By Hayden Cunningham – The Postmillennial
The Democrat Party will enact a rule change for the Democratic National Convention (DNC) that will allow Vice President Kamala Harris to receive the party’s nomination prior to the convention being held. This decision comes as a strategic move to streamline the nomination process and is likely intended to avoid any perception of instability within the party.
A virtual roll call will be held during the first week of August to formalize Harris’ nomination, confirming her as the party’s candidate after she secured support from a majority of delegates without any intra-party challengers. This move follows President Joe Biden’s announcement that he will not seek re-election and his endorsement of Harris as the party’s nominee. Despite Biden’s endorsement, his delegates—nearly all of the pledged delegates for the convention—were not legally obligated to support Harris. However, the party has taken proactive steps to guarantee Harris’ nomination, ensuring she faces no competition and to demand their compliance.
The virtual roll call, planned since May, was implemented to allow the Democratic ticket ample time to appear on ballots in states with early filing deadlines. The plan was to have Biden confirmed in advance of the convention. The difference is that Biden actually ran for president and received votes. Harris has not received any votes.
The decision to continue with this planned process also comes amid discussions by right-leaning legal experts about potentially challenging the Democratic Party’s effort to replace Biden with Harris on state ballots and to fork over his campaign war chest, accumulated from those who believed they were donating to Biden, to Harris.
With Harris officially securing the nomination by early August, the focus will quickly shift to her selection of a running mate, as some states require the party to certify the names of both presidential and vice-presidential candidates on the ballot.
The DNC will take place in Chicago, starting August 19. While the convention will still feature a ceremonial roll call of delegates, it will also include in-person voting on the Democratic Party’s platform.