Democrats who want to run against Harris for nomination have only days to get in the race

Any Democrat wishing to challenge Vice President Kamala Harris for the presidential nomination has only days to secure the necessary support, according to the party's nominating rules approved Wednesday, which laid out plans for an unusual pre-convention nominating vote scheduled for early next month.

Candidates have until Saturday to declare their candidacy and until Tuesday to gather the needed support from hundreds of delegates to make the ballot alongside Harris at the virtual roll call vote. Democrats have given themselves an Aug. 7 deadline to conduct the roll call to avoid potential legal issues.

“We understand that this is an unprecedented situation, but we will accomplish it together,” said Minyon Moore, a veteran Democratic strategist and Harris ally who is chairperson of the Democratic National Convention, which begins Aug. 19 in Chicago.

No major Democrat has even hinted at plans to run against Harris, who has quickly consolidated support in the days since President Joe Biden withdrew from the race and endorsed her.

The compressed timeline is also affecting Harris’ search for a vice presidential running mate, which may need to be completed in just two weeks.

More than three-quarters of pledged delegates to the Democratic National Convention have already endorsed Harris, according to an NBC News tally as of Wednesday afternoon, with no obvious pockets of opposition from any parts of Democrats’ vastly diverse coalition.

But Democrats are eager to avoid making their nomination process look like a coronation for Harris, promising an open and fair process. All it takes for someone else to run is the signature from at least 300 delegates (with no more than 50 from any one state) to have a chance at making the