Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president Monday afternoon almost 24 hours after President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid and endorsed Harris.
Pelosi’s announcement ended speculation on what she might do, but ultimately was not surprising as Democrat lawmakers and party elites fell in behind Harris.
“Today, it is with immense pride and limitless optimism for our country’s future that I endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for President of the United States,” Pelosi said in a statement. “My enthusiastic support for Kamala Harris is official, personal and political.”
Pelosi’s fingerprints were all over Biden’s forced withdrawal, with the former Speaker playing perhaps the most pivotal role in convincing Biden he had no path to victory.
Biden had vowed to stay in the race unless he received a message from the “Lord almighty.”
Absent intervention from on high, Pelosi – perhaps the closest thing to Democratic divinity – stepped in, reportedly using polls and stern talk to convince Biden no path existed and that efforts to force him out would become increasingly public – and personal.
The party’s path to formally choosing Harris remains unclear. No other candidate has thrown his hat in the ring. And with each passing hour, Harris locks in more support from donors and party elites, making a challenge to her ascendancy increasingly unlikely.
Bradley Jaye is a Capitol Hill Correspondent for Breitbart News. Follow him on X/Twitter at @BradleyAJaye.