Harris, Walz officially certified as Democratic nominees for president, vice president

Vice President Harris and her newly announced running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, were officially certified as the Democratic nominees for president and vice president, respectively, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) announced Tuesday.

The certification, conducted by convention Secretary Jason Rae, comes less than a day after Harris formally secured the Democratic presidential nomination in a virtual roll call vote and just hours since she announced Walz would join her on the ticket.

“It is my great honor and privilege to congratulate the Democratic Party’s official nominees for President and Vice President, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. A Harris-Walz ticket represents the future of the Democratic Party and our country,” DNC Chair Jaime Harrison said in a statement.

It follows a nearly weeklong virtual voting period in which Harris received 99 percent of the votes of all delegates who participated. The vice president was the only candidate whose name was in contention following President Biden’s withdrawal from the race last month.

Harris quickly shored up Democratic support after Biden exited the race, with a majority of delegates publicly declaring support for her by the end of her first full day of her campaign.

The DNC originally planned to have the virtual roll call ahead of the Aug. 19 convention to ensure its nominee appears on the ballot in all 50 states after Democrats were notified earlier this year that their convention date didn’t meet an earlier Ohio deadline to certify the party’s presidential nominee.

However, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) in June signed legislation to extend the deadline from Aug. 7 to Aug. 31.

The DNC last month confirmed it would still move forward with the virtual roll call to ensure it has a presidential nominee by Aug. 7.

Since launching her presidential bid, Harris has seen an uptick in the polls, narrowing the gap with former President Trump, and even slightly leading in some cases.

Harris and Walz appeared together on the campaign trail Tuesday night for a rally in Philadelphia.

The Harris campaign said it raised more than $20 million since announcing Walz as Harris’s running mate choice.