Harris says she has the support needed to become the Democratic Party's nominee — as it happened (2024)

This is where we'll wrap up today's US election live blog.

Here are some of the key moments we covered:

• Kamala Harris made her first public appeareance since she was endorsed by Joe Biden
  
• Former House speaker and senior Democrat Nancy Pelosi endorsed Harris
• Joe Biden said he would be "fully engaged" for the rest of his presidency, while offering more support to Harris
• Harris surpassed the number of Democratic delegates needed to claim the party's nomination, and released a statement on becoming the presumptive nominee

You can take a look back at all the developments below, ordownload the ABC News appandsubscribe to our range of news alertsfor the latest updates.

Kamala Harris's rise to the likely new presidential nominee of the Democratic party over the last few days has come accompanied with many viral memes.

"It's fun and has the potential to engage younger voters, but Harris's big laugh and sometimes quirky statements are also being exploited by Republicans," writes the ABC's North America correspondent Barbara Miller.

Read the full analysis below.

Kamala Harris's presidential campaign is likely to focus on the stark contrast between her and Donald Trump, says Dr Emma Shortis, a senior researcher at the Australia Institute.

We earlier reported on Harris's first public appeareance since Joe Biden stood down from the race and endorsed her as the new Democratic candidate.

"It was remarkable that Harris was smiling and occasionally making jokes about Donald Trump, which suggests quite a shift in the tenor of the campaign," Dr Shortis told ABC News.

The Trump campaign has fought hard to have the election be about Joe Biden 's age and his capacity, but now all of that focus will be on Trump, she said.

"Kamala Harris is a physical and policy contrast to Trump. The opportunity to flip that campaign is really significant for Harris," she said.

Watch the full video below.

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Kamala Harris has become the Democratic party's presumptive nominee after enough delegates pledged their endorsment, her campaign says.

Several state delegations met late Monday to confirm their support for Harris, including Texas and her home state of California.

It was only 36 hours after President Joe Biden dropped out and endorsed Harris as his successor.

Here are the latest numbers from an Associated Press tally:

• 2,668 delegates have pledged their support to Harris
• 54 delegates said they were undecided
• Harris only needs a simple majority of 1,976 to win the official vote in August

Delegates could still, technically, change their minds before the official vote in August, but nobody else received any votes in the AP survey.

Kamala Harris says she has secured the broad support needed from her party to become the official Democratic nominee for the presidential election.

Elections Analyst Casey Briggs tells News Channel, no one else has put their hand up to be the Democratic nominee, which is why Harris's chances of being selected as the nominee are so high.

"There is no other candidate. If another candidate were to put their hand up of course, they might change their mind," he said.

When asked what the likelihood of someone else of putting their name forward and the delegates backing someone other than Harris, Briggs says it seems unlikely this would happen.

"The people that would be the likely challengers to her have said they're not putting their hands up and their endorsing Kamala Harris."

You can watch the full analysis video here:

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A Hollywood "Dembargo" on political donations has been lifted, as key fundraisers and celebrities endorsed Kamala Harris.

"Lost" producer Damon Lindelof said he had halted what he called a "Dembargo," a call for Hollywood backers to stop donating to Democrats after Biden's debate performance.

"Profound relief, gratitude … and then, for the first time, genuine EXCITEMENT for the election ahead" Lindelof said in a post on Instagram.

Disney heiress Abigail Disney, who had called on Biden to drop out, told CNBC she was resuming her donations to Democrats and that she thought Harris would be an excellent candidate.

Harris, who would be the first black woman serve as US president if she wins, received support from several black women in Hollywood.

Shonda Rhimes, the TV producer behind shows like Grey's Anatomy and Bridgerton, and actorsViola Davis andSheryl Lee Ralph all voiced their endorsem*nt and support.

Black women are a key part of Harris's most devoted boosters, known collectively as the KHive, political analyst Sherry Bebitch Jeffe told Reuters.

"Black women are the most loyal Democratic constituency right now," she said. "And women are just revved up as hell."

Kamala Harris has shared a statement saying she is "proud" to have secured the broad support of her party to become the Democratic nominee in the presidential election.

"Tonight, I am proud to have secured the broad support needed to become our party's nominee, and as a daughter of California, I am proud that my home state's delegation helped put our campaign over the top," she wrote.

"I look forward to formally accepting the nomination soon."

She said she was grateful to President Joe Biden and the Democratic party, and would spend the next months taking her case to the American people.

"I fully intend to unite our party, unite our nation, and defeat Donald Trump in November," she wrote.

US Vice President Kamala Harris says she has secured broad support needed to become the Democratic Party's nominee for the upcoming presidential election.

She made the comments late on Monday US time, Reuters reported.

An AP survey earlier showed her having the support of 2,214 delegates, well beyond the simple majority of 1,976.

However, the delegates are free to change their mind on their vote before the Democratic national convention in August.

President Joe Biden is expected to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday at the White House, a US official said on Monday.

Biden has been recovering from COVID-19 since last Wednesday but is returning to Washington on Tuesday from his beach house in Delaware.

Netanyahu addresses a joint session of the US Congress on Wednesday.

Biden and Netanyahu are expected to discuss ways to reach a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza, as well as Iran and other topics.

It will be Biden's first meeting with a foreign leader since he opted not to run for re-election and endorsedKamala Harris as his successor as the Democratic presidential nominee.

Harris is to meet Netanyahu this week separate to Biden.

A Harris aide said she will stress to Netanyahu that it is time for the Gaza conflict to end in a way where "Israel is secure, all hostages are released, the suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can enjoy their right to dignity, freedom, and self-determination."

Reporting with Reuters

Circling back to brat — it's not the only internet trend surrounding Kamala Harris.

You may have also seen a bunch of memes about coconut trees, phrases like "unburdened" and "the context in which you live", and clips from a comedy series starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus, writes theABC's Jessica Riga.

The internet is a crazy thing.

If you're having trouble keeping up, my colleague Jess has written this guide here:

ABC NewsChannel spoke to Washington Post political reporter Mariana Alfaro on the likelihood that Kamala Harris would be the Democratic nominee.

Alfaro said that Democrats were "falling back in line" behind Harris.

"There's still a process, and there a chance that someone else could jump in. It is being reported now that the Democratic National Committee are opting against doing a big, open convention. They are going to nominate their candidate before the convention."

The convention starts in Chicago on August 19.

Watch the full interview here:

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Kamala Harris has surpassed the number of delegates needed to claim the Democratic presidential nomination, according to unofficial surveys.

According to an Associated Press tally, Harris had 2,214 delegates, well beyond the simple majority of 1,976 needed to clinch the nomination on the first ballot.

The survey is unofficial, AP said, as Democratic delegates are free to vote for the candidate of their choice when the party formally chooses its candidate.

CNN also reported that Harris has enough endorsem*nts from delegates to win the nomination on the first ballot, according to its own estimates.

She crossed the threshold on Monday night US time after a wave of support from state delegations.

Senior reporter forABC NEWS Verify Matt Martinois speaking toABC News Channelexamining how old tropes, falsehoods, and misinformation are being used againstKamala Harris.

Martino says:

"Ms Harris is a woman, and a woman of colour. One thing that we have been finding and have been tracking is this idea that she is the diversity pick, which seeks to sort of delegitimise her record, quite long and extensive record, of service in government, and minimise her to be some sort of quota girl who is only there to fill some sort of quota."

Earlier,Elon Muskposted on X implying that the son of billionaire philanthropist George Soros was pulling the strings of the Democratic Party.

Martino explained how this was a "throwback to a centuries-old trope" that claim Jewish people secretly control the world.

He talks about the effect that misinformation could have on Harris as a presidential campaign.

"This idea that she is being pocketed or she is not eligible.. there is a certain section of the population that is going to be really receptive to that."

Martino encourages people to proceed with caution and inherent skepticism while browsing on social media.

"When you're on social media and you see a claim, sort of stop and think, do your own searches about it and see if they are a reputable media."

Watch the full interview here:

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The US Republican nominee for vice-president, JD Vance, says Kamala Harris is "a million times worse than Joe Biden".

While speaking at a campaign rally in Virginia, Senator Vance says history will remember Joe Biden as a quitter and one of the worst US presidents.

"But my friends, Kamala Harris is a million times worse and everybody knows it," he said.

The crowd in Virginia cheered after he said this.

"She signed up for every single one of Joe Biden's failures and his mental capacity to serve as president."

As more senior Democrats throw their support behind Kamala Harris, speculation is already rife on who she will choose as her running mate.

Watch the video below for a brief guide to some of the names that have been thrown around as options.

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These speculative VP candidates include:

• Pennsylvania governor Josh Saphiro
• Transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg
• North Carolina governor Roy Cooper
• Former astronaut and senator for Arizona Mark Kelly
• Illinois governor JB Pritzker
• Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer
• Kentucky governor Andy Beshier

More drama here in Rehoboth Beach with all phones being struck with an unnervingly loud warning siren and accompanying blunt message: "TORNADO WARNING".

The house where Joe Biden is currently recovering from COVID was right in the middle of the concerned area.

The relevant time has now passed and it doesn't appear that a tornado touched down in the area but it would be fascinating to know what security protocols were enacted by the Secret Service when the warning came through.

Given all the mocking Biden endured for "hiding in his basem*nt in Delaware" during the previous presidential campaign, this line seemed slightly poetic/ ironic.

"TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a basem*nt or an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building."

When Kamala Harris became Joe Biden's running mate four years ago, she was the first Black, South Asian woman to accept a major party's nomination for vice-president.

At the same time, she became "the most derided woman in US politics", according to a misinformation study.

Our colleagues from the ABC NEWS Verify team have been tracking how old tropes, falsehoods and misinformation are again being weaponised against Harris.

Their analysis provides a grim snapshot of what's to come as Harris shapes up as the presidential nominee for this year's election. Read more here.

It's a "brat" summer — even for Kamala Harris.

You may have seen us reporting in the blog yesterday that the former official Biden-Harris campaign page on X had been rebranded, with the banner image changed to match the colours and text of Charli XCX's recently released viral album, Brat.

But what is "brat"? It is more than an album, more than a noun — it's a concept.

In a TikTok interview, Charli XCX explained the essence of being a brat in simple terms: "You're that girl who is a bit messy and loves to party and maybe says dumb things sometimes. She's honest, blunt and a little bit volatile. That's 'brat'."

And the trend is sweeping the globe, particularly among the younger generation, who could prove essential to the outcome of November's election.

Yesterday, Charli XCX tweeted: "Kamala is brat" — which quickly racked up hundreds of thousands of interactions.

Activist and co-founder of March for Our Lives movement David Hogg said Charli XCX's impact is "not insignificant" in a post on X.

On Monday morning, local time, CNN's panelists were discussing the new campaign angle.

"So it's the idea that we're all kind of brat? Vice-President Harris is kind of brat?" lead Washington anchor Jake Tapper said.

"The point is, whether it's her, or some very clever people that work for her, [are] going right for them [Gen Z] in the language of their own."

If you've been deep in US politics news for a little while, the how-we-got-here perhaps feels like a bit of a blur.

The momentum behind a movement to convince Joe Biden to step aside and let someone else contest the 2024 presidential election was swift, and things really came unglued at the disastrous debate on June 27.

Former North America correspondent Kathryn Diss and our international digital editor Rebecca Armitage have charted the chaos that unfolded over the past few weeks.

If Kamala Harris secures the Democratic nomination, she'll need a running mate.

The vice-presidential pick is usually a strategic one, aimed at broadening a candidate's appeal among voters from particular backgrounds or geographical areas.

Speculation around who could join a Harris ticket has so far centred on potential rivals for the nomination who were quick to endorse her bid.

Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro is considered a rising star in the party and represents a swing state that could be critical to the Democrats' chances of winning the election.

Former presidential candidate and now Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has a national profile and personal ties to another closely fought state, Michigan.

While Kentucky governor Andy Beshear has found political success in a state otherwise dominated by Republicans.

It's still early days, as Harris isn't yet guaranteed to be the nominee.

But we can expect chatter around her potential VP pick to intensify in the days ahead.