ATLANTA (AP) — Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama have backed Kamala Harris in her bid for the White House, giving the vice president the expected but still crucial support of the country’s two most popular Democrats.
The endorsement, announced Friday morning in a video showing Harris accepting a joint phone call from the former First Couple, comes as Harris continues to gain momentum as the party’s presumptive nominee after President Joe Biden‘s decision to suspend his re-election campaign and support his running mate against Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump.
It also highlights the friendship and potentially historic bond between the nation’s first Black president and the first woman, the first Black woman and the first person of Asian descent to serve as vice president, who is now fighting to break those same barriers as president.
“We called to say that Michelle and I could not be more proud to support you and do everything we can to help you get through this election and into the White House,” the former president told Harris, who is pictured walking backstage at an event followed by a Secret Service agent.
Michelle Obama said: “I can’t get on this phone call without telling my girl Kamala how proud I am of her.
“This is going to be historic,” she added.
Harris, who has known the Obamas since before his election in 2008, thanked them for their friendship and said she looks forward to “getting there, being on the road” with them in the three-month blitzkrieg before Election Day on Nov. 5.
“We’re going to have fun with this too, right?” Harris said.
The Obamas may be the last major party figures to formally endorse Harris — a reflection of the former president’s desire to remain, at least publicly, a party elder who is above the fray. The Obamas remain top fundraising draws and popular stand-ins at major campaign events for Democratic candidates.
According to an Associated Press survey, Harris has already secured the public support of a majority of delegates for the Democratic National Convention, which begins Aug. 19 in Chicago. The Democratic National Committee expects to hold a virtual nomination vote that would make Harris and a yet-to-be-named running mate the official Democratic ticket on Aug. 7.
Biden endorsed Harris within an hour of announcing his decision to end his campaign on Sunday amid widespread concern about the 81-year-old president’s ability to defeat Trump. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, House Minority Leader Jim Clyburn, former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton followed suit in the days that followed.
The Obamas, however, tread carefully as Harris secured delegate pledges, made the rounds in key Democratic districts and raised more than $120 million. The public warning echoes how the former president handled the weeks between Biden’s debate debacle against Trump and the president’s eventual decision to end his campaign: Obama was certainly present in the party’s maneuverings, but he operated quietly.
Barack Obama’s first statement after Biden’s announcement did not mention Harris. Instead, he spoke generally about coming up with a nominee to succeed Biden: “I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party can create a process that will produce an outstanding nominee,” the former president wrote.
Both Obamas campaigned separately for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Biden in 2020, including large rallies in the final weekends before Election Day. They gave major speeches at the 2020 Democratic convention, a virtual event due to the coronavirus pandemic. The former president’s speech was particularly notable for revealing an open attack on Trump as a threat to democracy, an argument that remains part of Harris’ campaign.
