PORTSMOUTH ― Following President Joe Biden’s exit from the presidential race, New Hampshire became the fourth state where the state Democratic Party unanimously pledged its delegates to Vice President Kamala Harris Sunday night.
The 25 delegates announced their decision after a video call Sunday evening.
“We are immensely grateful to President Biden and are proud to follow his lead and endorse Kamala Harris to be the Democratic nominee for President of the United States. Our endorsement reflects the sentiments of the historic number of Granite State voters who supported the Biden-Harris ticket in the 2024 NH Presidential Primary,” read their statement. “Kamala Harris will defeat the Trump-Vance ticket, their dangerous Project 2025 agenda, and will build upon the successes and values of the Biden-Harris Administration.”
Many of the delegates reiterated their support for Harris on social media.
“Proud to be a pledged delegate & part of New Hampshire’s historic delegation to the Democratic National Convention in August supporting VP @KamalaHarris,” pledged Maura Sullivan, a DNC delegate, Seacoast resident and NHDP 2nd Vice Chair in a post on X Sunday night.
“I thought being a delegate would be easy,” posted Doug Marino, a delegate from Brentwood, adding in an earlier post that Biden " deserved better than this ." That evening, he posted that he is “proud” to join his fellow delegates in supporting Harris.
“Let’s win this!” he wrote.
Top New Hampshire Democrats endorse Harris
As of Monday morning, all four members of New Hampshire’s all-Democrat congressional delegation had also endorsed Harris.
Rep. Annie Kuster, NH-02, was quick to announce her support for the vice president, releasing a statement both celebrating Biden and endorsing Harris Sunday afternoon. Kuster said that Harris has been “one of the most effective and influential vice presidents in American history” and has “full confidence” that she can defeat former President Donald Trump.
“I am pleased to join New Hampshire's elected delegates to the Democratic National Convention in endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to become our next President,” said Rep. Chris Pappas, NH-01, said in a statement released Sunday night, a few hours after his statement on Biden’s exit. “Vice President Harris is an accomplished prosecutor and public servant, and I’m confident in her ability to defeat Donald Trump and his extremist agenda, and move our country forward.”
While Sen. Maggie Hassan and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen did not endorse Harris in their initial statements Sunday, Hassan voiced her full support for Harris in an interview with WMUR Monday morning, while Shaheen posted her endorsement Monday on X .
Other leading Democrats, like DNC Chair Ray Buckley, both leading Democratic candidates for NH governor Cinde Warmington and Joyce Craig, NH-02 Democratic candidates Colin Van Ostern and Maggie Goodlander , and House Democratic Leader Matt Wilhelm, D-Manchester, also announced their support for Harris.
Delegates in more states backing Harris
Harris will need to secure 1,968 delegates to win the Democratic nomination. With Biden stepping down voluntarily, the delegates once pledged to him are now free to back another candidate of their choice.
Tennessee was the first state to pledge all of its delegates to Harris, followed by South Carolina, North Carolina, New Hampshire, and Florida. Louisiana’s Democratic Party also announced that they are backing Harris “by an overwhelming majority vote.”
New Hampshire and the other states’ decisions come even as some top Democratic leaders, like former President Barack Obama, have yet to endorse the vice president.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Kamala Harris gains support of NH delegates and congressional leaders
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