Vice President Kamala Harris has officially secured enough votes from delegates to the Democratic National Convention to become the party’s presidential nominee.

The votes were collected as virtual ballots starting on Thursday in advance of the party’s gathering in Chicago, Illinois later this month. Voting will continue through Monday, but no other candidate qualified and Harris now has enough votes to lock up the nomination.

Party chairman Jaime Harrison led a phone call on which he announced that Harris had officially passed the threshold needed to win her spot on the ticket.

Harris, who will be the first Black woman and first woman of South Asian descent to head a major party’s presidential ticket, then joined the call to thank delegates for their support and hard work over the past months.

“I know that we are excited about the future, but we also know that we’ve got a lot of work to get there,” she said, adding that she was “deeply grateful” and “honored to be the presumptive Democratic nominee for President of the United States.”

She credited the “tireless work of our delegates, our state leaders, and staff” and “dedication to our country” as “pivotal in making this moment possible.”

“I know we all feel this way, so strongly,” said Harris. “We love our country. We believe in the promise of America and that’s what this campaign is about. So, of course, I will officially accept your nomination next week, once the virtual voting period is closed. But already I’m happy to know that we have enough delegates to secure the nomination. And later this month, we will gather in Chicago, united as one party, where we’re going to have an opportunity to celebrate this historic moment together.”

She continued:

This campaign is about all of us coming together, people coming together from every walk of life, every lived experience, and being fueled by our love of country, knowing that we are prepared to fight for the best of who we are. We believe in the promise of America, a promise of freedom, opportunity, and justice, not just for some, but for all.

Ultimately in this election — you all have heard me say many times — we each face the question, what kind of country do we want to live in? Do we want to live in a country of freedom, compassion, and rule of law, or a country of chaos, fear, and hate? And the beauty of our democracy as we each, every one of us, has the power to answer that question. And that is why I say and know the power is with the people.

So here’s the bottom line, I say to all the friends on the call, we are going to win this election and it is going to take all of us, whether it is making calls connecting with our communities, engaging online, or even talking with people where we go every day, whether it’d be to the grocery store or our church. We are going to talk with people about the fact that we are all in this together and we stand together. And so let’s let folks know that our campaign is about the future, and it’s about an expansion of rights and freedoms, and for the opportunity of everyone, to not just get by, but to get ahead.

November 5, November 5 is 95 days away. And North Carolina, for everyone there, you’re kicking us off with absentee ballots that are being sent in just 35 days, so we are we are in this, everyone, we are in this. We are on the road, and you know it’s not going to be easy. But we’re going to, we’re going to get this done, and as your future president, I know we are up to this fight. And when we fight — everyone will say in unison — we win.

Thank you, everyone. Please take care and I can’t wait to see you in Chicago. And thank you again, Jaime.

Watch the clip above via CNN.

This is a breaking news story and has been updated.

The post ‘Deeply Grateful’ Kamala Harris Thanks Delegates After Securing Enough Votes to Win Democratic Nomination first appeared on Mediaite.

from Mediaite https://ift.tt/E5Hlswz