Kamala Harris’ trip to Indianapolis could not have come at a more pivotal moment in presidential politics.
The vice president’s planned speaking engagement July 24 at the biennial convention of the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority carries added weight following the news that President Joe Biden is stepping down in the 2024 presidential race, becoming the first president not to seek reelection since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968.
Harris is scheduled to participate in a forum on social justice with NC Grant, president and CEO of Zeta Phi Beta International, at 12:30 p.m. July 24. The group is one of the largest historically Black sororities in the country. The event is not open to the general public.
The former California senator and presidential candidate will seek the Democratic nomination after Biden dropped his reelection bid July 21 amid rising concerns about his age and cognitive abilities.
Biden’s decision comes after weeks of mounting calls to resign after a disastrous June 27 debate performance against Republican Donald Trump that left even the most prominent members of his own party questioning his ability to do the job.
Many of those one-time allies are already lining up behind Harris.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is endorsing Harris, and U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, a potential Harris running mate and the former mayor of South Bend, held a call with Democratic donors Monday to discuss her candidacy, Politico reported.
The Harris campaign said Monday that it received $81 million in the 24 hours following Biden’s endorsement, which does not guarantee her nomination.
Party delegates will vote on their new nominee at the Democratic National Convention, which opens Aug. 19 in Chicago.
Harris is not expected to carry a solid-red state like Indiana, which hasn’t voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since Barack Obama in 2008. A Democrat hasn’t won statewide office in Indiana since 2012.
The VP last visited Indianapolis in July 2023 for the national convention of Delta Sigma Theta, where she discussed the U.S. Supreme Court’s rollback of abortion rights, affirmative action and student debt relief.
Peter Blanchard covers local government. Reach him at 317-605-4836 or peter.blanchard@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @peterlblanchard.
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