The former Democratic House speaker, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, on Monday endorsed Kamala Harris to head the party's ticket in the presidential election.
Pelosi had been one of the notable holdouts. The California representative had praised Biden when he announced on Sunday that he would step aside but did not back a successor.
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On Monday she joined a growing list of party officials and others behind Harris and said that she was lending her “enthusiastic support” to Harris' effort to lead the party.
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"Today, it is with immense pride and limitless optimism for our country’s future that I endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for President of the United States," she said in a statement. "My enthusiastic support for Kamala Harris for President is official, personal and political. "
"Officially, I have seen Kamala Harris’s strength and courage as a champion for working families, notably fighting for a woman’s right to choose," Pelosi said. "Personally, I have known Kamala Harris for decades as rooted in strong values, faith and a commitment to public service. Politically, make no mistake: Kamala Harris as a woman in politics is brilliantly astute – and I have full confidence that she will lead us to victory in November."
Pelosi is said to be among those who pressured Biden to drop his bid for a second term amid concerns that he could not win against former President Donald Trump.