Obama Opposed Harris As Biden’s Successor, Pushed for Open Convention

India-West News Desk

WASHINGTON, DC – The upcoming book FIGHT: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House reveals that former President Barack Obama worked “behind the scenes” to prevent Kamala Harris from securing the Democratic nomination after Joe Biden withdrew from the 2024 race.

During an appearance on MSNBC, co-author Jonathan Allen discussed Obama’s reservations. “President Obama absolutely did not think that Joe Biden should continue, according to our sources close to President Obama,” Allen said. “And he also didn’t want Kamala Harris to be the replacement for Biden. He didn’t think that she was the best choice for Democrats, and he worked really behind the scenes for a long time to try to have a mini-primary, or an open convention, or a mini-primary leading to an open convention. [He] did not have faith in her ability to win the election. He was really working against her.”

Allen, a senior politics reporter at NBC News, co-wrote the book with Amie Parnes, a senior political correspondent for The Hill. The book, set for release this month, details Obama’s efforts to push for an open convention rather than automatically backing Harris, despite her gaining support from party leaders.

According to Allen, when Biden officially endorsed Harris on August 7, 2024, Obama spoke with her but initially refrained from offering his own endorsement. His hesitation was evident to party insiders, including Representative James Clyburn, who quickly endorsed Harris before a scheduled call with Obama, anticipating pressure to support an open convention. “Clyburn thought to himself, ‘This guy is going to try to rope me into the open convention thing. I better get my endorsement of Harris out there fast so this is a short conversation,'” Allen recounted.

Ultimately, both Barack and Michelle Obama endorsed Harris on August 12—five days after Biden’s exit.