Democratic support for Kamala Harris as the party’s presidential nominee may not be as solid as many legacy media outlets are claiming it is.
While many delegates and party figureheads have quickly jumped on the Harris endorsement bandwagon, Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) has told Axios that he will “absolutely not” commit to voting for the presumptive Democratic nominee in November.
Previously, Golden had also refused to commit to voting for President Biden’s reelection over concerns about the 81 year old president’s health.
Golden told Axios that while he sees Biden’s stepping down as a positive step that at least allows the American people a clear choice, that he is “going to wait and see what she puts forward and what her vision for the future of the country is.”
As co-chair of the centrist Blue Dog Coalition, Golden said he’s curious to see how Harris will combat inflation, protect entitlements and “maintain America’s leadership on the world stage.”
In a statement posted to X on Thursday, Golden explains why support for a candidate ought not be a knee-jerk decision and why they must instead earn our votes.
Lots of people have asked what I think about Vice President Harris’s candidacy for president. Here’s my full statement: pic.twitter.com/JR43OIzDfX
— Jared Golden for Congress (@golden4congress) July 25, 2024
Golden is among six House Democrats who recently voted for a resolution condemning the Biden administration and Harris, in particular, for their handling of the Southern Border.
BREAKING!🚨 Before breaking for the whole month of August, the House just PASSED a resolution to CONDEMN Biden Border Policy & Border Czar @KamalaHarris.
Shockingly, SIX Democrats SIDED WITH Republicans for a total of 220-196.
Reps. Jared Golden, Yadira Caraveo, Don Davis,… pic.twitter.com/H7AaD12Lff
— The Patriot Voice (@TPV_John) July 25, 2024
Axios reports that Golden is part of a handful of Congressional Democrats from who haven’t yet endorsed Harris.
In the meantime, the Democratic National Committee will hold a “virtual roll call” to select its presidential nominee before August 7.
Any Democratic Party member who is concerned about how Harris will perform as President needs to change parties. She has a record and has made statements. Nothing about her needs to be determined. We know that America is likely to survive a Harris presidency the way Cuba survived the election of Fidel Castro.
Golden is correct that no candidate should expect automatic support but that is not how the Democratic party has operated in my lifetime. We’ll see if Hyena Harris is the straw that breaks the back of party unity for the Dems.