Obama in talks to endorse Kamala Harris

Former President Barack Obama has been in regular touch with Vice President Kamala Harris‘s campaign about a possible endorsement, a source familiar confirmed to the Washington Examiner.

Obama remains the most important Democrat holding out on endorsing Harris since President Joe Biden announced he was suspending his reelection campaign Sunday. In Obama’s statement following Biden’s surprise suspension, he did not mention the vice president.

However, Obama, who has known Harris for more than 20 years, thinks the vice president is off to an impressive start, the source told the Washington Examiner.

According to the source, Obama believes it’s important for Democrats to engage in a legitimate process where delegates can select the new nominee. Obama notably did not endorse Biden early on during the 2020 Democratic primary, and as Biden weighed a 2016 presidential run, Obama quietly worked to convince him not to enter the race against Hillary Clinton.

Democrats quickly coalesced around Harris as the new nominee after Biden threw his support behind her Sunday. Top leaders on Capitol Hill endorsed Harris in the days following Biden’s withdrawal, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY). Harris raised $81 million in 24 hours after Biden dropped out, and, in total, she raised $126 million by Tuesday. Harris has secured more than the 1,976 delegates needed to likely lead the Democratic ticket.

The Democratic National Convention approved a new time frame Wednesday that limits the amount of time any other challengers have to announce a presidential campaign which nearly guarantees Harris will become the nominee during a virtual roll call that will be held by Aug. 7 to comply with state ballot certification deadlines.

“We are all working hard to execute this nomination with transparency, with fairness, and efficiency,” Jaime Harrison, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, told the committee members.

One day later, Jeffries denied there were any attempts to rig the nominee for Harris during a press conference.

“What we’ve seen over the last few days is that the American people, all across the land, have been excited, enthusiastic, and energized by the candidacy of Vice President Harris,” Jeffries said, later claiming he hadn’t heard complaints about the nomination process.

“I haven’t heard any of that from anyone that I’m privileged to represent back home in New York City, or in any of my travels around the country, or from any single member of the House Democratic Caucus, or from any of our supporters who have embraced the candidacy of Vice President Kamala Harris,” he added. “This was all organic in terms of the surge in enthusiasm and energy directed at Vice President Harris’s campaign.”

However, according to one report from the New York Post, part of Obama’s reticence in endorsing Harris is because he doesn’t think she can defeat former President Donald Trump. “Obama was shocked” that Biden endorsed Harris roughly 30 minutes after his Sunday announcement, a source told the outlet. Former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, who was convicted and jailed for corruption charges, told the outlet he believes Obama was pivotal in pressuring Biden to step away from the ticket.

Obama allegedly wanted Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) to replace Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee, the source said. The Washington Examiner has not verified these claims, and Obama’s office did not comment on these claims. The Harris campaign did respond to a request for comment.

Kelly dodged answering the question in response to inquiries from the Washington Examiner.

“I can’t speak,” Kelly said when asked about Obama’s delayed endorsement of Harris.

Obama does have a previous connection with Kelly’s family. He spoke at the memorial for the victims of the 2011 Tuscon, Arizona, shooting, of which former Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords, Kelly’s wife, was seriously injured after a failed assassination attempt. He also visited Gifford and other victims at the University Medical Center in the aftermath of the shooting.

Kelly is among the top contenders to join the Harris ticket as her running mate, but if he is selected, Democrats will need to find another candidate who can replace his high-profile Senate seat in the top battleground state that will determine control of the White House and Senate.

Rachel Schilke and Ramsey Touchberry contributed to this report.