Obama supports Harris despite not officially endorsing her

Former President Barack Obama has not yet publicly endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee for president in the upcoming election. However, sources close to Obama indicate that he is fully supportive of Harris’ campaign for the presidency.

President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the 2024 race in a public letter posted on his X account, shortly followed by his endorsement of Harris for president. This move garnered widespread support from Democrats across the country, who are gearing up for another election battle against former President Trump.

While prominent Democratic leaders such as Sen. Chuck Schumer, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the Clintons, and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have endorsed Harris, Obama has chosen to remain silent on the matter.

Obama has a history of withholding his endorsements until later stages of the election process. During the 2016 election, he endorsed Hillary Clinton only in June, and his endorsement of Biden in 2020 came just days before the Democratic National Convention.

Throughout the 2020 election, Obama refrained from publicly supporting any candidate during the primary. It was only after Biden emerged as the frontrunner following the exits of contenders like Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and Sen. Bernie Sanders that Obama finally endorsed him in August of that year.

Harris, who was also a candidate in the 2020 race, shares a longstanding friendship with Obama. She was among the first elected officials in California to endorse Obama during his presidential campaign in 2008, opting for him over Joe Biden, who was also running at the time.

As Harris progressed from her role as the San Francisco district attorney to California attorney general and eventually senator, she earned the nickname “the female Obama” from some political analysts. Her close ties to Obama’s circle were evident during her 2020 presidential campaign, with key figures in Obama’s network supporting her efforts.

Currently, Obama has refrained from publicly endorsing Harris for the 2024 race. However, influential advisers and allies from his inner circle have actively joined Harris’ campaign. Eric Holder, Obama’s former attorney general, heads the vetting process for Harris’ potential running mates, while longtime Obama adviser David Plouffe may assume a leadership role in her team. Jennifer O’Malley Dillon, who worked on Obama’s and Biden’s campaigns, serves as Harris’ campaign manager.

Despite Obama’s silence on endorsing Harris, his associates have been vocal in calling for Biden to step aside in favor of a candidate better suited to face Trump in the upcoming election. Obama’s former chief campaign strategist David Axelrod and actor George Clooney are among those who have publicly expressed doubts about Biden’s ability to win the race.

As support for Harris grows and the Democratic National Convention approaches, where Harris is expected to be certified as the nominee, Obama maintains his tradition of carefully navigating the endorsement process. In his recent statement, Obama expressed confidence in the Democratic Party’s ability to select an outstanding nominee and carry forward a message of hope and progress.