Eshoo said Harris was now “poised” to move ahead as the party’s nominee. Biden endorsed Harris on Sunday, shortly after he announced he would not seek a second term.
Shortly after, Rep. Mike Levin (D-Oceanside), who is fighting to keep his swing seat in a district that straddles southern Orange County and northern San Diego County, threw his support behind the vice president as well. Levin had called for Biden to step down and said Harris is “the right person to lead our nation forward and defeat Donald Trump and his extremist policies.”
“President Biden’s decision is incredibly patriotic and the right thing to do. He put country first. Now, we must come together to prevail against the incalculable threat Donald Trump poses to the American institutions of freedom and democracy,” he wrote on X. “I’m proud to follow President Biden’s lead in endorsing Kamala Harris to be our Democratic Presidential nominee … It is time to move forward with Kamala Harris as our new leader. Together.”
U.S. Sen. Laphonza Butler also threw her support behind Harris, who previously served in the U.S. Senate and as California attorney general.
“Thanks to (Biden’s) leadership, the American people have witnessed historic investments in education, infrastructure, and much more. The threat to all that progress remains, and we must now do everything we can to ensure Vice President Harris succeeds. There’s no one better prepared for this challenge,” she said in a written statement.
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) said Harris would be the best choice for the nomination, given her experience in the White House over the last three years.
“She’s been part of the Biden-Harris team, which has delivered for the American people, and I believe the party needs to unify around Vice President Harris,” Lee said.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed joined the chorus of support for Harris. Speaking to reporters near San Francisco’s waterfront, Breed said civil rights for LGBTQ people, women and people of color are at stake as the November election draws near.
“We cannot mess around with this opportunity, there is so much at stake,” she said. “All I can think is I wish I could travel to battleground states and just go across the country and help elect Kamala Harris and whoever the vice presidential nominee will be so that we can continue to move our country and especially our city here locally in the right direction.”
Breed said Biden made the “right decision” to step down and endorse Harris. She did not endorse a pick for Harris’s running mate.
Other Democrats who, in recent days, had called on Biden to step aside over concerns about his age and mental fitness turned their attention on Sunday to celebrate Biden’s time in office.
Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-San José) was among the dozens of House Democrats who recently called on Biden to pass the torch to a new nominee, unconvinced that the 81-year-old Biden could defeat former President Donald Trump in November.
After Biden’s announcement, Lofgren paid tribute to Biden as “a patriot with a lifelong commitment to our democracy.”
“I respect him & am grateful to him,” Lofgren said in a statement. “I am confident that voters will quickly coalesce to defeat Donald Trump, who is unfit for office. For America’s future.”
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi did not publicly call on Biden to abandon his reelection campaign, but CNN reported that the San Francisco congresswoman warned Biden that his standing in the polls could endanger Democrats running for the House and Senate. In a statement on Sunday, she focused on his time in office.
“President Joe Biden is a patriotic American who has always put our country first. His legacy of vision, values and leadership make him one of the most consequential Presidents in American history,” she said. “With love and gratitude to President Biden for always believing in the promise of America and giving people the opportunity to reach their fulfillment.”
And some Democratic Party delegates — who will ultimately decide who should face President Donald Trump this fall — expressed excitement about the prospect of Harris leading the ticket.
“It’s hard to say who would be the best candidate to win places like Pennsylvania and Arizona and Michigan,” said delegate Honey Mahogany, the former chair of the San Francisco Democratic Party. “But Republican women in places like that will be important to win over. Kamala Harris has been talking about women’s reproductive rights, and I think she’s well positioned to win over those voters.”
In San José, delegate Jonathan Padilla said he will spend the next few weeks talking with Democrats in his district about who they would like to see at the top of the ticket.
“I want to make sure we have a fully vetted process,” Padilla said. “I think, if I’m being honest, it’s probably Vice President Harris, but I think we’re still reeling from the last two or three hours, and I want to get a sense of what this race will look like by the end of the week.”
Further south, delegate Ada Bruceño — who’s also co-president of Local 11 hotel workers in Orange County and chair of the Orange County Democratic Party — said she believes Harris will excite the base and do well in swing districts like those in Orange County.
“There is a tremendous amount of excitement about Vice President Harris running for president. There is lots of energy that will translate into volunteering, donations, and social media,” she said, going on to praise Biden.
KQED’s Scott Shafer, Sydney Johnson, Natalia Navarro, Sara Hossaini and Elize Manoukian contributed to this report.
