Kamala Harris has won the delegate votes needed to become the Democrats’ presidential nominee – which will make her the first woman of colour to top a major US party’s election ticket.
The current vice president has been the frontrunner to stand against Republican Donald Trump since incumbent Joe Biden dropped out of the race last month.
Ms Harris quickly won the support of party heavyweights after the outgoing president backed her to run in his place, and she was the only candidate to qualify for the Democrats’ presidential ballot.
Party delegates voted virtually this week and Ms Harris needed at least 2,350 votes to formally secure the nomination, her campaign said.
The online voting process doesn’t end until Monday but she has already passed that threshold, they added.
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Having joined the livestream event where the announcement was made, Ms Harris said: “The power is with the people. We are going to win this election and it is going to take all of us.”
Ms Harris will wait until the Democratic National Convention (DNC) – which takes place from Monday 19 August to Thursday 22 August – to officially accept the nomination.
She continued: “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.”
Mr Biden backed his VP to run in his place when he pulled out of the presidential race last month. File pic: AP
The DNC held a virtual vote to ensure the nomination was completed by 7 August – the date by which a nominee must be in place to make the Ohio ballot.
Politicians in the state pushed the deadline back to 1 September but Democrat party officials said they wanted to meet the initial deadline to avoid any legal risk.
Ms Harris is yet to choose her running mate but she’s expected to interview candidates over the weekend.