The Washington State Delegates Are Coconut-Pilled

Following President Joe Biden’s highly anticipated exit from the 2024 presidential race, Democratic members of congress, celebrities, and stan Twitter endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris en masse. She even clinched the delegate count ahead of the Democratic National Convention (DNC), according to an unofficial tally published by the Associated Press. 

Still, the party’s plans for nominating a new candidate at the convention will remain unclear until Wednesday, when the DNC Rules Committee meets to discuss rules, perhaps in a virtual roll call before the convention. Though some clearly back Harris, others call for the Democrats to hold an open convention to consider other options, including self-help guru Marianne Williamson.

But here in the Evergreen State, the Washington State Democratic Party seems set on Harris, who boasts a huge advantage over any potential challenges when it comes to fundraising, campaign infrastructure, name-recognition, and, perhaps most importantly, meme-ability. 

On Thursday, the state party will convene a meeting of their 135 Democratic delegates to consider a vote pledging their support for Harris or any other candidate a delegate nominates, according to Washington State Democrats Communication Director Stephen Reed.

Legally speaking, delegates can vote for whomever they want at the convention, but the 92 elected delegates are pledged to certain candidates based on the results of the recent, virtually uncontested primary. The majority, 90 delegates, are pledged to Biden, and two are pledged to “uncommitted” after nearly 10% of Washington Democratic voters joined in a protest vote to pressure Biden to end the genocide in Gaza. 

Biden endorsed Harris, but he did not specifically direct his delegates to vote for Harris, and there’s no law requiring them to do so. Reed said 80% of the Washington delegates supported Harris as of Sunday afternoon and that support has only grown. About a dozen elected delegates, those whose vote matters the most, told The Stranger they support Harris.

Unburdened by What Has Been

Many automatic delegates–elected officials who do not vote in the first round of an uncontested convention–have already endorsed Harris, including Gov. Jay Inslee, US Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray, plus US House Reps. Rick Larsen, Pramila Jayapal, Adam Smith, Marilyn Strickland, and Democratic Party Chair Shasti Conrad. 

In a Sunday morning press release, Conrad called on Biden delegates to support Harris, who she believes has overwhelming support from Democrats in Washington. 

Other delegates agree with Conrad. In a phone interview with The Stranger, state Sen. Joe Nguyen (D-West Seattle), said that he’s “all in” for Harris as a national delegate. She’s the only person who could pull off a win with just a few months left until the general election in November, he argued. 

Andrew Ashiofu, who chairs the WA Stonewall Democrats, said he’s eager to hear more about the rules for delegates, but he would like to vote for Harris at the DNC. He believes she can turn out young voters and voters of color that Democrats sometimes struggle to reach. 

Delegate Paula Sardinas, CEO and chief lobbyist at FMS Global Strategies, said she’s “1000%%% Team Harris.”

State House Rep. Kristine Reeves (D-Federal Way), another national delegate, told The Stranger that she expects a lot of “unity” around Harris. The excitement surrounding her candidacy reminds Reeves of when she served as a delegate for former President Barack Obama in 2008. The difference, she said, is that it took Obama months to drum up that energy. Harris did it basically overnight. 

The Context of All in Which You Live

Bothell Deputy Mayor Rami Al-Kabra—a supporter of the movement to vote “uncommitted” who, as a delegate, is pledged to Biden—conditioned his support of Harris. If she can be firm in her calls to end the genocide in Gaza and can demand accountability for Israel’s war crimes, he will vote for her at the convention. 

“The message remains the same: the Democratic Party needs to listen to its base—if they listen to the majority of Democrats who want an immediate and permanent ceasefire, which include key communities in their coalition who are Muslim and Arab Americans, young people, and anti-war voters, they will win,” Al-Kabra said in a press release. 

Al-Kabra applauded Harris’s decision to skip Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s joint address to Congress, but Harris will meet with Netanyahu one-on-one later, according to Politico. 

The two uncommitted delegates, Yazan Kader and Sabrene Odeh, remain uncommitted. 

“The Uncommitted movement has provided a powerful voice to the vast majority of Democrats who want a ceasefire in Gaza. This passing of the torch is in no small part due to this nationwide grassroots movement. It’s time for the Democratic Party to align with their base,” said Kader in a press release. “Regardless of who the Democratic nominee is, Palestinians and our many allies in the ceasefire movement will continue to push for a permanent ceasefire and an end to military funding to Israel. We will support the nominee if they commit to these goals.”

Delegate Krystal Marx from Burien told The Stranger she’s about “75% the way there” on supporting Harris. Even if Harris is the most pragmatic choice for the primary, and a far better pick than former President Donald Trump in the general, Marx still wants an open convention to ensure a fair, democratic process. 

Reed said the Washington State Democratic Party will support whichever rules the DNC lands on. They hope the delegates support Harris in an open convention or a roll call vote.  

Three delegates, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told The Stranger that they feel subject to a “coordinated pressure campaign” from the party to pick Harris. On the day of Biden’s announcement, the party called delegates and asked who they would support for the nomination in his stead. Some delegates said the party asked directly if they would support Harris. Then, the party convened a meeting with the delegates that evening, where the delegates did not discuss any other potential nominees besides Harris. 

“If anyone felt pressured, that was not our intention,” Reed said. In these unusual circumstances, the party wanted to gauge the delegates’ interest. Reed estimated about 80% of the delegates said they supported Harris “unprompted” in those phone calls.  

Girl, So Confusing 

Enter Williamson’s campaign. For several weeks, Williamson’s campaign has called for an open convention, allowing delegates to pick between many candidates. 

The Democratic party is not just deciding who its candidate will be going forward. It’s deciding who and what it is. What it stands for.

Anointing Joe Biden was not a good idea, and anointing Kamala Harris is no better. Back room decisions – all the good kids falling in line…

— Marianne Williamson (@marwilliamson) July 22, 2024

Now, the campaign is lobbying for a nomination motion at the convention, according to Williamson’s senior strategist Christine Kramar. To get that, the campaign needs to present a petition of at least 300 delegates who support her candidacy, with no more than 50 from any one state. So far, Kramar said the campaign has secured one signature from a Washington delegate, but she would not say who because the campaign promised anonymity until they reach the 300 threshold. 

“All options are welcome and all will fail,” Reed said. “I hope that our Washington Democrats will join our call and demonstrate the unity we need to defeat Donald Trump. Whoever wants to put their hat in the race—Joe Manchin, Marianne Williamson, Dean Phillips—bring it on.”

But there seems to be genuine interest among delegates to rally around Harris. Some delegates tried to vote Sunday evening to pledge support to Harris, but the party ultimately decided to postpone until Thursday. Even those who felt pressured said they wanted to pick Harris anyway—though one said US Interior Secretary Deb Haaland would be their first choice if she agreed to run. 

But questions still remain, particularly around who Harris picks as her vice president. Harris has requested vetting paperwork from North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly. 

Nguyen said he hopes Harris picks Whitmer, which is very brat summer of him, but there’s not a serious name on the table that would make Harris-supporters stray, Reeves said. After all, the highest priority remains defeating Trump.