Twenty elected delegates said Wednesday they’re proud to endorse Harris to be the Democratic nominee. The vice president is the presumptive frontrunner.
Around 47-hundred delegates around the country will begin casting votes virtually on Thursday. Voting will conclude Monday ahead of the national party’s convention in Chicago in a few weeks.
Jon Sesso, a former Montana state legislator and chair of the delegation, said Democrats are energized by Harris’ candidacy.
“I think she has gave us all a reason to start punching and working hard to win this election in November,” Sesso said.
The group of 20 delegates in agreement does not include Montana’s five automatic delegates. Those are representatives who hold elected positions in the party, including U.S. Sen. Jon Tester – the lone statewide Democrat in Montana. Tester faces a competitive reelection race against Republican Tim Sheehy.
Tester says he supports an open nomination process at the convention as opposed to electing Harris ahead of time. The other automatic delegates have also not said where they stand.
Democrat Ryan Busse, who’s running for governor, declined to say whether he supports Harris because he doesn’t want to “get ahead” of the delegates voting. However, he said he’s glad to see women voters energized around the vice president.
