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Election 2024 updates: Harris makes 1st public appearance since Biden's announcement

President Joe Biden was under heavy pressure from fellow Democrats.

Last Updated: July 22, 2024, 12:53 PM EDT

After President Joe Biden's decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential race on Sunday, Vice President Kamala Harris has emerged as the party favorite to replace him at the top of the ticket.

Biden endorsed Harris on Sunday -- and since then, many others in the Democratic Party are backing her.

With just a few months before the Nov. 5 election, all eyes are on Democrats as they work to lock in a candidate.

9 hours and 32 minutes ago

Michael Bloomberg urges Democratic Party not to rush 'to determine who is best positioned to win in November'

Major Democratic donor, businessman and one-time presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg is urging the Democratic Party to take a step back and "take the pulse of voters" before determining "who is best positioned to win in November," saying "the decision is too important to rush."

"Democrats now have a chance for a fresh new start, and while some elected leaders and party officials make their endorsements, there are still four weeks before the party's more than 4,000 delegates convene in Chicago," Bloomberg posted Monday on X.

Michael Bloomberg speaks at an Earthshot Prize Innovation Camp in London on June 27, 2024.
Kin Cheung/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

"That is more than enough time for the party to take the pulse of voters, especially in battleground states, to determine who is best positioned to win in November and lead the country over the next four years," Bloomberg continued. "We don’t need to get a resolution right away, but we do need to get it right. The decision is too important to rush, because the election is too important to lose."

Bloomberg also praised President Joe Biden for stepping down, calling it "an act of selflessness that only a great patriot would do."

-ABC News' Peter Charalambous and Soorin Kim

10 hours and 35 minutes ago

Harris lauds Biden's 'unmatched' legacy in 1st appearance since Biden's announcement

Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday is making her first public appearance since Biden dropped out of the 2024 race and endorsed her.

Harris is giving remarks at an event celebrating the NCAA championship teams Monday morning on the South Lawn of the White House. She is filling in for Biden, who is recovering from COVID.

Vice President Kamala Harris arrives for an event honoring National Collegiate Athletic Association championship teams from the 2023-2024 season, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, July 22, 2024.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

"I wanted to say a few words about our president. Joe Biden's legacy of accomplishment over the past three years is unmatched in modern history," Harris said at the top of her statement. "In one term, he has already surpassed the legacy of most presidents who have served two terms in office."

Harris didn’t specifically address her own candidacy, but said she was grateful for Biden's service to the country.

"I am firsthand witness that every day our president, Joe Biden, fights for American people. And we are deeply, deeply grateful for his service to our nation," she said.

-ABC News' Sarah Beth Hensley

11:08 AM EDT

Former VP Mike Pence: 'Biden made the right decision for our country'

Former Vice President Mike Pence's commented on the end of Biden's reelection bid on Monday morning, praising the president and pushing for national unity.

"President Joe Biden made the right decision for our country and I thank him for putting the interests of our Nation ahead of his own," Pence wrote in a statement on X.

President Joe Biden speaks at a news conference July 11, 2024, in Washington.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP

"After the assassination attempt on President Trump and President Biden's decision to end his campaign, now is a time for leaders in both parties to project calm and send a message of strength and resolve to America's friends and enemies alike that, whatever the state of our politics, the American people are strong and our American military stands ready to defend our freedom and our vital national interests anywhere in the world," Pence said.

He made mo mention of Harris in the post.

-ABC News' Brittany Shepherd

10:26 AM EDT

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer endorses Harris

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was the final holdout of potential Biden replacements to throw her support behind the vice president.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks at the SelectUSA Investment Summit, May 4, 2023, in Oxon Hill, Md.
Alex Brandon/AP

"Today I am fired up to endorse Kamala Harris for the President of the United States," Whitmer posted to X on Monday.

-ABC News' Isabella Murray

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