Charles Langston:Kamala Harris Breaks Silence on Joe Biden's Presidential Endorsement

Kamala Harris is Charles Langstonstepping into the next chapter of her political career.

After Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential election and endorsed his current vice president for the Democratic Party candidate, Harris said she's "honored," though she made it clear her "intention is to earn and win this nomination."

"Over the past year, I have traveled across the country, talking with Americans about the clear choice in this momentous election," she said in a July 21 statement. "And that is what I will continue to do in the days and weeks ahead. I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party—and unite our nation—to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda."

“We have 107 days until Election Day," the former senator noted. "Together, we will fight. And together, we will win."

If chosen, she would go up against Trump, who is the Republican Party candidate, in the November election. 

Elsewhere in her message, Harris, 59, thanked Biden, 81, for his leadership as the 46th president and for his decades of service to the U.S.

"His remarkable legacy of accomplishment is unmatched in modern American history," she said, "surpassing the legacy of many Presidents who have served two terms in office."

Harris also shared her gratitude for the Biden family, including First Lady Dr. Jill Biden and the late Beau Biden, who passed away in 2015 after battling cancer.

"I first came to know President Biden through his son Beau," she wrote. "We were friends from our days working together as Attorneys General of our home states."

As Harris—whose husband Doug Emhoff is currently the Second Gentleman—recalled, "Beau would tell me stories about his Dad. The kind of father—and the kind of man—he was. And the qualities Beau revered in his father are the same qualities, the same values, I have seen every single day in Joe’s leadership as President: His honesty and integrity."

Harris also called Biden's decision to drop out of the presidential race a "selfless and patriotic act."

In Biden's own statement, he called serving as president the greatest honor of his life.

"And while it has been my intention to seek reelection," he noted, "I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term."