Kamala Harris one step closer to becoming Democrats’ official nominee

Vice President Kamala Harris had secured enough votes from Democratic delegates to officially be the party’s nominee for president, Democratic National Committee Chair Jamie Harrison said Friday.

The online voting process doesn’t end until Monday, but the campaign marked the moment when she crossed the threshold to have the majority of delegates’ votes.

Harris is poised to be the first woman of color at the top of a major party’s ticket.

“I am honored to be the presumptive Democratic nominee,” Harris said on a call with supporters.

Harrison said “we will rally around Vice President Kamala Harris and demonstrate the strength of our party” during its convention in Chicago later this month.

Democrats have pushed ahead with a virtual vote to nominate Harris, nearing the culmination of a turbulent process that was upended by President Joe Biden’s decision not to seek reelection.

Delegates to the Democratic National Convention began voting via secure email on Thursday, and the voting will remain open until Monday evening. Harris has not yet chosen her running mate, and she’s expected to interview candidates over the weekend.

The formal nomination is expected to be finalized by Aug. 7 even though the party’s convention in Chicago isn’t scheduled to begin for more than two more weeks. Democratic officials have said the accelerated timeline was necessary because of an Aug. 7 deadline to ensure candidates appear on the Ohio ballot.

Harris was endorsed by Biden shortly after he dropped out of the race, catapulting her to the forefront of the campaign to beat Republican nominee Donald Trump. No other major candidate challenged Harris for the nomination, and she was the only choice for delegates under party rules that required pledges of