Would-be challengers to Vice President Kamala Harris for the Democratic presidential nomination are officially on the clock to declare their intentions as a candidate — the deadline is Saturday.
The Democratic National Committee adopted rules Wednesday that opened a three-day window for anyone to challenge Harris, the presumptive nominee, beginning Thursday, it was announced. Anyone who meets the 6 p.m. ET deadline on Saturday then must produce 300 delegate signatures by Tuesday, with no more than 50 coming from the same state.
Otherwise, the DNC would begin the virtual roll call to officially nominate Harris on Aug. 1, which must be completed by Aug. 7. If anyone else qualifies, the roll call will begin Aug. 3, the DNC said.
"As a party, we have an obligation to design and implement a fair nomination for delegates to express their preferences through a vote," DNC Chair Jaime Harrison said.
It's also expected that Harris will announce a running mate by Aug. 7, Politico reported.
The compressed time frame became necessary when President Joe Biden announced Sunday that he was officially dropping out of the presidential race. Democrats had previously targeted having an official nominee before the convention to ensure Biden, at that point, would appear on the ballot in Ohio. Though Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine extended the deadline to Sept. 1, Democrats weren't and aren't taking any chances.
While Harris has more than enough pledged delegate support to earn the nomination, it's not binding until they vote.
"Delegates are free to support who they choose, and we are glad that they are engaging in this important moment in history," Harrison said.
The Democratic National Convention begins Aug. 19 in Chicago.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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