today, violent crime rate is at a 50-year low.

We’re also securing our border. Border crossings are lower today than when the previous administration left office. And I’ve kept my commitment to appoint the first Black woman to the Supreme Court of the United States of America. I also kept my commitment to have an administration that looks like America and be a president for all Americans.

That’s what I’ve done. I ran for president four years ago because I believed, and still do, that the soul of America was at stake. The very nature of who we are was at stake and that’s still the case. America is an idea, an idea stronger than any army, bigger than any ocean, more powerful than any dictator or tyrant.

It’s the most powerful idea in the history of the world. That idea is that we hold these truths to be self-evident. We’re all created equal, endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights, life, liberty, pursuit of happiness. We’ve never fully lived up to it, to this sacred idea, but we’ve never walked away from it either and I do not believe the American people will walk away from it now.

In just a few months, the American people will choose the course of America’s future. I made my choice. I made my views known. I would like to thank our great Vice President Kamala Harris. She’s experienced, she’s tough, she’s capable. She’s been an incredible partner to me and a leader for our country. Now the choice is up to you, the American people.

When you make that choice, remember the words of Benjamin Franklin. It’s hanging on my wall here in the Oval Office, alongside the bust of Dr. King and Rosa Parks and Cesar Chavez. When Ben Franklin was asked as he emerged from the convention going on, whether the founders have given America a monarchy or republic, Franklin’s response was “a republic, if you can keep it.” A republic if you can keep it. Whether we keep our republic is now in your hands.

My fellow Americans, it’s been the privilege of my life to serve this nation for over 50 years. Nowhere else on earth could a kid with a stutter from modest beginnings in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Claymont, Delaware, one day sit behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office as President of the United States, but here I am. That’s what’s so special about America.

We are a nation of promise and possibilities, of dreamers and doers, of ordinary Americans doing extraordinary things. I’ve given my heart and my soul to our nation, like so many others. I’ve been blessed a million times in return with the love and support of the American people. I hope you have some idea how grateful I am to all of you.

The great thing about America is here kings and dictators do not rule, the people do. History is in your hands. The power is in your hands. The idea of America lies in your hands. We just have to keep faith, keep the faith and remember who we are. We’re the United States of America and there’s simply nothing, nothing beyond our capacity when we do it together.

So let’s act together, preserve our democracy. God bless you all and may God protect our troops. Thank you.

The committee, acting in an effort to short-circuit any legal challenge from Republicans that would bar Democrats from the presidential ballot, approved the process that will result in a nominee being named in early August.

DNC Chair Jaime Harrison praised the party’s efforts during an “unprecedented situation,” which followed the decision of President Joe Biden to drop his reelection bid.

Party officials said that questions over Ohio’s Aug. 7 deadline to establish their presidential nominee led to the decision to adopt the virtual roll call.

“We have the guideposts and expertise in place to ensure we do this right, and in a manner that is consistent with our values as Democrats,” Harrison said.

According to the rules committee, candidates will be able to declare their intention to run for the party’s nomination beginning Thursday. That process will continue until Saturday evening, and will then transition into a period of obtaining delegate support prior to the roll call vote.

Any candidate interested in running for the nomination will be required to obtain the support of at least 300 delegates, with a maximum of 50 from a specific state. Any candidate that meets those requirements will be eligible for the virtual roll call vote on Aug. 1, and a candidate that receives a majority of the votes in that process will be declared the party’s nominee.

After a nominee has been designated, they will then choose their running mate, which will be accepted by DNC leadership ahead of the Aug. 7 deadline.

Both members of the presidential ticket will be given a ceremonial vote by delegates in Chicago, who will also be tasked with adopting the party’s official platform when the convention begins on Aug. 19.

It is largely expected that Vice President Kamala Harris will secure the party’s nomination for the presidential spot on the ticket. She has received the endorsement of Biden and dozens of other officials, and has said she has secured enough delegate support to take the nomination.

At least seven candidates have been identified as potential running mates, including Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly and Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg.

Top DNC Headlines

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His visit comes just three days after Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race and endorsed Harris, who has since won the support of enough delegates to win her party’s presidential nomination.

Emhoff is scheduled to participate in a roundtable discussion with reproductive health care leaders and providers in Portland on Wednesday afternoon. Afterward, he’s set to travel to Falmouth for a fundraiser.

Wednesday’s visit was reportedly scheduled before Biden’s decision to exit the presidential race.

Harris is visiting in Indiana on Wednesday, where she will address the biennial gathering of the historically Black sorority Zeta Phi Beta. She will follow her Indiana trip by going to Houston to speak on Thursday at the national convention of the American Federation of Teachers, which has endorsed her candidacy.

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The rally was held Tuesday on Temple University’s campus at the Liacouras Center.

“Since the day that I announced my candidacy, I set out to find a partner who can help build this brighter future,” Harris said while standing with Walz in Philadelphia. “I’m here today because I’ve found such a leader, Gov. Tim Walz of the great state of Minnesota.”

“He’s the kind of person who makes people feel like they belong and then inspires them to dream big. … That’s the kind of vice president America deserves,” Harris said.

Taking the microphone after Harris, Walz revved up the crowd for the rigorous campaign to come. “We’ve got 91 days. My God, that’s easy. We’ll sleep when we’re dead,” he said.

The remarks reflected the urgency of the moment, with Harris tapping Walz for the ticket during one of the most turbulent periods in modern American politics. Republicans have rallied around former President Donald Trump after he was targeted in an attempted assassination in July. Just days later, President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign, forcing Harris to scramble to unify Democrats and decide on a running mate over a breakneck two-week stretch.

In choosing the 60-year-old Walz, Harris is elevating a Midwestern governor, military veteran and union supporter who helped enact an ambitious Democratic agenda for his state, including sweeping protections for abortion rights and generous aid to families.

Harris hopes Walz will help her shore up her campaign’s standing across the upper Midwest, a critical region in presidential politics that often serves as a buffer for Democrats seeking the White House. The party remains haunted by Trump’s wins in Michigan and Wisconsin in 2016. Trump lost those states in 2020 but has zeroed in on them as he aims to return to the presidency this year and is expanding his focus to Minnesota.

Since Walz was announced, the team raised more than $20 million from grassroots donations, the campaign said.

Many voters and supporters of Harris showed up bright and early hours ahead of the rally at the center in Philly.

“A month ago I could not have told you I’d be interested in a political event today. A month later so much is changing so fast, so I’m genuinely interested to hear what they have to say I want to hear the speeches,” Caryn Solly, from Trenton, NJ, said.

Many shared how they felt about Harris picking Walz as her running mate.

“I was a little surprised because part of me thought it would be Josh Shapiro,” Anthonio Dawkins from South Jersey said.

There had long been speculation the Pennsylvania’s own governor, Josh Shapiro, might get the call from the vice president.

Many voiced that they supported her choice.

“I was hoping for Josh but I’m glad she made a pick it’s a good pick I think people will accept it and move forward with a strong ticket,” Michael Robinson from Temple University said.

“Very exciting to have a progressive as a young person I think we need someone that sees the nuances in modern politics and speaks to people in my generation,” Mark Maddock from Illinois said.

Harris announced Walz as her new running mate hours before the rally Tuesday.

“Since the day that I announced my candidacy, I set out to find a partner who can help build this brighter future,” Harris said on her first rally with Walz in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Tuesday. “I’m here today because I’ve found such a leader, Gov. Tim Walz of the great state of Minnesota.”

“I’m thrilled to be on this journey with you and Doug, this incredible journey,” Walz told Harris, referring to her husband. “Thank you for trust you put in me, and maybe more so, thanks for bringing back the joy.”

Who is Tim Walz?

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She’s hitting the campaign trail Tuesday, stopping in Milwaukee for her first rally since announcing her bid.

While Harris has secured enough delegates, at this very time, it appears as though she is the favorite to win the party’s nomination. She can only be made official after the roll call at the Democratic National Convention.

Since President Joe Biden announced Sunday he would not be seeking reelection, nearly 900,000 small-dollar donors contributed to the Harris campaign. Of those, more than 500,000 were making their first contribution of this campaign cycle.

In fact, according to NBC News, Harris and the Democratic Party have pulled in roughly $250 million in online donations and major donor commitments. A Super PAC has pulled together roughly $150 million for her campaign.

Harris made her first speech Monday at the White House south lawn since announcing her candidacy. She praised Biden for his service and energized the crowd.

“We have work to do, we have doors to knock on, we have people to talk to, we have phone calls to make and we have an election to win. So, are you ready to get to work?” said Harris.

Meanwhile, Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance held his first solo rally Monday and he was critical of Harris, calling her “a threat to democracy” and saying that she is “a million times worse than Biden.”

Harris will be in Milwaukee Tuesday — the very place Trump and Republicans held the Republican National Convention last week — to hold her first rally since announcing her candidacy over the weekend.

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The rally was held Tuesday on Temple University’s campus at the Liacouras Center.

“Since the day that I announced my candidacy, I set out to find a partner who can help build this brighter future,” Harris said while standing with Walz in Philadelphia. “I’m here today because I’ve found such a leader, Gov. Tim Walz of the great state of Minnesota.”

“He’s the kind of person who makes people feel like they belong and then inspires them to dream big. … That’s the kind of vice president America deserves,” Harris said.

Taking the microphone after Harris, Walz revved up the crowd for the rigorous campaign to come. “We’ve got 91 days. My God, that’s easy. We’ll sleep when we’re dead,” he said.

The remarks reflected the urgency of the moment, with Harris tapping Walz for the ticket during one of the most turbulent periods in modern American politics. Republicans have rallied around former President Donald Trump after he was targeted in an attempted assassination in July. Just days later, President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign, forcing Harris to scramble to unify Democrats and decide on a running mate over a breakneck two-week stretch.

In choosing the 60-year-old Walz, Harris is elevating a Midwestern governor, military veteran and union supporter who helped enact an ambitious Democratic agenda for his state, including sweeping protections for abortion rights and generous aid to families.

Harris hopes Walz will help her shore up her campaign’s standing across the upper Midwest, a critical region in presidential politics that often serves as a buffer for Democrats seeking the White House. The party remains haunted by Trump’s wins in Michigan and Wisconsin in 2016. Trump lost those states in 2020 but has zeroed in on them as he aims to return to the presidency this year and is expanding his focus to Minnesota.

Since Walz was announced, the team raised more than $20 million from grassroots donations, the campaign said.

Many voters and supporters of Harris showed up bright and early hours ahead of the rally at the center in Philly.

“A month ago I could not have told you I’d be interested in a political event today. A month later so much is changing so fast, so I’m genuinely interested to hear what they have to say I want to hear the speeches,” Caryn Solly, from Trenton, NJ, said.

Many shared how they felt about Harris picking Walz as her running mate.

“I was a little surprised because part of me thought it would be Josh Shapiro,” Anthonio Dawkins from South Jersey said.

There had long been speculation the Pennsylvania’s own governor, Josh Shapiro, might get the call from the vice president.

Many voiced that they supported her choice.

“I was hoping for Josh but I’m glad she made a pick it’s a good pick I think people will accept it and move forward with a strong ticket,” Michael Robinson from Temple University said.

“Very exciting to have a progressive as a young person I think we need someone that sees the nuances in modern politics and speaks to people in my generation,” Mark Maddock from Illinois said.

Harris announced Walz as her new running mate hours before the rally Tuesday.

“Since the day that I announced my candidacy, I set out to find a partner who can help build this brighter future,” Harris said on her first rally with Walz in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Tuesday. “I’m here today because I’ve found such a leader, Gov. Tim Walz of the great state of Minnesota.”

“I’m thrilled to be on this journey with you and Doug, this incredible journey,” Walz told Harris, referring to her husband. “Thank you for trust you put in me, and maybe more so, thanks for bringing back the joy.”

Who is Tim Walz?

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The rally was held Tuesday on Temple University’s campus at the Liacouras Center.

“Since the day that I announced my candidacy, I set out to find a partner who can help build this brighter future,” Harris said while standing with Walz in Philadelphia. “I’m here today because I’ve found such a leader, Gov. Tim Walz of the great state of Minnesota.”

“He’s the kind of person who makes people feel like they belong and then inspires them to dream big. … That’s the kind of vice president America deserves,” Harris said.

Taking the microphone after Harris, Walz revved up the crowd for the rigorous campaign to come. “We’ve got 91 days. My God, that’s easy. We’ll sleep when we’re dead,” he said.

The remarks reflected the urgency of the moment, with Harris tapping Walz for the ticket during one of the most turbulent periods in modern American politics. Republicans have rallied around former President Donald Trump after he was targeted in an attempted assassination in July. Just days later, President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign, forcing Harris to scramble to unify Democrats and decide on a running mate over a breakneck two-week stretch.

In choosing the 60-year-old Walz, Harris is elevating a Midwestern governor, military veteran and union supporter who helped enact an ambitious Democratic agenda for his state, including sweeping protections for abortion rights and generous aid to families.

Harris hopes Walz will help her shore up her campaign’s standing across the upper Midwest, a critical region in presidential politics that often serves as a buffer for Democrats seeking the White House. The party remains haunted by Trump’s wins in Michigan and Wisconsin in 2016. Trump lost those states in 2020 but has zeroed in on them as he aims to return to the presidency this year and is expanding his focus to Minnesota.

Since Walz was announced, the team raised more than $20 million from grassroots donations, the campaign said.

Many voters and supporters of Harris showed up bright and early hours ahead of the rally at the center in Philly.

“A month ago I could not have told you I’d be interested in a political event today. A month later so much is changing so fast, so I’m genuinely interested to hear what they have to say I want to hear the speeches,” Caryn Solly, from Trenton, NJ, said.

Many shared how they felt about Harris picking Walz as her running mate.

“I was a little surprised because part of me thought it would be Josh Shapiro,” Anthonio Dawkins from South Jersey said.

There had long been speculation the Pennsylvania’s own governor, Josh Shapiro, might get the call from the vice president.

Many voiced that they supported her choice.

“I was hoping for Josh but I’m glad she made a pick it’s a good pick I think people will accept it and move forward with a strong ticket,” Michael Robinson from Temple University said.

“Very exciting to have a progressive as a young person I think we need someone that sees the nuances in modern politics and speaks to people in my generation,” Mark Maddock from Illinois said.

Harris announced Walz as her new running mate hours before the rally Tuesday.

“Since the day that I announced my candidacy, I set out to find a partner who can help build this brighter future,” Harris said on her first rally with Walz in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Tuesday. “I’m here today because I’ve found such a leader, Gov. Tim Walz of the great state of Minnesota.”

“I’m thrilled to be on this journey with you and Doug, this incredible journey,” Walz told Harris, referring to her husband. “Thank you for trust you put in me, and maybe more so, thanks for bringing back the joy.”

Who is Tim Walz?

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

As endorsements of the vice president in the 2024 presidential race flooded in on Sunday, she also received high praise from pop star Charli XCX.

“kamala IS brat,” the British singer and songwriter said in a post to X that quickly went viral.

By midday Monday, Harris’ campaign had run with the meme. The banner on its X page said “kamala hq” with a neon green background and lower-case letters, similar to the cover of Charli XCX’s album “Brat,” which debuted at No. 3 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart last month and has led many in Gen Z to deem 2024 “brat summer.”

Similar graphics appeared on the Harris campaign’s Instagram account, which is full of memes that have taken off with younger audiences.

Some members of Generation Z have declared this season “Brat summer.”

The musician told the BBC a “brat” is someone genuine and self-possessed, with a rebellious streak. She “feels like herself but maybe also has a breakdown. But kind of, like, parties through it. Is very honest, very blunt. A little bit volatile. Like, does dumb things. But it’s brat. You’re brat. That’s brat.”

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Left-leaning social media content creators told NBC News they were feeling re-energized about Democrats and their chances after Biden withdrew from the race and endorsed Harris. Platforms have seen a wave of memes about Harris, including about coconut trees, that Democrats hope can help mobilize young voters.

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As voters adjust to the news that Vice President Kamala Harris is the front-runner to replace President Joe Biden as the Democratic candidate for president, they’ll want to know where she stands on key money issues.

It remains to be seen how much her platform might mirror Biden’s, and to what extent her candidacy refreshes the policies she advocated for during her first presidential bid in 2020 and as a senator.

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For example, unlike Biden, Harris supported a version of the “Medicare For All” bill. She also pushed for different tax proposals than Biden, and a narrower student loan forgiveness plan than the president.

Harris’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Here’s what we know on her policy positions that could impact household finances.

Taxes

With trillions in tax breaks expiring after 2025, taxes and the federal budget deficit will be key issues for Harris to address as part of her platform, experts say. 

Without action from Congress, dozens of provisions from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, or TCJA, will sunset, including lower federal income brackets, a bigger standard deduction and a more generous child tax credit, among other changes. That could mean higher taxes for more than 60% of filers, according to the Tax Foundation.

Broadly speaking, it seems like Harris would be “largely on board” with most, if not all, of what Biden and his administration have been promoting, “especially in the big picture,” said Garrett Watson, senior policy analyst and modeling manager at the Tax Foundation. 

Biden has called for higher taxes on wealthy Americans and corporations.

One big question is whether Harris will stick with Biden’s pledge not to raise taxes on those making less than $400,000, Watson said.

Last week, Harris also touted the administration’s child tax credit expansion during the pandemic at a political event in North Carolina, which has been a priority for Biden and the Democrats.

However, Harris voiced some distinctions from Biden before becoming vice president, Watson noted.

During her 2020 presidential campaign, Harris called for a repeal of the TCJA’s corporate tax rate, which dropped the top levy from 35% to 21%. Her repeal would have reverted the top rate back to 35%. By comparison, Biden has called for raising the corporate rate to 28% in 2024.

— Kate Dore

Health care

During Harris’s 2020 presidential bid, she backed a “Medicare for All” plan to expand health-care access and lower consumer costs. She described health care as a “right,” not a “privilege.”

Under that proposal, all Americans would transition to a Medicare health plan — either public or offered by a private insurer — over a 10-year period.

If chosen as the nominee, Harris is unlikely to push that plan in the current presidential contest, said Drew Altman, president and chief executive of KFF, a nonprofit health policy research organization. That’s because Democrats seem to have coalesced around Biden’s “kitchen table” proposals to reduce health costs, he said.

For example, in 2022, Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, which extended enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies, making ACA health plans more affordable for millions of households; those subsidies last through 2025. It also capped insulin co-pays at $35 a month for Medicare beneficiaries.

Harris would likely seek expansions of health coverage under the ACA and Medicaid, Altman said. She’d likely try to expand negotiations over prescription-drug prices, which currently apply only to Medicare beneficiaries and some medications, he said.

Additionally, abortion is likely to be “the defining issue” of the 2024 election, according to Fatima Goss Graves, president of the National Women’s Law Center Action Fund. Harris is among Democrats’ “strongest, most effective voices” relative to protecting abortion access, she said.

Abortion is an economic issue, Altman said.

Women must generally weigh affordability and career advancement when choosing to have children, he said. Women in states that have enacted abortion bans — following the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade — have missed work and paid to travel out of state for the procedure.

— Greg Iacurci

Student loans

Harris has helped promote Biden’s historic policies to forgive the debt of student loan borrowers, and would likely continue the president’s efforts, experts said.

However, as a candidate in the 2020 race, Harris put forward a debt relief program that was criticized for being overly complicated and narrow. To be eligible, borrowers needed to receive a Pell Grant and open a business in a disadvantaged community, among other requirements.

In contrast, Biden has favored more broad debt cancellation, advancing plans that would reduce or eliminate the balances of tens of millions of Americans.

A White House spokesperson recently told CNBC that Harris is proud of her and Biden’s work to forgive $167 billion in student debt for nearly 5 million Americans so far. The vice president plans to bring more relief to borrowers, he said.

Current U.S. Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona wrote that he was “All in!” for Harris in a post on X Sunday evening.

Harris has also taken on predatory schools and fought for relief for borrowers.

As the attorney general in California, Harris investigated and sued Corinthian Colleges, and obtained a $1.1 billion judgment against the now-defunct for-profit conglomerate. The U.S. Department of Educated ended up looking into the schools, and in 2022 forgave $5.8 billion in student debt for 560,000 former Corinthian students.

— Annie Nova

Income inequality

Before becoming vice president, one of Harris’ signature proposals — known as the Lift the Middle Class Act — would have provided an annual tax credit of up to $6,000 for lower- and middle-income workers, on top of the benefits they already receive, to help close the wealth gap. Harris proposed repealing the Trump tax cuts to pay for it.

Since then, the cost of living has only skyrocketed, hitting working-class Americans especially hard, said Laura Veldkamp, a professor of finance and economics at Columbia University Business School.

In that context, “there’s a good rationale” for refloating a tax credit for those making under a certain income threshold, Veldkamp said.

— Jessica Dickler

Housing

Harris has been a proponent for affordable housing policies both during her tenure as vice president and as senator.

“Every American deserves affordable housing,” Harris posted on X on July 16, referring to the Biden administration’s call to cap rent increases by 5% on landlords with 50 or more rental units or risk losing federal tax breaks.

More recently, Harris announced the recipients of a $85 million grant under the Pathways to Removing Obstacles for Housing, a first-of-its-kind project that aims to lower housing and rental costs for families.

Harris in May also declared a budget of $5.5 billion to boost affordable housing, invest in economic growth, build wealth and address homelessness in the U.S. through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD. The funds will be allocated to six different HUD programs.

— Ana Teresa Solá

Social Security

As senator, Harris co-sponsored the Social Security Expansion Act, which would increase benefits and the annual cost-of-living adjustments. It would also require wealthy Americans to pay more into the program as it faces a funding shortfall.

“President [Joe Biden] and I will protect Social Security. Donald Trump will not,” Harris posted on X in June. “The contrast is clear.”

— Annie Nova and Lorie Konish

Equal pay

Harris has taken aim at the gender pay gap with a plan to eliminate discriminatory pay practices and penalize companies that don’t comply.

Under a plan she unveiled in 2019, companies with 100 or more employees would be required to report pay and total compensation for men and women, as well as the percentage of women in leadership positions to obtain an “Equal Pay Certification.” Businesses without that certification would be fined at 1% of their average daily profits during the last fiscal year.

Women earn just 84 cents for every dollar earned by men, according to an analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data by the National Women’s Law Center, although the pay gap worsens significantly for Black and Latina women.

Revisiting the effort to require companies to disclose pay data could help, said Columbia University’s Veldkamp.

“Various forces lead to inequalities and making them run the numbers may bring to light problems they may want to remedy,” she said.

— Jessica Dickler

Pelosi had been one of the notable holdouts. The California representative had praised Biden when he announced on Sunday that he would step aside but did not back a successor.

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On Monday she joined a growing list of party officials and others behind Harris and said that she was lending her “enthusiastic support” to Harris’ effort to lead the party.

“Today, it is with immense pride and limitless optimism for our country’s future that I endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for President of the United States,” she said in a statement. “My enthusiastic support for Kamala Harris for President is official, personal and political. “

“Officially, I have seen Kamala Harris’s strength and courage as a champion for working families, notably fighting for a woman’s right to choose,” Pelosi said. “Personally, I have known Kamala Harris for decades as rooted in strong values, faith and a commitment to public service.  Politically, make no mistake: Kamala Harris as a woman in politics is brilliantly astute – and I have full confidence that she will lead us to victory in November.”

Pelosi is said to be among those who pressured Biden to drop his bid for a second term amid concerns that he could not win against former President Donald Trump.

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Harris has been quickly consolidating support around her assuming the Democratic nomination for president, with seemingly all of her major potential rivals rallying around her less than 24 hours after Biden announced he was bowing out and state delegate slates endorsing Harris quickly, too.

Delegations across numerous states unanimously endorsed Harris, as the party prepares for its nominating vote in August. The Democratic National Committee has not yet finalized its rules for that vote, but the flock of delegates to the vice president reflected broader coalescing of support throughout the Democratic Party.

Speaking at her campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, following President Joe Biden’s decision to step aside, Harris went after Trump, drawing on her time as a prosecutor before she ran for office in California.

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“I took on perpetrators of all kinds,” she said, including “predators who abused women, fraudsters who ripped off consumers, cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain.”

“So hear me when I say I know Donald Trump’s type,” she added.

Harris thanked staffers and told them that she had asked Biden campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon to “run” her presidential bid, adding that “she has accepted.” Biden’s former campaign manager, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, will stay on with Harris’ campaign in her previous position. Campaign officials later said that O’Malley Dillon is Harris’ campaign chair and that the leadership posts remain the same.

Harris also lauded Biden, telling campaign staffers, “In one term, he has already surpassed the legacy of most presidents who served two terms in office.”

She spoke shortly after Biden called in to the campaign headquarters from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, where he is recovering from Covid. He told campaign staff members that deciding to step away from the campaign “was the right thing to do.”

“I know it’s hard, because you poured your heart and soul into me to help us win this thing, help me get this nomination, help me win the nomination, and then go on to win the, win the presidency. But you know, you’re an amazing team, but … I think we made the right decision,” he said.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer formally endorsed Harris in statements Monday morning, joining a long list of other Democrats known to harbor national ambitions who came out for her Sunday, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

And moderate Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., announced he would not seek the nomination himself, which he had been considering just a day earlier.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., the former House speaker, also endorsed Harris on Monday, a strong signal to members of her party that Democrats should rally behind her.

It’s now unclear whether anyone will even challenge Harris for the Democratic nomination ahead of next month’s convention in Chicago, let alone pose a real threat to her. (A hopeful would need to get the signatures of 300 delegates, a threshold that may be insurmountable for the likes of twice-failed candidate Marianne Williamson.)

Statements of support for Harris have been streaming in from seemingly every corner of the sprawling Democratic coalition, with no obvious pockets of opposition having emerged so far.

“We as Democrats don’t have time to waste and figure things out and say, ‘Maybe this person’ or ‘maybe that person.’ Kamala Harris is the person,” Mayor London Breed of San Francisco, where Harris got her start in elective politics, said at a rally Monday morning.

All 50 state Democratic Party chairs have endorsed Harris, as have a slew of state delegations to the Democratic National Convention, after party officials scrambled to hold emergency meetings and internal votes in the hours after Biden dropped out.

Harris’ nomination now seems so assured that Democrats have moved on from speculating about challengers to who might be her running mate.

Harris spent Sunday working the phones, connecting with more than 100 party leaders and working to lock down their support and assure them that she plans to work hard to earn the nomination and take on Trump, according to a person familiar with her effort. 

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Behind-the-scenes jockeying for the second spot began almost immediately, with potential candidates eager to do what they could to show their support for Harris.

Still, many Democrats say they do not want the process to look like a coronation for Harris, and the co-chairs of the party’s Rules Committee, which governs its nominating process, told its roughly 200 members that it will meet Wednesday afternoon to plan what they vowed would be an “open, transparent, fair, and orderly” process to select their nominee.

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., who replaced Pelosi as the Democratic leader in the House, told reporters he would hold off speaking about endorsements until after he has a chance to meet with Harris alongside Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, also of New York, and confer with his caucus.

But he heaped praise on Harris, saying she “has excited the community, she’s excited the House Democratic Caucus, and she’s excited the country.” 

Harris’ rocky 2020 presidential campaign collapsed when she ran out of money before a single ballot was cast in that year’s Democratic primaries, but she will have no shortage of resources this time around.

Major donors have pledged to open the “floodgates,” and Biden officially transferred his entire campaign apparatus — and the $96 million it had in the bank — to Harris.

The newly dubbed Harris campaign announced it had raised more than $80 million since Biden’s withdrawal. Some of that is included in the $100 million the online fundraising platform ActBlue said it had processed in contributions to Democratic candidates and left-leaning groups since Biden dropped out.

The main pro-Biden super PAC, Future Forward, meanwhile confirmed that it had secured $150 million in new commitments from donors who were previously stalled, uncertain or uncommitted.

“Kamala Harris is logistically in an amazing position,” said Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., who had called on Biden to step aside and has endorsed Harris. “She is ready to hit the ground running because she has those logistics in place.”

“She’s got to work to do,” Moulton acknowledged, noting that “she has been in the shadow of the president for the past four years.”

But he said that also gives her a chance to re-introduce herself to Americans and offer them a fresh start after most said they dreaded a rematch between Biden and Trump, according to polls.

“She has the opportunity now to not just be in President Biden’s shadow but to present her own case,” he added.

Biden has been trailing Trump all year, and early polls suggest Harris will also start behind him. While she performed slightly better than Biden in some polls that tested both of them against Trump before Biden stepped aside, the difference was negligible and within the polls’ margins of error.

Trump’s campaign was forced to quickly change gears, and he and some allies complained that they had spent months and tens of millions of dollars attacking Biden, which is now for naught.

But Republicans also said the party had been preparing for this eventually and moved quickly to portray her as too far left for the country.

In a memo about her “radical record,” the Trump campaign accused Harris of being “weak on crime,” too soft on illegal immigration and in favor of tax increases and restrictive environmental policies.

“Harris will be even WORSE for the people of our Nation than Joe Biden,” Trump campaign top brass Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles said in a joint statement, calling her “the Enabler in Chief for Crooked Joe this entire time.”

Harris and the rest of her party now have a 3½-month sprint to November, which helps explain the rush to unite behind her and avoid a messy open nomination fight that could risk splintering the party.

“The best path forward for the Democratic Party is to quickly unite behind Vice President Harris and refocus on winning the presidency,” said Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a potential White House aspirant himself who nonetheless quickly backed Harris.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, another potential Democratic presidential contender, said that Harris has “the unique ability to energize the Democratic Party base” and that the party needs to waste no more time before it turns to Trump.

“We must rally around her,” Moore said.

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During a five-decade career in politics, Biden developed extensive personal relationships with multiple foreign leaders that none of the potential replacements on the Democratic ticket can match. After his announcement, messages of support and gratitude for his years of service poured in from near and far.

The scope of foreign policy challenges facing the next U.S. president makes clear how consequential what happens in Washington is for the rest of the planet. Here’s a look at some of them.

Israel

With Vice President Kamala Harris being eyed as a potential replacement for Biden, Israelis on Sunday scrambled to understand what her candidacy would mean for their country as it confronts increasing global isolation over its military campaign against Hamas.

Israel’s left-wing Haaretz daily newspaper ran a story scrutinizing Harris’ record of support for Israel, pointing to her reputation as Biden’s “bad cop” who has vocally admonished Israel for its offensive in Gaza. In recent months, she has gone further than Biden in calling for a cease-fire, denouncing Israel’s invasion of Rafah and expressing horror over the civilian death toll in Gaza.

“With Biden leaving, Israel has lost perhaps the last Zionist president,” said Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli consul general in New York. “A new Democratic candidate will upend the dynamic.”

Biden’s staunch defense of Israel since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack has its roots in his half-century of support for the country as a senator, vice president, then president. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant thanked Biden for his “unwavering support of Israel over the years.”

“Your steadfast backing, especially during the war, has been invaluable,” Gallant wrote on social media platform X.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog praised Biden as a “symbol of the unbreakable bond between our two peoples” and a “true ally of the Jewish people.” There was no immediate reaction from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, an ally of former President Donald Trump whose history of cordial relations with Biden has come under strain during the Israel-Hamas war.

Ukraine

Any Democratic candidate would likely continue Biden’s legacy of staunch military support for Ukraine. But frustration with the Biden administration has grown in Ukraine and Europe over the slow pace of U.S. aid and restrictions on the use of Western weapons.

“Most Europeans realize that Ukraine is increasingly going to be their burden,” said Sudha David-Wilp, director of the Berlin office of the German Marshall Fund, a research institute. “Everyone is trying to get ready for all the possible outcomes.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X that he respected the “tough but strong decision” by Biden to drop out of the campaign, and he thanked Biden for his help “in preventing (Russian President Vladimir) Putin from occupying our country.”

Trump has promised to end Russia’s war on Ukraine in one day if he is elected — a prospect that has raised fears in Ukraine that Russia might be allowed to keep the territory it occupies.

Trump’s vice presidential pick, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, is among Congress’ most vocal opponents of U.S. aid for Ukraine and has further raised the stakes for Kyiv.

Russia, meanwhile, dismissed the importance of the race, insisting that no matter what happened, Moscow would press on in Ukraine.

“That’s it for Biden,” Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia’s Security council chaired by President Vladimir Putin, said on the Telegram messaging app. “The goals of the special military operation will be achieved,” he added, using the Kremlin’s term for the war in Ukraine.

China

In recent months, both Biden and Trump have tried to show voters who can best stand up to Beijing’s growing military strength and belligerence and protect U.S. businesses and workers from low-priced Chinese imports. Biden has hiked tariffs on electric vehicles from China, and Trump has promised to implement tariffs of 60% on all Chinese products.

Trump’s “America First” doctrine exacerbated tensions with Beijing. But disputes with the geopolitical rival and economic colossus over wars, trade, technology and security continued into Biden’s term.

China’s official reaction to the U.S. presidential race has been careful.

“The U.S. elections are U.S. internal politics. I have no comment on this,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning.

The official Xinhua news agency treated the story of Biden’s decision as relatively minor. The editor of the party-run Global Times newspaper, Hu Xijin, downplayed the impact of Biden’s withdrawal.

“Whoever becomes the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party may be the same,” he wrote on X.

Iran

With Iran’s proxies across the Middle East increasingly entangled in the Israel-Hamas war, the U.S. confronts a region in disarray.

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis struck Tel Aviv for the first time last week, prompting retaliatory Israeli strikes inside war-torn Yemen. Simmering tensions and cross-border attacks between Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group and the Israeli military have raised fears of an all-out regional conflagration.

Hamas, which also receives support from Iran, continues to fight Israel even nine months into a war that has killed 38,000 Palestinians and displaced over 80% of Gaza’s population.

The U.S. and its allies have accused Iran of expanding its nuclear program and enriching uranium to an unprecedented 60% level, near-weapons-grade levels.

After then-President Trump in 2018 withdrew from Tehran’s landmark nuclear deal with world powers, Biden said he wanted to reverse his predecessor’s hawkish anti-Iran stance. But the Biden administration has maintained severe economic sanctions against Iran and overseen failed attempts to renegotiate the agreement.

The sudden death of Ebrahim Raisi — the supreme leader’s hard-line protege — in a helicopter crash vaulted a new reformist to the presidency in Iran, generating new opportunities and risks. Masoud Pezeshkian has said he wants to help Iran open up to the world but has maintained a defiant tone against the U.S.

Europe and NATO

Many Europeans were happy to see Trump go after his years of disparaging the European Union and undermining NATO. Trump’s seemingly dismissive attitude toward European allies in last month’s presidential debate did nothing to assuage those concerns.

Biden, on the other hand, has supported close American relations with bloc leaders.

That closeness was on stark display after Biden’s decision to bow out of the race. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called his choice “probably the most difficult one in your life.” The newly installed British prime minister, Keir Starmer, said he respected Biden’s “decision based on what he believes is in the best interests of the American people.”

There was also an outpouring of affection from Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris, who called Biden a “proud American with an Irish soul.”

The question of whether NATO can maintain its momentum in supporting Ukraine and checking the ambitions of other authoritarian states hangs in the balance of this presidential election, analysts say.

“They don’t want to see Donald Trump as president. So there’s quite a bit of relief but also quite a bit of nervousness” about Biden’s decision to drop out, said Jeremy Shapiro, research director of the European Council on Foreign Relations. “Like many in the United States, but perhaps more so, they are really quite confused.”

Mexico

The close relationship between Mexico and the U.S. has been marked in recent years by disagreements over trade, energy and climate change. Since President Andrés Manuel López Obrador took power in 2018, both countries have found common ground on issue of migration – with Mexico making it more difficult for migrants to cross its country to the U.S. border and the U.S. not pressing on other issues.

The López Obrador administration kept that policy while Trump was president and continued it into Biden’s term.

On Friday, Mexico’s president called Trump “a friend” and said he would write to him to warn him against pledging to close the border or blaming migrants for bringing drugs into the United States.

“I am going to prove to him that migrants don’t carry drugs to the United States,” he said, adding that “closing the border won’t solve anything, and anyway, it can’t be done.”

___

Associated Press writers Jill Lawless in London, Daria Litvinova in Tallinn, Estonia, and Josh Goodman in Miami contributed to this report.

The rally was held Tuesday on Temple University’s campus at the Liacouras Center.

“Since the day that I announced my candidacy, I set out to find a partner who can help build this brighter future,” Harris said while standing with Walz in Philadelphia. “I’m here today because I’ve found such a leader, Gov. Tim Walz of the great state of Minnesota.”

“He’s the kind of person who makes people feel like they belong and then inspires them to dream big. … That’s the kind of vice president America deserves,” Harris said.

Taking the microphone after Harris, Walz revved up the crowd for the rigorous campaign to come. “We’ve got 91 days. My God, that’s easy. We’ll sleep when we’re dead,” he said.

The remarks reflected the urgency of the moment, with Harris tapping Walz for the ticket during one of the most turbulent periods in modern American politics. Republicans have rallied around former President Donald Trump after he was targeted in an attempted assassination in July. Just days later, President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign, forcing Harris to scramble to unify Democrats and decide on a running mate over a breakneck two-week stretch.

In choosing the 60-year-old Walz, Harris is elevating a Midwestern governor, military veteran and union supporter who helped enact an ambitious Democratic agenda for his state, including sweeping protections for abortion rights and generous aid to families.

Harris hopes Walz will help her shore up her campaign’s standing across the upper Midwest, a critical region in presidential politics that often serves as a buffer for Democrats seeking the White House. The party remains haunted by Trump’s wins in Michigan and Wisconsin in 2016. Trump lost those states in 2020 but has zeroed in on them as he aims to return to the presidency this year and is expanding his focus to Minnesota.

Since Walz was announced, the team raised more than $20 million from grassroots donations, the campaign said.

Many voters and supporters of Harris showed up bright and early hours ahead of the rally at the center in Philly.

“A month ago I could not have told you I’d be interested in a political event today. A month later so much is changing so fast, so I’m genuinely interested to hear what they have to say I want to hear the speeches,” Caryn Solly, from Trenton, NJ, said.

Many shared how they felt about Harris picking Walz as her running mate.

“I was a little surprised because part of me thought it would be Josh Shapiro,” Anthonio Dawkins from South Jersey said.

There had long been speculation the Pennsylvania’s own governor, Josh Shapiro, might get the call from the vice president.

Many voiced that they supported her choice.

“I was hoping for Josh but I’m glad she made a pick it’s a good pick I think people will accept it and move forward with a strong ticket,” Michael Robinson from Temple University said.

“Very exciting to have a progressive as a young person I think we need someone that sees the nuances in modern politics and speaks to people in my generation,” Mark Maddock from Illinois said.

Harris announced Walz as her new running mate hours before the rally Tuesday.

“Since the day that I announced my candidacy, I set out to find a partner who can help build this brighter future,” Harris said on her first rally with Walz in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Tuesday. “I’m here today because I’ve found such a leader, Gov. Tim Walz of the great state of Minnesota.”

“I’m thrilled to be on this journey with you and Doug, this incredible journey,” Walz told Harris, referring to her husband. “Thank you for trust you put in me, and maybe more so, thanks for bringing back the joy.”

Who is Tim Walz?

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

But they have also spent weeks preparing for the possibility that Biden might exit the race, readying a bevy of attacks against Vice President Kamala Harris that they unleashed as soon as Biden made his stunning announcement Sunday that he would step aside. Biden soon after endorsed Harris, who was quickly winning support from Democrats to be the party’s nominee.

“Rest assured, we are 100% ready,” Trump pollster and senior adviser Tony Fabrizio said at last week’s Republican National Convention. He noted speakers at the event often referred to the “Biden-Harris” administration in their speeches and said the campaign had prepared anti-Harris videos to swap in just in case Biden stepped down sooner.

Still, the shakeup less than four months before Election Day lays out new challenges for Trump’s team, which had until recently been focused on contrasting the former president’s vigor and mental acuity with Biden’s. Trump will now face a new, yet-to-be-determined opponent at a time when voters have made clear that they are frustrated by their current choices and desperate for new, younger options.

Though Trump aides had wanted Biden to remain in the race, they have argued a campaign against Harris — who they believe is the most likely Democratic nominee — wouldn’t be all that different from their race against Biden.

They will try to tie her to what they see as the Biden administration’s failures, saying Harris is complicit in everything that occurred under Biden’s watch. That’s particularly true when it comes to the handling of the Southern border. Harris had been tapped to lead the administration’s response to the border crisis.

In a statement Sunday responding to the news, Trump campaign senior adviser Chris LaCivita and fellow campaign chief Susie Wiles railed against Harris, insisting she “will be even WORSE for the people of our Nation than Joe Biden.”

“They own each other’s records, and there is no distance between the two,” they said.

They will also continue to accuse her of being part of a coverup of Biden’s deteriorating health, believing voters have lost trust in Democrats and the press for failing to shed light on Biden’s weaknesses sooner. And they will attack her record in California, where she served as district attorney and attorney general before being elected to the Senate.

They have also made clear that they plan to continue to hammer Biden — still running against him, in a way — by arguing that if he is not fit to run than he is not fit to complete his term, and should resign as well.

“Joe Biden cannot take himself out of a campaign for President because he is too mentally incompetent and still remain in the White House,” LaCivita and Wiles wrote in their memo. “Biden is a national security threat in great cognitive decline and a clear and present danger to every man, woman, and child in our country.

Trump’s campaign had tried to goad Biden to stay in the race, including by casting Democrats’ efforts to replace him as a “coup.”

But they began ramping up their attacks on Harris right after the debate last month.

In a post celebrating Independence Day, Trump singled out Harris on his Truth Social site, calling her his “potentially new Democrat Challenger” and giving her a new derisive nickname: “Laffin’ Kamala Harris.”

While Trump insisted publicly that he still believed Biden would be the ultimate nominee, he was captured in an expletive-laced video saying he thought she was “going to be better” as a rival.

“She’s so bad. She’s so pathetic,” he said.

At his rally in Michigan Saturday night, Trump polled the crowd, asking if they’d prefer that he face Biden or Harris. The crowd erupted into cheers when Trump mentioned Biden. Harris’ name was met with boos.

He also continued to mock Harris’ laugh, and called her “nuts” and “crazy.”

When the news finally came, Republicans were ready.

Less than an hour after Biden’s announcement, Trump’s campaign was filling its social media channels with clips of past Harris statements that could turn off some voters, including one of her supporting a ban on plastic straws.

Trump’s chief super PAC, Maga Inc., also released a new ad that tried to blame Harris for Biden’s policies.

“They created the mess. They — no, Kamala — owns this failed record,” says the narrator.

The chaos now engulfing the Democratic Party as it scrambles to find a new candidate comes just days after the conclusion of the Republican National Convention, where Republicans rallied around Trump, presenting a united front, after he narrowly survived an attempted assassination at a rally in Pennsylvania.

Republican National Committee chairman Michael Whatley cast the unfolding situation as “quite a split screen.”

“We are a completely unified party,” Whatley said in an interview on Fox News Channel, while “the Democrats are in free fall.”

Whatley said Republicans were not going to change their plans despite the Democratic shakeup.

“President Trump is going to run his race and whether it’s Kamala Harris or anybody else, they are going to run on the exact same failed agenda that Joe Biden has been running over the last four years,” he said.

It remains unclear, however, how a new candidate atop the Democratic ticket will change the dynamics of the race.

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Polling has shown Harris’ favorability ratings are similar to those of Trump and Biden. A June AP-NORC poll found about 4 in 10 Americans have a favorable opinion of her, though the share of those who have unfavorable opinion was slightly lower than for Trump and Biden.

At 59 years old, Harris would be a marked generational contrast to Trump, who turned 78 last month. She would also be the first Black woman and the first person of South Asian descent to serve as president — a potentially barrier-breaking candidacy that could draw new support from women, minority voters and younger voters.

Trump has a long history of making insulting comments about women and people of color, something Harris is likely to highlight on the debate stage and campaign trail.

Harris has also been the Biden administration’s leading voice on abortion rights, an animating issue for Democrats since the overturning of Roe v. Wade that could again motivate turnout this fall.

Facing the prospect of debating a former prosecutor, Trump on Sunday called for a change of venue to friendlier territory for the next debate, saying it should be moderated by Fox News instead of the previously-agreed-to ABC.

Speaking at an event hosted by the University of Chicago Institute of Politics and The Cook Political Report, Fabrizio, the pollster, said last week that Harris is fairly undefined for a vice president.

“The one thing voters know about her is her laugh,” Fabrizio said. “And that cuts both ways for her.”

Republicans have also hinted at the possibility that they they could try to take legal action to keep Biden on the ballot.

But Edward B. Foley, a law professor who heads The Ohio State University’s election law center, said political parties control their nomination processes and any legal challenge by Republicans would be unlikely to succeed.

“I just don’t see how the Republican Party or anyone associated with the Republican Party would have any standing to bring any litigation in connection with this,’ he said. Unlike general elections, in primaries, “voters provide input, but they don’t control the decision.”

___

Associated Press writer Christina Almeida Cassidy contributed to this report from Atlanta.

The rally was held Tuesday on Temple University’s campus at the Liacouras Center.

“Since the day that I announced my candidacy, I set out to find a partner who can help build this brighter future,” Harris said while standing with Walz in Philadelphia. “I’m here today because I’ve found such a leader, Gov. Tim Walz of the great state of Minnesota.”

“He’s the kind of person who makes people feel like they belong and then inspires them to dream big. … That’s the kind of vice president America deserves,” Harris said.

Taking the microphone after Harris, Walz revved up the crowd for the rigorous campaign to come. “We’ve got 91 days. My God, that’s easy. We’ll sleep when we’re dead,” he said.

The remarks reflected the urgency of the moment, with Harris tapping Walz for the ticket during one of the most turbulent periods in modern American politics. Republicans have rallied around former President Donald Trump after he was targeted in an attempted assassination in July. Just days later, President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign, forcing Harris to scramble to unify Democrats and decide on a running mate over a breakneck two-week stretch.

In choosing the 60-year-old Walz, Harris is elevating a Midwestern governor, military veteran and union supporter who helped enact an ambitious Democratic agenda for his state, including sweeping protections for abortion rights and generous aid to families.

Harris hopes Walz will help her shore up her campaign’s standing across the upper Midwest, a critical region in presidential politics that often serves as a buffer for Democrats seeking the White House. The party remains haunted by Trump’s wins in Michigan and Wisconsin in 2016. Trump lost those states in 2020 but has zeroed in on them as he aims to return to the presidency this year and is expanding his focus to Minnesota.

Since Walz was announced, the team raised more than $20 million from grassroots donations, the campaign said.

Many voters and supporters of Harris showed up bright and early hours ahead of the rally at the center in Philly.

“A month ago I could not have told you I’d be interested in a political event today. A month later so much is changing so fast, so I’m genuinely interested to hear what they have to say I want to hear the speeches,” Caryn Solly, from Trenton, NJ, said.

Many shared how they felt about Harris picking Walz as her running mate.

“I was a little surprised because part of me thought it would be Josh Shapiro,” Anthonio Dawkins from South Jersey said.

There had long been speculation the Pennsylvania’s own governor, Josh Shapiro, might get the call from the vice president.

Many voiced that they supported her choice.

“I was hoping for Josh but I’m glad she made a pick it’s a good pick I think people will accept it and move forward with a strong ticket,” Michael Robinson from Temple University said.

“Very exciting to have a progressive as a young person I think we need someone that sees the nuances in modern politics and speaks to people in my generation,” Mark Maddock from Illinois said.

Harris announced Walz as her new running mate hours before the rally Tuesday.

“Since the day that I announced my candidacy, I set out to find a partner who can help build this brighter future,” Harris said on her first rally with Walz in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Tuesday. “I’m here today because I’ve found such a leader, Gov. Tim Walz of the great state of Minnesota.”

“I’m thrilled to be on this journey with you and Doug, this incredible journey,” Walz told Harris, referring to her husband. “Thank you for trust you put in me, and maybe more so, thanks for bringing back the joy.”

Who is Tim Walz?

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

With President Joe Biden announcing Sunday that he would no longer seek his party’s nomination, it is unclear who the Democratic nominee will be just over 100 days before the election — though Biden and several other prominent Democrats have thrown their support behind Vice President Kamala Harris.

Republicans appear to be seeing a wave of renewed enthusiasm from their base of voters following the failed attempt to assassinate former President Donald Trump last weekend.

It’s a sharp reversal of course for a contest that was shaping up to be a largely predictable rematch of the 2020 election. Here is a timeline of the events that have redefined the 2024 presidential race:

June 27: Biden and Trump debate in Atlanta, with many Democrats panning Biden’s poor performance. Immediately following the debate, several former Democratic elected officials and political advisors suggest Biden should end his re-election bid.

 June 28: At a rally in North Carolina, Biden acknowledges his poor debate performance, saying: “I know I’m not a young man. … I don’t debate as well as I used to, but I know what I do know — I know how to tell the truth.” He vows to fight on: “When you get knocked down, you get back up.”

 July 2: Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas becomes first Democratic member of Congress to call for Biden to withdraw. Ultimately, dozens more will follow.  

 July 5: In an interview with ABC News, Biden insists he will remain in the race “If the Lord Almighty came down and said, ‘Joe, get out of the race,’ I’d get out of the race. The Lord Almighty’s not comin’ down,” Biden said.

July 7: Four additional congressional Democrats call for Biden to exit the race. 

 July 8: Biden calls into MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” saying, “I’m not going anywhere,” as Democratic leaders, progressives and members of the Congressional Black Caucus say they’re standing behind him. 

 July 11: Biden holds a news conference after the NATO summit, answering questions about policy but also mistakenly calling Vice President Harris “Vice President Trump.” Biden tells reporters, “I’ve got to finish this job, because there’s so much at stake.”

July 13: An assassination attempt injures Trump in Pennsylvania, and Republicans quickly seek to use the incident as a show of Trump’s strength and resilience. Shortly before the assassination attempt, Biden had held tense private calls with Democratic lawmakers. 

July 15: In an interview with NBC News’ Lester Holt, Biden vows he’s not leaving the contest: “It’s essentially a toss-up race.” Trump announces Sen. JD Vance of Ohio as his vice presidential running mate.

 July 17: In Nevada, Biden tests positive for Covid and heads to his home in Delaware to isolate. Rep. Adam Schiff of California becomes one of the most prominent Democrats to urge Biden to “pass the torch” and exit the presidential race.

July 18: Trump formally accepts the Republican nomination in his first public speech since the assassination attempt.

July 19: Reporting by NBC News indicates that members of Biden’s family have discussed what an exit from his campaign might look like. White House spokesman Andrew Bates denies any such exit discussions are happening among the family.

July 21: Biden announces he will leave the presidential race and endorses Harris to be the party’s nominee.

This story first appeared on NBCNews.com. More from NBC News:

• The Democrats who could be Kamala Harris’ running mate — or challenge her for the nomination

• No, Biden doesn’t need to ‘release’ his delegates as he withdraws from the race

• Shocked, disappointed, energized: Voters face a new political landscape as Biden drops out

The rally was held Tuesday on Temple University’s campus at the Liacouras Center.

“Since the day that I announced my candidacy, I set out to find a partner who can help build this brighter future,” Harris said while standing with Walz in Philadelphia. “I’m here today because I’ve found such a leader, Gov. Tim Walz of the great state of Minnesota.”

“He’s the kind of person who makes people feel like they belong and then inspires them to dream big. … That’s the kind of vice president America deserves,” Harris said.

Taking the microphone after Harris, Walz revved up the crowd for the rigorous campaign to come. “We’ve got 91 days. My God, that’s easy. We’ll sleep when we’re dead,” he said.

The remarks reflected the urgency of the moment, with Harris tapping Walz for the ticket during one of the most turbulent periods in modern American politics. Republicans have rallied around former President Donald Trump after he was targeted in an attempted assassination in July. Just days later, President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign, forcing Harris to scramble to unify Democrats and decide on a running mate over a breakneck two-week stretch.

In choosing the 60-year-old Walz, Harris is elevating a Midwestern governor, military veteran and union supporter who helped enact an ambitious Democratic agenda for his state, including sweeping protections for abortion rights and generous aid to families.

Harris hopes Walz will help her shore up her campaign’s standing across the upper Midwest, a critical region in presidential politics that often serves as a buffer for Democrats seeking the White House. The party remains haunted by Trump’s wins in Michigan and Wisconsin in 2016. Trump lost those states in 2020 but has zeroed in on them as he aims to return to the presidency this year and is expanding his focus to Minnesota.

Since Walz was announced, the team raised more than $20 million from grassroots donations, the campaign said.

Many voters and supporters of Harris showed up bright and early hours ahead of the rally at the center in Philly.

“A month ago I could not have told you I’d be interested in a political event today. A month later so much is changing so fast, so I’m genuinely interested to hear what they have to say I want to hear the speeches,” Caryn Solly, from Trenton, NJ, said.

Many shared how they felt about Harris picking Walz as her running mate.

“I was a little surprised because part of me thought it would be Josh Shapiro,” Anthonio Dawkins from South Jersey said.

There had long been speculation the Pennsylvania’s own governor, Josh Shapiro, might get the call from the vice president.

Many voiced that they supported her choice.

“I was hoping for Josh but I’m glad she made a pick it’s a good pick I think people will accept it and move forward with a strong ticket,” Michael Robinson from Temple University said.

“Very exciting to have a progressive as a young person I think we need someone that sees the nuances in modern politics and speaks to people in my generation,” Mark Maddock from Illinois said.

Harris announced Walz as her new running mate hours before the rally Tuesday.

“Since the day that I announced my candidacy, I set out to find a partner who can help build this brighter future,” Harris said on her first rally with Walz in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Tuesday. “I’m here today because I’ve found such a leader, Gov. Tim Walz of the great state of Minnesota.”

“I’m thrilled to be on this journey with you and Doug, this incredible journey,” Walz told Harris, referring to her husband. “Thank you for trust you put in me, and maybe more so, thanks for bringing back the joy.”

Who is Tim Walz?

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Manchin, who left the Democratic Party in May but continues to caucus with Democrats, said that during the first week after the president’s poor June debate performance, he initially thought Biden “needed time to evaluate and make a decision if he was going to at that time.”

“And then I thought, well, we’d hear from my colleagues who are in very difficult, challenging areas of the country, whether it be in Congress, as far as their districts, or in the states, as far as my senators, and they’re speaking out now,” he said in an interview on ABC News’ “This Week.” “And then when you see the donor class, basically, speaking up and saying that they went a different direction, if you will.”

Manchin said he believes that if Biden exits the race now, it would allow him to address a series of key issues and his departure would give him the chance to “show the rest of the world the orderly transfer of power from the superpower of the world.”

“He will go down with a legacy unlike many people, as one of the finest and truly a [patriotic] American,” Manchin said. “So, with that, I come with a heavy heart to think the time has come for him to pass the torch to a new generation.”

Manchin called for an open process to replace Biden on the Democratic presidential ticket and suggested Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear as potential nominees.

“It’s time, it’s just time,” Manchin said.

Manchin, who had decided against launching a presidential bid against Biden, blamed “both sides” for escalating rhetoric that led to the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

“This should be a wake-up call for all of us,” Manchin said. “I am angry, as I know others are, that we are in this position. We must acknowledge that both sides share responsibility for where we are and where we go from here.”

Manchin, however, acknowledged Biden’s “irreparable” debate performance and criticized Democrats voicing their support for the president after the debate.

“At a time when the Democratic Party must realize they risk losing the Senate and even the House, in addition to losing the presidency, they are doing nothing to broaden the tent and appeal to more Americans,” Manchin said. “Instead, they continue to pull the party to the left. Sadly, their vocal support for President Biden in the face of his irreparable debate performance are just evidence of how much control the far left has over the current administration.”

Manchin joins four Democratic senators who have called for Biden to exit the race.

Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., was the first Democratic senator to call for Biden to end his re-election bid. Welch, a fixture in Vermont politics, argued that Biden should exit the race “for the good of the country” in an opinion piece published in The Washington Post this month.

Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., who is running for re-election in one of the most vulnerable Senate seats for Democrats, also called on Biden to depart the race. Tester said in a statement that while he appreciates Biden’s “commitment to public service and our country,” Biden shouldn’t seek re-election. He said that he has worked with Biden “when it has made Montana stronger, and I’ve never been afraid to stand up to him when he is wrong.”

Sens. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico and Sherrod Brown of Ohio have also pushed for Biden to exit the race. More than 30 congressional Democrats thus far have said they want a nominee to replace Biden on the Democratic presidential ticket.

However, members of the Congressional Black Caucus and BOLD PAC, the political arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, have continued to voice their support for Biden’s re-election campaign.

The president and his campaign have maintained that he has no intention to drop out of the race. In a statement Sunday, Mia Ehrenberg, a spokesperson for the Biden campaign, said the campaign believes that Democrats will “absolutely come together” to fight against Trump in November.

“While the majority of the Democratic caucus and the diverse base of the party continues to stand with the President and his historic record of delivering for their communities, we’re clear-eyed that the urgency and stakes of beating Donald Trump means others feel differently,” Ehrenberg said in a statement. “We all share the same goal: an America where everyone gets a fair shot and freedom and democracy are protected. Unlike Republicans, we’re a party that accepts — and even celebrates — differing opinions, but in the end, we will absolutely come together to beat Donald Trump this November.”

Jen O’Malley Dillon, Biden’s campaign chair, on Friday also maintained that the president isn’t going anywhere.

“You have heard from the president directly time and again: He is in this race to win, and he is our nominee, and he’s going to be our President for a second term,” O’Malley Dillon said during an interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”

This article first appeared on NBCNews.com. Read more from NBC News here:

• Ready for Kamala? First pro-Harris 2024 effort begins recruiting volunteers
• Ludicrous’: Donors leave call with Kamala Harris frustrated and annoyed
• Biden allies say ‘elites’ pushing for his exit are disenfranchising voters