Obama endorses Harris for president in a whirlwind week of social gathering assist

WASHINGTON — Former President Barack Obama endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president Friday, simply days after she launched her campaign after President Joe Biden withdrew from the race.

“Michelle and I couldn’t be prouder to endorse you and to do every little thing we will to get you thru this election and into the Oval Workplace,” Obama says in a video that reveals Harris getting a name from the Obamas.

Michelle Obama says within the roughly one-minute video: “I can’t have this telephone name with out saying to my lady Kamala: I’m happy with you. That is going to be historic.”

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Obama, the primary Black president, and Harris, who may turn out to be the primary feminine president, have been in shut contact since she introduced her candidacy Sunday, and he has privately been absolutely supportive, in line with 4 folks aware of their discussions, NBC Information has reported.

“He has been in common contact together with her and thinks she’s been off to an incredible begin,” one in every of them stated.

Aides to Obama and Harris have mentioned their showing collectively on the marketing campaign path in some unspecified time in the future, three of the folks aware of the discussions stated.

Obama had supported Biden’s re-election effort, however he had “concerns” about Biden’s prospects in November after his weak debate efficiency in late June.

Moments after he introduced he was dropping out of the race Sunday, Biden endorsed Harris for president, and Democrats shortly coalesced round her.

Former President Invoice Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton additionally endorsed Harris in a joint assertion Sunday.

Whereas Obama praised Biden’s management as president and his life devoted to public service in an announcement launched the day he made his announcement, he did not endorse Harris then.

Harris’ and Obama’s political lives have intertwined during the last 20 years as they’ve campaigned with and endorsed one another for numerous elected places of work. When she was San Francisco district lawyer, Harris was a co-chair of Obama’s California marketing campaign when he ran for president as a senator. Through the race, she attended Obama’s launch speech in Springfield, Illinois; campaigned for him in Iowa, Nevada, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire; and attended his victory speech in Chicago’s Grant Park when he received the final election, the San Francisco Chronicle reported at the time.

Quickly after Obama received in 2008, Harris introduced she would run for lawyer basic of California, telling the Chronicle: “To make certain, Obama has excited a complete new technology of voters — and … they span all ages and classes. However they’re an excited group of people who find themselves feeling good in regards to the nation, and so they wish to be concerned in it — and people are the folks I wish to speak to.”

In 2010, Obama endorsed Harris for lawyer basic, an workplace she received and held for six years. And in 2016, he endorsed and cut a TV ad for Harris when she ran for the Senate.

Obama additionally nominated Harris’ brother-in-law, Tony West — one other prolific Obama supporter — to be the pinnacle of the Justice Division’s Civil Division in 2009. He went on to turn out to be an affiliate lawyer basic on the Justice Division within the Obama administration.