COLUMBUS, Ohio — Vice President Kamala Harris got a big boost from the Ohio Democratic National Convention delegates. Ohio has 144 delegates who are throwing support behind her as the Democratic nominee for president.
The delegates say she's the ideal candidate who will make a great president.
The Ohio delegation met virtually Monday night and decided overwhelmingly to pledge their votes to Harris, the Ohio Democratic Party said.
State Sen. Bill DeMora, of Columbus, is the delegation and convention director for the Ohio Democratic Party.
"She's been vice president, she's been a senator, she's been a prosecutor, she's been attorney general. I mean, we are the first political party to ever nominate an African American female to be our nominee for president," DeMora said. "I think she's already shown the excitement of younger voters, of African American voters to motivate them to get more involved and to turn out and vote."
Ohio Democratic Party Chair Elizabeth Walters said Harris is a proven public servant who will be a strong fighter for Ohio's workers.
"We're ready to get to work to make sure that she and the rest of our democratic ticket wins in November," Walters said.
The Democratic Party plans to push forward with a virtual roll call in which delegates to its convention can choose a presidential nominee before they gather next month in Chicago — despite Harris being overwhelmingly favored to replace President Joe Biden at the top of the ticket.
The Democratic National Convention starts Aug. 19.
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The president endorsed Harris to replace him on the Democratic ticket, but she won't formally do so until nominated by the party's convention delegates. The rules of the virtual roll call her party is planning require Harris, and any other potential Democrat willing to challenge her, to submit 300 electronic signatures from convention delegates, not more than 50 of whom can be from the same state.
The vice president, and any other candidate qualifying, would then have a few days to lobby delegates for their support before a virtual vote is held. Multiple rounds could be required, but the process would still be completed no later than Aug. 7.
That date is important because it was the original deadline to qualify for the presidential ballot in Ohio. Lawmakers there have since changed that, but the modification doesn't take effect until Sept. 1 — and DNC attorneys have warned that waiting until after the initial deadline to determine a nominee could prompt legal challenges.