Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek joined top Democrats from across the nation on Monday in endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to take over as the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee after President Joe Biden’s sudden departure from the race.
“She’s tough, she’s smart and she’s ready to unite the country. Kamala Harris should be our next President,” Kotek said in a statement.
Other high-profile Oregon Democratic politicians have also thrown their weight behind Harris, including U.S. Rep. Val Hoyle of Eugene.
“People voted for a Biden-Harris ticket … I voted for Kamala Harris as part of that ticket. She’s incredibly qualified, part of an administration described as one of the most consequential of my lifetime,” Hoyle said.
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley said Harris shares his vision for “taking on the powerful to deliver for the people” and promised to do all he can to help her win.
Despite support rolling in for Harris from high-profile Oregon Democrats, the Democratic Party of Oregon is uncertain on its next steps, limiting comments to say only that party officials will “share further information about the process of selecting a new nominee as information becomes available.”
Vice President Kamala Harris arrives to speak from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Monday, July 22, 2024, during an event with NCAA college athletes. This is her first public appearance since President Joe Biden endorsed her to be the next presidential nominee of the Democratic Party.
Alex Brandon / AP
In May, the Democratic Party of Oregon touted nearly 90% of support for President Joe Biden, noting a record number of people were involved in the process. Oregon has 78 delegates. Now, despite support coming in for Harris from high-profile Democrats like Hoyle and Kotek, who are so-called superdelegates, the state party said its next steps are murkier and they are awaiting more instructions from the national party.
As of Monday midday, all of Oregon’s Democratic congressional delegation had thrown their weight behind Harris. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, who was the first Democrat in Oregon’s congressional delegation to publicly state the president shouldn’t run, announced on OPB’s “Think Out Loud” Monday afternoon he was also supporting Harris.
Rosa Colquitt, who chairs the state Democratic Party, said she is surveying all of the Oregon delegates with the hopes of being able to say they are largely united behind Harris. Colquitt said she’s optimistic that will happen soon and that she will be able to send a letter to the Harris campaign pledging the support of Oregon’s delegates. From there, though, what happens at the convention remains uncertain.
“How is this going to unfold at the convention itself? Will be there a first vote on the ballot and a second vote? Will it be contested? We don’t know the answers to any of those questions,” Colquitt said.
The uncertainty, she said, has been tough.
“I can say we are striving as a party to move forward in an orderly, unified fashion,” Colquitt said. “This hasn’t been an easy three weeks for people who love democracy, and I do love democracy.”
The Democratic National Convention is scheduled to be held in Chicago from Aug. 19 to Aug. 22. The DNC’s rules committee is meeting on Wednesday to discuss the process for picking a new nominee. The meeting is open, and the public can view it on the Democrats’ YouTube channel.
Democrats must still formally nominate Harris, which would happen either through a virtual vote early next month or in an open convention.
This story will be updated.