How do Memphis Democrats feel about Kamala Harris' presidential run? 'A great, exciting feeling'

Sunday afternoon, President Joe Biden withdrew from the presidential race in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. The post came on the back of speculation for weeks that he would be stepping out of the race, with top Democratic leaders calling on Biden to stand down.

Minutes after Biden's post, in a separate post, he endorsed Vice President, and former presidential contender, Kamala Harris.

The move for many Democrats across the country was swift, endorsing Harris and expressing gratitude for Biden's service to both the party and the country. Democrats from around Shelby County and Memphis were also quick to express excitement for Harris's potential nomination for the party's presidential nomination.

The Tennessee Democratic Party delegates voted unanimously to support Biden’s endorsement of Harris during a call hours after the president announced he was not seeking reelection .

Win With Black Women, an organization of Black women leaders around the country, hosted a call after the announcement which raised over $1 million for the campaign. Some Tennessee leaders were on the call, including State House Minority Leader Rep. Karen Camper and Tennessee Senate Minority Leader Sen. Raumesh Akbari.

"That was a phenomenal evening, (Sunday) night, and the numbers just kept growing and growing and growing...And the fact that we were able to raise a million dollars in less than three hours, says a lot about the excitement around this candidate," Camper said of the call.

The Harris campaign brought it over $81 million in the first 24 hours since she announced her candidacy, according to her campaign.

Camper is among a group of Democratic women leaders in the state that are planning an additional call, specifically for Tennessee leaders.

How do delegates, Democrat leaders feel?

The Democratic National Convention is scheduled to run from Aug. 19-22 which is when the official vote for the Democratic Party's nomination for president happens.

The nominee for the Democratic Party could be chosen prior to the convention. Before Biden's announcement, the DNC Democrats had decided to confirm their nominee during a virtual roll call sometime before Aug. 7 to satisfy ballot deadlines in several states.

During a call on Sunday, Tennessee Democratic Delegates voted unanimously to endorse Harris.

West Tennessee has a strong showing of delegates that represent Memphis in various capacities. U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, Memphis Mayor Paul Young, Memphis Urban League Interim CEO Gale Jones Carson and State Rep. Justin J. Pearson are just some of the delegates who hail from Memphis.

While the party voted unanimously to support Harris's bid for President, it did not mean party delegates were not upset by Biden's withdrawal.

Cohen, among many other Tennessee delegates, said he was disappointed to see Biden go but is excited for the future of the party with Harris likely leading it.

"Well, as a friend of Joe Biden who is in support of Joe Biden, I was disappointed, disappointed that this is how his career ended," Cohen said. "Although, in a way, sending a high note and that he's taking a leave of the campaign for what he thinks is the good of the party and the good of the country ― and I suspect it is."

Harris will have the upper hand, Cohen said, by running on the accomplishments during the Biden-Harris administration. Recently, it was announced that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act awarded a $394 million grant to fund the rebuilding of the Interstate 55 bridge .

Cohen also said Harris has the "chops" to fend off former President Donald Trump's attacks on both her and her campaign.

"She will be able to parse Trump's attacks and come back with counterpunches. She's got the chops of a prosecutor," Cohen said.

Camper, a Democrat from Memphis, said the call with various Tennessee delegates was the group's regularly scheduled call. When recalling the tone of the call, Camper said overall everyone was excited.

"It is such a great, exciting feeling. And not just for me, personally, but I think for Democrats in general, because we have a chance to make history yet again, by electing the first woman to the presidency," Camper said.

Young was on the call that formally endorsed Harris for President. Young said that there were a few people on the call who expressed hesitancy, but it was not because Harris was supported.

"There were a few people that wanted to possibly wait a little bit longer to make a decision...(they) said they wanted to wait, but nobody was in opposition of her...It was pretty consistent across the board that people felt like she had what it takes and that she's the best option moving forward into November," Young said.

Young said he had spoken with other mayors across the state, and they also expressed excitement about Harris' candidacy.

Many delegates think Harris has a better chance of beating Trump than Biden did. Pearson said Harris has renewed excitement behind the Tennessee Democratic Party.

"I believe the Democrats in Tennessee are energized and fired up and are unified around the candidate who we know is going to care about us who we know, cares about our core values, who will help to preserve the democratic experiment," Pearson said.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: How do Memphis Democrats feel about Kamala Harris' presidential run? 'A great, exciting feeling'