Here’s Who Has Endorsed Kamala Harris for President So Far

Within a whirlwind 36 hours after President Joe Biden decided on Sunday to drop out of the presidential election and endorse Kamala Harris to take his place leading the Democratic Party against Donald Trump in November, nearly the entire party lined up behind the Vice President.

By Monday, Harris’ nascent campaign had fundraised a record $81 million and she secured the support of an overwhelming number of DNC delegates, setting herself up to clinch the nomination next month at the party’s convention in Chicago.

While some prominent Democrats have yet to explicitly endorse Harris, hundreds of others have already proclaimed their enthusiasm to elect Harris as the next President of the U.S.

Here’s a roundup of all the endorsements Harris has received as of early Friday.

Former Democratic Presidents and presidential nominees

Former President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary Clinton, the former Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic nominee for President, were one of the earliest to endorse Harris for President, posting a joint statement on X shortly after Biden’s announcement. They said they would “do whatever we can to support her.” 

“We’ve lived through many ups and downs, but nothing has made us more worried for our country than the threat posed by a second Trump term,” the joint statement said.

Hillary Clinton later posted a photo of her with Harris alongside a caption that urged supporters to donate to the campaign.

John Kerry, former Secretary of State and 2004 Democratic nominee for President, also endorsed Harris, writing on X: “For democracy, alliances, economic fairness, and the future of our planet, now is the time to listen to the only person who has ever beaten Donald Trump, and join with President Biden in every effort to make Vice President Harris the next President of the United States. No citizen of good conscience should stay on the sidelines.”

Read More: Trump and Other Leaders React to Biden Dropping Out

On Friday, former President Barack Obama, who had conspicuously withheld his endorsement, shared on X that he and his wife former First Lady Michelle thought Harris would “make a fantastic President of the United States” and that she has the pair’s “full support.” The post also includes a video of Harris thanking Obama over a phone call.

While former Vice President and 2000 Democratic nominee Al Gore hailed Biden’s accomplishments and supported his decision to leave the race, notably absent from his statement was any mention of Harris. (Gore famously did not endorse Hillary Clinton until the DNC in 2016.)

The “Squad” and other members of Congress

In a major vote of confidence from one of the Democratic party’s most influential leaders, former House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) endorsed Harris on Monday afternoon: “I have full confidence that she will lead us to victory in November,” Pelosi posted on X.

The following day, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries both endorsed Harris as well. “We are here today to throw our support behind Vice President Kamala Harris,” Schumer said Tuesday, adding, “She said she would work to earn the support of our party and boy did she do so, in quick order.” Jeffries said Harris is “ready, willing and able to lead us into the future.”

Harris has also won the support of over 90% of all Democratic members of Congress, according to the New York Times, including a broad coalition of progressives and moderates.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (Wash.), the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, endorsed Harris. So too did nearly all of the so-called Squad of left-wing representatives, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (Minn.), Ayanna Pressley (Mass.), Cori Bush (Mo.), Jamaal Bowman (N.Y.), and others. Ocasio-Cortez, who had warned her followers on Friday about the risks of replacing Biden as the nominee, pledged her full support to Harris on Sunday.

“Now more than ever, it is crucial that our party and country swiftly unite to defeat Donald Trump and the threat to American democracy,” Ocasio-Cortez posted on X. “Let’s get to work.”

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) also endorsed Harris, writing on social media: “She is a proven fighter who has been a national leader in safeguarding consumers and protecting access to abortion.”

Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.) has yet to endorse Harris, though he said on CNN on Monday, “I’m sure that I will.”

Read More: A Guide to Kamala Harris’ Views on Abortion, the Economy, and More

Several Democrat senators facing tough reelection battles this year have already announced their support for Harris, including Tammy Baldwin (Wis.), Sherrod Brown (Ohio) and Bob Casey (Pa.), as have several representatives from purple districts, such as Susan Wild (Pa.) and Yadira Caraveo (Colo.). Reps. Jared Golden (Maine) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Wash.), who had each previously said they’d resigned themselves to Trump defeating Biden, have so far not endorsed Harris. Neither has Sen. Jon Tester (Mont.), who is seeking reelection in a state Trump won by nearly 17% in 2020.

The youngest and first Gen Z member of Congress, 27-year-old Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-N.Y.), endorsed Harris, posting a photo of him shaking her hand alongside the caption: “Let’s get to work to defeat Trump and reject fascism.” The oldest member of Congress, 87-year-old Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.), who is retiring, has not yet issued a statement on Biden’s decision to step aside or Harris’ candidacy.

Other influential Democratic leaders in Congress who have endorsed Harris include: Senate majority whip Sen. Dick Durbin (Ill.), House minority whip Rep. Katherine Clark (Mass.) and House Democratic Caucus chair and vice chair Rep. Pete Aguilar (Calif.) and Rep. Ted Liu (Calif.).

Rep. Nanette Barragan (Calif.), who chairs the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, said in a post on X that she “will work tirelessly” to elect Harris in November, and Rep. Steven Horsford (Nev.), who chairs the Congressional Black Caucus, described Harris as the right person at the right time.

Rep. Dean Philips, who had mounted a primary campaign against Biden, declined to endorse Harris on Monday, calling for a “competitive” process and “more time” to determine the party’s new nominee. However, he gave Harris his endorsement on Tuesday, writing on X that he was “excited and energized to mobilize” in support of her.

Every Democratic governor, including those floated as presidential and vice-presidential contenders

All 23 Democratic governors across the country have endorsed Harris, including several who themselves had been speculated as potential challengers for the nomination and still could land on the ticket alongside Harris.

Read More: Who Could Be Kamala Harris’ Running Mate? Here’s the Shortlist

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro lent his support and endorsement to Harris in a statement posted to X on Sunday. Shapiro said he’s known Harris for nearly two decades and that she “is a patriot worthy of our support.”

“The best path forward for the Democratic Party,” Shapiro said, “is to quickly unite behind Vice President Harris and refocus on winning the presidency.”

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper similarly shared in a post on X on Sunday that he’s known Harris since their days as Attorneys General and that “she has what it takes to defeat Donald Trump and lead our country thoughtfully and with integrity.”

“I look forward to campaigning for her as we work to win NC up and down the ticket,” Cooper said.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer endorsed Harris and announced that she’ll be serving as co-chair of the campaign in a post on X on Monday.

“In Vice President Harris, Michigan voters have a presidential candidate we can count on to lower our costs, protect our freedoms, and build an economy that works for working people,” Whitmer said on video. “This is a stark contrast to Donald Trump, a convicted felon who stokes violence, overturned Roe, and drove our economy into the ground the last time he was in the White House.”

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker also endorsed Harris in a post on X on Monday morning. 

“Vice President Harris has proven, at every point in her career, that she possesses the skills, strength, and character to lead this country and the vision to better the lives of all Americans,” Pritzker wrote. “She represents our Party’s best chance to defeat Donald Trump in November, and I will work my heart out to help her do that.”

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear gave his endorsement to Harris in an MSNBC interview on Monday. “The Vice President is smart and strong, which will make her a good President, but she’s also kind and has empathy, which can make her a great President,” said Beshear. Later, the Harris campaign shared a clip of Beshear campaigning against Trump running mate J.D. Vance on CNN.

“Americans want to turn the page,” Colorado Gov. Jared Polis wrote in a statement on X. “Kamala has a vision of hope and a future we all can believe in.” When asked if he would accept an offer to be Harris’ running mate during a CNN interview on Monday, Polis joked: “If they do the polling and it turns out that they need a 49-year-old balding gay Jew from Boulder, Colorado, they got my number.” 

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a rising Democratic star who has in recent weeks been a fierce defender of Biden, endorsed Harris in a post on X: “With our democracy at stake and our future on the line, no one is better to prosecute the case against Donald Trump's dark vision and guide our country in a healthier direction than America’s Vice President, @KamalaHarris.” (Newsom is ineligible to be Harris’ running mate because they come from the same state.)

Other notable Democratic figures

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, who ran against Harris and Biden in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary and has also been discussed as a contender for Harris’ running mate, voiced his support for Harris in a post on X. “Joe Biden has earned his place among the best and the most consequential presidents in our history,” he wrote. “Kamala Harris is now the right person to take up the torch, defeat Donald Trump, and succeed Joe Biden as President.”

Nearly 300 Democratic mayors across the country—including New York’s Eric Adams, Los Angeles’ Karen Bass, and Chicago’s Brandon Johnson—have also endorsed Harris, according to a statement by the Democratic Mayors Association, which says: “As Mayors, we are the closest to the people and understand better than most that too much is at stake for our communities to endure another Donald Trump presidency.”

Former Georgia state representative Stacey Abrams, who lost bids for governor in 2018 and 2022 but has remained a prominent democracy activist, endorsed Harris in a post on X, saying: “She’s a tenacious fighter, a champion for our rights & defender of our democracy. United, she will lead us as we defeat Donald Trump this November.”

Martin Luther King III, son of civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr., posted a statement on Instagram from him and his wife Arndrea Waters King. They wrote that Harris “will shatter a significant glass ceiling by becoming the first Black woman and first South Asian nominee from a major party for President” and that she has demonstrated commitment to what King’s father stood for: “a world built on peace, justice, and equity.”

Former Rep. Gabby Giffords, who retired from Congress after suffering a brain injury from being shot in the head in 2011 and is now a gun control advocate, announced her and her PAC’s support for Harris on Sunday. “She will make a great president, and her strong, steadfast leadership will save lives,” Giffords said of Harris in a post on X. “Mark and I will do everything we can to ensure she is elected in November,” she added, referencing her husband Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), who has also endorsed Harris and is rumored to be a contender for Harris’ running mate.

The biggest Democratic megadonors, billionaire George Soros and his son Alex, are among the high-profile Wall Street leaders who have endorsed Harris. The pair, who spent over $128 million to support Democrats in the 2022 midterm elections, are known for championing liberal political causes including voting rights, abortion rights, and gender equity. “She is the best and most qualified candidate we have,” Alex Soros posted on X alongside a photo of him and Harris. “Long live the American Dream!”

PACs, advocacy groups, and labor unions

EMILYs List, a political action committee focused on supporting Democratic female candidates, endorsed Harris in a statement on X. “She is the only candidate positioned to win against Trump in November, and the best voice to define the stakes in this election,” the statement said. 

“History in the making!” reads a statement by the Congressional Black Caucus PAC endorsing Harris, which also described her as “a champion of democracy, equality, and progress.” The AAPI Victory Fund and Latino Victory also endorsed Harris.

Priorities USA Action—the largest Democratic Party super PAC that had supported the campaigns of Obama, Clinton, and Biden—wrote on X that it “stands behind” Harris. “She is the best candidate to beat Donald Trump this November,” it said.

In a joint statement endorsing Harris, a group of environmental and clean energy organizations, including the Sierra Club and League of Conservation Voters Action Fund, lauded her as “a driving force in delivering the strongest climate action in history” and that “she’s ready to build on those gains from day one as president.”

The gun violence prevention organization March For Our Lives made their first-ever political endorsement in Harris on July 24. In a press release, the organization, which was born from the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018, said that as a youth-led group, they believe that young people are “inheriting a precarious world,” but that “Kamala Harris is uniquely suited to meet this moment.”

“We need an ardent defender of democracy, a gun violence prevention champion, and a leader who will listen to young people, give us a seat at the table, and fight for our future,” the March For Our Lives press release read. “We believe that Kamala Harris is that candidate.”

LGBTQ advocacy group Human Rights Campaign also endorsed Harris, describing her as “a trailblazer” and “champion for LGBTQ+ equality for decades.”

A number of labor unions and trade groups have also come out in support of Harris, including the AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations), the SEIU (Service Employees International Union), the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), United Farm Workers, the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW), (the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT), the Retail, Wholesale, Department Store Union (RWDSU), and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).

“From day one, Vice President Kamala Harris has been a true partner in leading the most pro-labor administration in history,” the AFL-CIO, the country’s largest labor union federation representing over 12.5 million workers, said in a statement. “With Kamala Harris in the White House, together we’ll continue to build on the powerful legacy of the Biden-Harris administration to create good union jobs, grow the labor movement and make our economy work for all of us.”

Celebrities

West Wing writer Aaron Sorkin had just published a guest essay in the New York Times making the case for Biden to step aside and Democrats to nominate Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), hours before Biden did step aside but endorsed Harris.

“I take it all back,” Sorkin said in an email, shared on X by West Wing actor Joshua Malina. “Harris for America!”

Other Hollywood celebrities, including Barbra Streisand, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Spike Lee, have all publicly backed the Vice President for the presidency. So have singer John Legend and rapper Cardi B, both of whom have long used their platforms for political advocacy, among many other musicians. 

Some of the most prominent Black women in the entertainment industry, including Scandal creator Shonda Rhimes, actors Kerry Washington and Viola Davis, and singer and actor Sheryl Lee Ralph, have also voiced their excitement and support for Harris’ campaign. “When she wins, we win!” Ralph wrote on Instagram. 

Harris’ candidacy has also excited those outside America. British pop singer Charli XCX, who released her sixth studio album “brat” last month, gave Harris a nod of approval with a post on X: “kamala IS brat”—an endorsement Gen Zers understand and that the Harris campaign and her supporters have particularly leaned into. 

—With reporting by Chantelle Lee/New York