WASHINGTON — Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and Sen. Chuck Schumer, the top Democrats in Congress, endorsed Kamala Harris for president Tuesday.
Schumer and Jeffries, both of New York, made the announcement at a news conference, where both emphasized the excitement throughout their Democratic conferences for Harris' candidacy. "We are brimming with excitement, enthusiasm, unity," Schumer told reporters.
Jeffries echoed the sentiment, adding that Harris "is ready, willing and able to lead us into the future."
While many elected Democrats, including President Joe Biden, quickly announced their support for Harris, Schumer, the Senate majority leader, and Jeffries, the House minority leader, had said they wanted to meet with her first. That meeting has not yet happened, sources close to the leaders told NBC News. But both Jeffries and Schumer have spoken to Harris by phone.
"When I spoke with her Sunday, she said she wanted the opportunity to win the nomination on her own and to do so from the grassroots up, not top-down. We deeply respected that, Hakeem and I did," Schumer said.
“Now that the process has played out from the grassroots, bottom-up, we are here today to throw our support behind Vice President Kamala Harris," he said.
Harris has clinched support from the majority of pledged delegates for the Democratic convention. The vote to make Harris the party's official nominee will happen in early August ahead of the convention.
While they were waiting to speak with her before they made formal endorsements, Schumer, who served with Harris in the Senate, and Jeffries had both said positive things about her and her campaign since Biden announced Sunday he would not run for re-election. In a statement Monday, the leaders said that she was “off to a great start” and that they looked forward “to meeting in person with Vice President Harris shortly as we collectively work to unify the Democratic Party and the country.”
Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., the former House speaker, endorsed Harris on Monday, joining a broad range of congressional Democrats — including progressives like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, of New York, and Congressional Progressive Caucus chair Pramila Jayapal, of Washington, and popular governors who have been mentioned as potential rivals for a presidential run — in backing Harris. Though she is no longer in leadership, Pelosi played a key role in getting Biden to exit the campaign, paving the way for Harris.
Schumer and Jeffries also had serious private conversations with Biden in the weeks after a disastrous debate that raised unshakable concerns about his ability to run for re-election.
Schumer told Biden at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on July 13 that he was there “out of love and affection" but laid out the case for him to leave the race in stark terms, a source familiar with their conversation told NBC News. Biden needed to consider three important points: his legacy, the future of the country and the impact on Congress, Schumer said, according to this source. He also urged Biden to think about the Supreme Court.
Schumer finished the meeting by saying, “I do not expect you to walk out of this room making a decision, but I hope you will think about what I said," the source said.
Biden responded, “I need another week,” and then the two leaders hugged.
Schumer did not say much publicly in the week that followed, instead speaking privately with Democratic members, White House staffers, Jeffries, Pelosi and former President Barack Obama.
Schumer firmly believed that calling out Biden publicly would be “counterproductive” and could embarrass him. He also believed the best way for Democrats to approach the situation was with some humanity and not merely cold political calculus. Regardless of Biden’s decision, Democrats needed him to be able to campaign for himself or for another Democratic nominee.
As he had suggested to Schumer, a week later, Biden announced his decision to drop out and endorsed Harris.
