Harris on Bypassing Primary Process: I Was ‘Elected’, Biden ‘Put Country Before Self’

During an interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes” released on Monday, 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris responded to a question on whether President Joe Biden stepping down and endorsing her and her not having to go through a primary is the best thing for democracy by stating that Biden “put country before self. And I am proud to have earned the support of the vast majority of delegates and to have been elected the Democratic nominee.”

“60 Minutes” Correspondent Bill Whitaker asked, “Was democracy best served by President Biden stepping down and basically handing you a nomination? You didn’t have to go through a primary process, you didn’t have to fight off other contenders, that’s not really the way our system was intended to work.”

Harris responded, “President Biden made a decision that I think history is going to show is rare among leaders, which was to put country before self. And I am proud to have earned the support of the vast majority of delegates and to have been elected the Democratic nominee. I am proud to have received the endorsement of leaders around this country from every background and walk of life, to fight, in this election, over the next month, for our democracy.”

Whitaker then said, “But I think this truncated process is why people think or say they don’t really know who you are.”

Harris responded, “Look, I’ve been in this race for 70 days. It is, without any question, a short period of time, which is why I’m traveling around our country, from one state to the next, to the next. It is my responsibility to earn the vote, and I’m going to work to do that.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett

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