Obama plans to endorse Harris for Democratic nomination: report

Former President Barack Obama privately supports Vice President Kamala Harris' candidacy for president and will soon give her a public endorsement, NBC News reported Thursday.

A source familiar told the outlet Obama has been in "regular contact" with Harris and said he believes her campaign is "off to a great start."

NBC News also reported that Obama and Harris wanted to wait to announce the endorsement so it would stand out and have more impact.

"President Obama looks forward to helping Democrats up and down the ballot make the case to voters this fall," senior Obama adviser Eric Schultz told NBC News. "Our strategy will be based on driving impact, especially where and when his voice can move the needle."

Though Democratic leaders such as Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., as well as the Clintons and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., have offered Harris their endorsements, Obama has so far not done so.

Since leaving the Oval Office, Obama has typically held his endorsement card close to his chest. He endorsed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in June 2016, while his endorsement of Biden in 2020 was only made days ahead of the Democratic National Convention. 

Obama remained coy for a long while during the 2020 election about whom he would endorse, saying he would not back anyone during the primary. As Democratic contenders such as Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont dropped out of the primary race and cleared a path for Biden, however, Obama finally endorsed his former veep in August of that year. 

Harris was also a contender in the 2020 race, and had long had a friendship with Obama prior to her 2020 run, sparking media speculation that the 44th president could throw his support behind Harris instead of his VP. 

Harris was among the first elected Democrats in the nation to endorse Obama’s first run for president in the 2008 election, snubbing Hillary Clinton in favor of the then-Illinois senator. 

Harris was among the first elected Democrats in the nation to endorse Obama’s first run for president in the 2008 election, snubbing Hillary Clinton in favor of the then-Illinois senator.