Pelosi welcomes Harris home as West Coast donors raise $12 million

By Jeff Mason

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made the case for Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential campaign at a California fundraiser on Sunday that raked in millions of dollars at the conclusion of a swing state tour by Harris and her running mate.

Pelosi appeared with the Democratic presidential nominee in San Francisco at an event that the Harris' campaign said raised more than $12 million.

"This is a good day when we welcome Kamala Harris back home to California," Pelosi said about the former U.S. senator, attorney general and district attorney from the state.

"She makes us all so proud. She brings us so much joy. She gives us so much hope," Pelosi said at the fundraiser, held in a hotel ballroom.

Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, have just finished a tour of multiple political swing states, packing rallies with thousands of people and building on the momentum that has propelled her since she took over at the top of the Democratic ticket.

Pelosi, the longtime lawmaker and Washington power broker, is credited with helping to usher President Joe Biden out of the presidential race.

Biden, 81, stepped aside last month after a poor debate performance against Republican Donald Trump sparked turmoil within the Democratic Party and concerns that he could not beat the former president nor complete a second four-year term.

Pelosi's comments in a television interview suggesting that Biden had not yet decided whether to step aside were viewed as giving an opening to worried Democratic lawmakers to urge him to leave even as the president had said he was staying.

Pelosi has praised Biden's achievements while criticizing his former campaign. On Sunday she connected Harris, 59, to the accomplishments of Biden's administration.

"She knows the issues. She knows the strategy. She has gotten an enormous amount done working with Joe Biden," Pelosi said.

Harris acknowledged the enthusiasm but cautioned against getting caught up in it.

"We can take nothing for granted in this critical moment," she said, after thanking Pelosi for her friendship and support.

"The energy is undeniable," Harris said. "Yes, the crowds are large."

California Governor Gavin Newsom, once seen as a potential Democratic replacement for Biden before he stepped aside, also attended.

Harris, making her own case against Trump, said that if the former president got back into office, he would sign a national ban on abortion into law and warned that California would not be immune. Trump has sought to distance himself from Republican efforts to ban abortion, saying it should be up to individual states.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason; editing by Diane Craft)