HARRIS' CAPITOL HILL SUPPORT Vice President Kamala Harris has locked down more than 100 endorsements from Democrats across Capitol Hill — but there are still members of key factions that haven’t joined the wave. Let’s dive right into the dynamics within those major Democratic groups on the Hill: Congressional leadership: One by one, the Harris endorsements from both former and current Democratic leaders trickled in, including Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), a senior lawmaker who helped propel Biden to the presidency in 2020, and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who had initially called for an open convention to find a candidate to replace Biden. Notably, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters Monday he planned to meet with Harris alongside Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer “soon.” Worth noting that the Senate is out until Tuesday so it might be another day before we get news on that front. The two said in a joint statement Monday that Harris is “off to a great start” and they were looking forward to meeting with her. Frontliners: Vulnerable members aren’t sweating Harris’ rise to the top of the ticket. The majority of frontliners, or Democrats from purple districts, have come out in support of her, including Reps. Gabe Vasquez (N.M.), Susie Lee (Nev.), Steven Horsford (Nev.), Hillary Scholten (Mich.), Susan Wild (Pa.), Angie Craig (Minn.), Jahana Hayes (Conn.), Sharice Davids (Kan.) and more. But there’s still a handful of Democrats in that group who haven’t endorsed Harris, including Blue Dog Reps. Mary Peltola (Alaska), Jared Golden (Maine), and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Wash.). Golden and Gluesenkamp Perez have both indicated that they didn’t believe President Joe Biden could beat Donald Trump, but those comments about the 2024 election were specific to Biden, not Harris. Democrats who shared concerns about Biden have privately said Harris has more of a chance to beat Trump, which is why the majority are coalescing around her. Progressives: When then-Sen. Kamala Harris was running for president in the 2020 Democratic primary, progressives were vocally against her more moderate policy takes — instead rallying around her primary rivals, Sens. Bernie Sanders (Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (Mass.). But a lot has changed in the last four years. The majority of progressives stood by Biden when he defiantly said he would stay in the race — and were quick to endorse Harris to replace him on the ticket after Biden backed her. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, endorsed Harris on Sunday and so have other key progressives, such as Reps. Ayanna Pressley (Mass.) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.). “She’s going to be the nominee and Democrats need to win,” said one senior Democratic aide who works with a top progressive, granted anonymity to discuss the left’s thinking. Senate Democrats: Even though Schumer hasn’t endorsed Harris yet, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) endorsed her Monday after the majority of Senate Democrats fell in line Sunday evening. Even some senators facing tough reelections – including Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.) — formally announced their support for Harris. One Democrat to watch: Sen. Jon Tester (D-Montana), who has not backed her yet. — Daniella Diaz with assist from Nicholas Wu and Sarah Ferris
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