With Biden out of presidential race, big-name Minnesota Democrats move to Kamala Harris

Vice President Kamala Harris emerged Sunday as the chosen presidential candidate of several prominent Minnesota Democrats, as the party scrambled to unify behind a successor to President Joe Biden.

Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, and Reps. Ilhan Omar and Dean Phillips quickly voiced support for Harris, as Democrats reckoned with Biden’s extraordinary decision to step aside just weeks before the party’s nominating convention, and endorse his vice president.

“I think she’ll make a great president,” Klobuchar said of Harris in an interview Sunday. “She was there for every major decision.”

Smith posted on social media that Harris “is the very best person in this moment to unify the Democratic Party and lead us forward to victory.” Omar posted that she would “remain committed to working alongside (Harris) to defeat Donald Trump in November.”

Rep. Betty McCollum, who on Friday had called on Biden to drop out, endorsed Harris at that time — and suggested that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz should be her running mate. Several Democratic governors were the subject of similar speculation on Sunday.

Walz limited his own public comments on Sunday to accolades for Biden. “Joe Biden is and has always been an American hero. History will look fondly on his legacy,” he said in a prepared statement, echoing other Democratic leaders in similarly effusive praise for Biden and his decision.

After criticizing Biden during his ill-fated campaign earlier this year, Phillips was all praise on Sunday for the outgoing president. He posted online that Biden “is an American hero and patriot whose legacy will rank among the most important in our history.”

Phillips said in an interview on CNN that he would not re-enter the presidential race, and he threw in with Harris, writing on X that she is “talented, experienced, and well-prepared to beat Donald Trump and serve as our President.”

Rep. Tom Emmer, a Republican and member of U.S. House leadership, said he did not think it mattered who Democrats nominated. He echoed fellow Republicans who said Biden should also step down as president. “If the Democratic party has deemed Joe Biden unfit to run for reelection, he’s certainly unfit to control our nuclear codes,” Emmer posted on X.

Biden’s decision appeared to take many Democratic leaders by surprise. State DFL Chair Ken Martin said he was attending the opening of a Biden-Harris campaign office in Minneapolis when he saw the news.

Martin rapidly came out for Harris, suggesting the party’s leadership establishment would quickly coalesce behind her campaign. “We need to unify quickly,” Martin said at a news conference Sunday afternoon in St. Paul. He pointed to what could be a theme of Harris’ candidacy — her background as a prosecutor.

“There is no one more qualified than her to prosecute the case against Donald Trump,” Martin said.

Walz, whose national profile has risen as chair of the Democratic Governors Association and with a prominent counterprogramming slot during last week’s Republican National Convention, did not publicly endorse Harris on Sunday. Earlier this month, in response to reporters’ questions about his political ambitions, Walz deflected.

“It’s an honor but these things are parlor games that get out there. I have never prepared my life to run for these offices but I think my life prepared me well,” he said at the time.

After the shaky debate performance from Biden last month, Klobuchar said she was eager to see Harris face off against former President Donald Trump. “I’m looking forward to the next debate,” she said.

She counted herself out as a possible running mate for Harris: “I’m running for the Senate,” said Klobuchar, who’s on the ballot in November for a fourth term.

Biden’s exit will make the Democratic National Convention more consequential. Biden had enough committed delegates to win the nomination on the first round of ballots. His exit disrupts that balance and could give more sway to the “uncommitted” delegates, many of whom opposed Biden during the 2024 primary over his support for Israel’s war in Gaza.

“It does change everything and it makes the role a lot different,” said Dan Engelhart, an uncommitted delegate from the Fifth Congressional District. Engelhart said he would support any candidate who shows they oppose the United States sending arms to Israel.

Whichever candidate wins his support, Englehart said he wants to see a nominee who can beat Trump.

“This is about winning or losing in November,” he said.

Latonya Reeves, a Biden delegate from Minneapolis heading to the party gathering next month in Chicago, said she was sad to see the president exit the race. Reeves said there were many “boots-on-the-ground” activists who wanted him to continue.

But she is happy Biden endorsed Harris.

“There’s already a lot of confusion about what’s going on, so it’s good that he’s clear that he wants it to be Harris,” said Reeves. She was also excited about the historic opportunity that Harris represents.

“I think it’s wonderful,” Reeves said. “As a Black woman I couldn’t be more proud that she could be the nominee for president.”

Star Tribune staff writer Briana Bierschbach contributed to this story.