Vice-President Kamala Harris has attracted the support of enough Democratic delegates to become the party’s nominee for president, the BBC’s US partner CBS News reports.
A survey by the Associated Press on Monday evening said Ms Harris had received the endorsement of more than the 1,976 delegates needed to win the nomination in the first round of voting.
Ms Harris said she was “proud” to have secured “broad support” and looked forward to formally accepting the nomination.
Delegates are people who are selected to represent their electoral area at the Democratic National Convention (DNC), the party’s key nominating event.
Such endorsements are non-binding, but if the total holds between now and when delegates cast their votes, scheduled to take place from 1-7 August, Ms Harris would formally clinch the party’s nomination.
Delegations from at least 27 states have issued statements of their full delegations supporting Ms Harris, according to CBS.
The survey is an indication of the groundswell of support for Ms Harris after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race on Sunday.
Since Mr Biden’s announcement, millions of dollars in donations have poured into her campaign and leading Democrats have lined up to support her bid as the Democratic nominee.
Speaking to staff at her campaign’s headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, on Monday evening, Ms Harris told campaign staff: “We have 106 days until Election Day and in that time, we have some hard work to do.”
Ms Harris took the team through her vision of the country and the views that she says separate this campaign from Trump’s, saying she would gladly put her record up against his.
“Our campaign has always been about two different versions of what we see as the future of our country,” she said. “One focuses on the future, the other focuses on the past. Donald Trump wants to take our country backwards… We believe in a brighter future that makes room for all Americans.”
She also noted Mr Biden’s accomplishments, saying her time serving as his vice-president was “one of the greatest honours of my life”.
Ms Harris noted the “roller coaster” of “mixed emotions” they’ve all been on because “I love Joe Biden, and I know we all do”. She promised she’d work hard to earn the nomination for president and unite both Democrats and the country as a whole.
Before Ms Harris took to the stage, Mr Biden made his first comments since dropping out of the 2024 election via phone call while isolating after contracting Covid-19.
He thanked aides and told them to “embrace” Ms Harris because “she’s the best”.
“I know yesterday’s news was surprising and hard for you to hear, but it was the right thing to do,” Mr Biden told them.
He acknowledged the team had “poured” their “heart and soul” into helping him stay in office for a second term but said, “I’m not going anywhere” and vowed to remain “fully engaged” in the campaign.
“I’m hoping you’ll give every bit of your heart and soul that you gave to me to Kamala,” Mr Biden told them.
“We still need to save this democracy,” he said. “Trump is still a danger to this nation.”
Mr Biden is due to return to the White House on Tuesday afternoon after self-isolating in Delaware.
