Kamala Harris secures support from enough delegates to be the Democratic Party nominee

Vice President Kamala Harris has the backing of more than half the delegates needed to secure the Democratic nomination for president following Joe Biden's decision to withdraw from the race.

According to a report by The Associated Press, at least 2,579 delegates have declared their intention to support Harris at next month's convention. Current Democratic National Committee rules state that 1,976 pledged delegates are needed to secure the party's nomination.

Support for Harris includes prominent governors such as Wes Moore of Maryland, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, JB Pritzker of Illinois and Andy Beshear of Kentucky, significantly narrowing the choices of potential rivals. Nancy Pelosi, speaker emeritus of the House of Representatives, has also offered her support despite initially favoring a more contested primary.

Harris had limited time to consolidate her support and she has done so, but if she makes her candidacy official, she will face a long list of critical tasks, including choosing a running mate and reorganising the Biden campaign in her favour.

Harris is currently the only Democrat to receive delegate support following Biden's decision to withdraw from the campaign. However, some Democratic Party leaders are not entirely convinced. Former President Barack Obama, for example, refrained from giving his immediate support. In the statement in which he praised Biden as a "patriot of the highest order" for putting the country's interests before his own personal ones in deciding to withdraw from the campaign, he avoided offering a direct endorsement of Harris.  He called on the Democratic Party to nominate an "extraordinary candidate."

Obama expressed confidence that party leaders will be able to put forward a strong proposal for the November election despite Biden's public endorsement of Harris.