Inside the Tennessee Democratic delegation’s decision to back VP Harris
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at an event May 1, 2024, in Jacksonville, Fla. Harris could become the first Black woman to head a major party's presidential ticket after President Joe Biden’s ended his reelection bid. The 59-year-old Harris was endorsed by Biden on Sunday, July 21, after he stepped aside amid widespread concerns about the viability of his candidacy. (John Raoux/AP Photo file)
The Tennessee delegation to the Democratic National Convention was the first set of delegates to meet and announce its votes would go to Vice President Kamala Harris.
By the end of the day Sunday, July 21, delegates from three other states — Louisiana, North Carolina and South Carolina — also announced they would change their votes from President Joe Biden to Harris just hours after Biden ended his reelection campaign.
The Tennessee group’s virtual discussion Sunday afternoon did not quickly move to a vote. There were questions about the unprecedented situation, whether there was time to consider other contenders, and a disputed deadline to get on the ballot in Ohio.
Tennessee’s 77-member delegation to the Aug. 19-22 convention in Chicago includes the following Memphians:
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Bill Dries
Bill Dries covers city and county government and politics. He is a native Memphian and has been a reporter for almost 50 years covering a wide variety of stories from the 1977 death of Elvis Presley and the 1978 police and fire strikes to numerous political campaigns, every county mayor and every Memphis Mayor starting with Wyeth Chandler.
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