Mayor Johnson and Gov. Pritzker endorse Vice President Kamala Harris as nominee
CHICAGO (CBS) — Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker threw their support behind Vice President Kamala Harris as the prospective Democratic nominee in the 2024 presidential election, after President Joe Biden's withdrawal from the race.
The president announced Sunday that he is withdrawing from the 2024 presidential race, and himself endorsed Harris for the nomination.
Monday morning, Pritzker threw his support behind Harris to replace Biden as the Democratic nominee for president.
"Vice President Harris has proven, at every point in her career, that she possesses the skills, strength, and character to lead this country and the vision to better the lives of all Americans From protecting women's rights to defending American workers and strengthening the middle class, Vice President Harris is a champion of the American values we hold dear. She represents our Party's best chance to defeat Donald Trump in November, and I will work my heart out to help her do that," Pritzker said in a statement.
In a statement on X on Sunday, formerly Twitter, Johnson praised Biden and endorsed Harris as the next Democratic nominee.
"President Biden united the country by defeating Donald Trump in 2020 and Chicago is grateful for his leadership and service. Today President Biden cemented his legacy as the rare leader who puts the people above himself.
"It is vital for our entire party to come together and support Vice President Kamala Harris. I am proud to give her my full endorsement.
"Vice President Harris is the visionary leader that we need now to defeat the threat of another Trump presidency. She has proven herself as a fearless defender of democracy. I look forward to doing everything I can to ensure she becomes our next President."
Johnson and Pritzker were among a number of Illinois officials who weighed in after the president announced his withdrawal from the race.
Despite calls for Mr. Biden to drop out of the race since his poor debate performance last month, Johnson and Pritzker continued to voice support for him until Biden decided to end his reelection bid.
On July 11, Pritzker said he was still supporting Biden as the presidential nominee and Harris as the vice presidential nominee, saying, "I'm going to work my tail off to make sure that they win."
However, at the same event, Pritzker was caught on a hot microphone, apparently expressing concern about the state of the race for the White House.
"I mean, we're just going to keep fighting. I don't know what to say. You know, got to do what we have to do," Pritzker was heard saying to a man at the event. "I don't like where we are, but..."
Jordan Abudayyeh, deputy chief of communications for Gov. Pritzker's office, said at the time it "sounds like [Pritzker] was talking about the state of the presidential race."
On July 9, Johnson said in a statement on X, "I am proud to continue supporting President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in this election and I look forward to welcoming Democrats from across the country to Chicago, the greatest city in the world, for the Democratic National Convention next month. We must be united as we work as hard as possible every day to ensure that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are reelected – and Donald Trump is defeated once and for all."
On June 28, Johnson wrote, "Here's what I know: when you get knocked down, you've got to dust yourself off and get back up again. Take it from a guy who's beaten a bad poll or two—this President is ready to fight for us every single day!"
Harris says she will be seeking the Democratic presidential nomination and "intends to earn and win" it.
The Democratic National Convention is scheduled to begin Aug. 19 in Chicago.