As the Democratic Party was thrown into chaos after President Joe Biden revealed he would not be seeking reelection, Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Jaime Harrison failed to publicly issue a straightforward plan for the next steps.
In a statement on Sunday, after President Joe Biden announced that he would not be seeking another term as president, Harrison said that Americans would hear from the party about the “next steps and the path forward” regarding the nomination process for picking a presidential candidate.
Harrison’s statement comes as several Democrats have issued support for Vice President Kamala Harris to be the party’s nominee for president, while others have called for a “truncated process” to play out.
“The American people owe President Biden an enormous debt of gratitude for the unparalleled progress he has delivered over the last four years – and we will honor that legacy, and the decision that he has made today, through a firm commitment to nominating and electing a Democratic president this November who will carry that torch into the next four years,” Harrison wrote.
The American people owe President Biden an enormous debt of gratitude for the unparalleled progress he has delivered over the last four years – and we will honor that legacy, and the decision that he has made today, through a firm commitment to nominating and electing a…
— Jaime Harrison (@harrisonjaime) July 21, 2024
Harris continued to admit that the “work” the party “must do now” was clear, while also being unprecedented.
“In the coming days, the Party will undertake a transparent and orderly process to move forward as a united Democratic Party with a candidate who can defeat Donald Trump in November,” Harrison continued. “This process will be governed by established rules and procedures of the Party. Our delegates are prepared to take seriously their responsibility in swiftly delivering a candidate to the American people.”
After Biden revealed that he was dropping out of the presidential race, he issued a statement that he was endorsing Harris “to be the nominee” for the Democratic Party.
Harrison continued to note that “Democrats are prepared and united” in their “resolve to win in November,” and that their “values” had remained “the same.”
“In short order, the American people will hear from the Democratic Party on next steps and the path forward for the nomination process,” Harrison added.
Several Democrats such as former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) issued statements of support for Harris to be the party’s nominee for president.