With Vice President Kamala Harris rapidly locking down key endorsements in her bid to claim the Democratic presidential nomination, we wanted to take a look at how Frontline Democrats are responding.
It’s a mixed bag. While Harris has won the backing of Senate Democrats running in some must-win battleground states, red-state Senate Democrats are split. Over in the House, roughly two-thirds of DCCC Frontliners still haven’t weighed in yet.
Here’s a deeper look.
The Senate: A number of Senate Democrats running in top battleground races have endorsed Harris.
Chief among them are Sens. Bob Casey (Pa.), Tammy Baldwin (Wis.), Jacky Rosen (Nev.), Martin Heinrich (N.M.) and Sherrod Brown (Ohio), along with Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.). Brown is notable here because he represents ruby red Ohio.
Keeping their powder dry for the moment: Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.).
The House: Here are the Frontliners who’ve backed Harris so far: Reps. Susie Lee (D-Nev.), Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.), Hillary Scholten (D-Mich.), Dina Titus (D-Nev.), Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.), Mike Levin (D-Calif.), Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.), Val Hoyle (D-Ore.) and Susan Wild (D-Pa.).
This is roughly one-third of the total Frontline class.
Democratic sources we spoke to emphasized that it’s still early in the process and many endangered incumbents aren’t focusing on the next steps right away. As such, more members could follow suit and endorse Harris as it becomes increasingly clear that she’ll be the nominee.
But there are still plenty of House Democrats who aren’t quite on the Harris train yet.
Here’s Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) for example. “The President’s decision today will allow for the next generation of party leadership to step forward and address the unique and pressing challenges facing our country,” Craig said in a statement.
Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.), who went as far as calling on Biden to resign from office over concerns about his mental fitness, simply said “the next president must clearly be fit enough to do the job.”
Several other Frontline Democrats also didn’t mention Harris in their statements following Biden’s announcement. That could obviously change this week as Democrats huddle for caucus and other discussions.
– Max Cohen and Mica Soellner
