‘Temp check’ shows Kamala Harris with 80% support among WA delegates

OLYMPIA — In between pitches and at bats during the Mariners game on Sunday, Democratic fundraiser Suzi LeVine was fielding calls and texts from people wanting to know: “Where can I volunteer?” “Send me the link to donate.”

“It has been overwhelming,” LeVine, who served as U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein under former President Barack Obama, said Monday afternoon. “My thumbs are sore because I’m texting so much.”

Vice President Kamala Harris’ entrance into the race unlocked a flood of donations from Democrats across the country, setting a presidential fundraising record with more than $81 million raised in 24 hours, according to her campaign.

On Monday, a new survey by The Associated Press found she had enough support from Democratic delegates to secure her party’s nomination.

The impressive start in the single day since President Joe Biden stepped aside to throw his support behind his running mate, was mirrored with a commanding lead in Washington state where the state Democratic Party says she has the backing of more than 80% of the state delegates.

While the Harris campaign couldn’t provide a breakdown of how much of money was raised from Washington donors, local Democrats say the burst of energy around Harris in the Evergreen State is palpable. As of Monday afternoon, the state party received 853 donations since Biden’s announcement, for a total of about $39,000.

LeVine, a volunteer fundraiser for the Harris campaign, said she was hearing “deep appreciation for Biden’s extraordinary act of courage and patriotism” in stepping aside, coupled with excitement about Harris ascending to the top of the ticket.

There’s a sense that Harris “embodies all the contrasts that the party hopes it can draw with former President Trump,” said Marty Loesch, former chief of staff to Gov. Christine Gregoire and the founding partner of the government relations and public affairs firm Insight Strategic Partners.

“She’s young, she’s energetic, she’s sharp, she’s a former prosecutor. She’s just everything that he’s not,” he said. “And so they feel a sense of optimism, that there’s a chance to draw sharper contrast than they have been able to drive to date.”

After getting the news, the state’s Democratic Party jumped into action, said spokesperson Stephen Reed, describing Sunday as “a hive of activity.”

“People basically dropped whatever they were doing and hopped on the phone so that we could talk to our delegates, make sure that they were appraised of what was going on, make sure that we could talk to our party leaders and our elected officials so that they would know what we were doing,” Reed said.

Biden’s announcement came just weeks before Democrats will convene in Chicago for their convention Aug. 19-22.

Reed said that as of a Sunday “temperature check,” an “overwhelming” — more than 80% — of the state’s 135 delegates were on board with Harris’ campaign.

Washington’s delegates include 111 who were elected by party activists. The remaining 24 are “automatic” delegates, including state party chair Shasti Conrad, Gov. Jay Inslee, former Gov. Gary Locke, and the state’s U.S. Senators and U.S. House members.

Delegates could take a virtual roll call vote on a nominee as soon as Aug. 7.

U.S. representatives Suzan DelBene and Kim Schrier threw their support behind Harris Monday, joining most of Washington state’s top Democratic officials who publicly endorsed the vice president Sunday in the hours following her entrance in the race. 

DelBene, D-Medina, said she was backing someone she described as a “partner” in many policy wins when Democrats had the House majority, on the issues of high costs, child poverty and creating more domestic manufacturing jobs.

“Elections are about choices, and the choice before voters could not be more clear. Vice President Harris is the right person to prosecute the case against convicted felon Donald Trump, lead the fight to restore reproductive freedom, protect the rule of law, and build an economy that works for everyone, not just the ultrawealthy,” DelBene said in a statement. 

Schrier, D-Sammamish, also evoked Trump in her statement, saying Harris was the “best way to make sure Donald Trump never sets foot in the White House again.”

Delegate Alex Morgan spent his Sunday afternoon at the annual Jefferson County Democrats fundraiser, held, coincidentally, a few hours after Biden’s announcement.

“The energy was really incredible,” Morgan said. “People are really, I think they’ve got this new sense of hope and optimism about this election after almost a month of uncertainty about where the president’s candidacy was going to go.”

Morgan hasn’t officially thrown his weight behind Harris and says he’s waiting for more information on the process.

“We’ll get clarity on the process, you know, in the next 48 hours,” he said. “And then I anticipate I will be supporting her at that time.”

Two Democratic delegates from Washington will attend the convention uncommitted to any candidate over the Biden administration’s stance on the war in Gaza. One of them is Yaz Kader, who told The Seattle Times Monday that Biden had become a “political liability for the Democratic Party.”

“Regardless of who the Democratic nominee is, Palestinians and our many allies in the cease-fire movement will continue to push for a permanent cease-fire and an end to military funding to Israel,” he said in a statement. “We will support the nominee if they commit to these goals.”

Harris’ massive haul, which includes money raised across the campaign, the Democratic National Committee and joint fundraising committees, represents the largest 24-hour sum reported by either side in the 2024 campaign. Harris’ campaign said it was the largest single-day total in U.S. history.

“The historic outpouring of support for Vice President Harris represents exactly the kind of grassroots energy and enthusiasm that wins elections,” campaign spokesperson Kevin Munoz said.

Material from The Associated Press is included in this report.