Many Michigan delegates backing Kamala Harris — but not everyone convinced

• After President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid, Michigan Democratic delegates are lining up behind Vice President Kamala Harris
• Harris will need support from at least half of the delegates at next month’s nominating convention, including 138 from Michigan
• Democrats say her prospective ascendency has brought an infusion of enthusiasm to a party that had spent weeks in the doldrums

Joe Biden's historic decision to exit the presidential race means thousands of Democratic delegates will be free to vote for the candidate of their choosing next month at the national party's convention in Chicago, including 138 from Michigan.

For state Sen. Sarah Anthony and many others slated to represent Michigan at the nominating convention, the decision is a no-brainer: They’re backing Vice President Kamala Harris.

“I'm just personally really fired up and energized in a way that I haven't been since probably President (Barack) Obama's candidacy,” the Lansing Democrat told Bridge Michigan, noting she’ll be wearing pearls and Converse to the convention floor — and to the polls — in Harris’ honor.

While Harris will need delegate approval to take on Republican Donald Trump in the general election, she’s become the heir apparent for the Democratic presidential nomination since Biden left the race Sunday.

She’s quickly amassed endorsements from Biden himself, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and every congressional Democrat from Michigan save Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Detroit. 

And as of late Monday, Harris had already secured the pledged support of enough delegates across the country to become the party's nominee, according to an Associated Press survey. 

One-hundred fifteen of Michigan’s 117 pledged delegates had been assigned to Biden because of his win in the state’s March primary, but they are expected to be released during the Aug. 19-22 convention to reflect his exit from the race. 

Related:

• Gretchen Whitmer knocks down VP talk: ‘I’m not leaving Michigan’
• Joe Biden drops out of presidential race: What it means for Michigan
• Joe Biden wants to pass the baton to Kamala Harris. Here's how that might work

Bridge Michigan reached out to nearly two dozen of those Michigan delegates on Monday. Among those who responded, all but two said they are definitely backing Harris — and none said they are opposed to her. 

"While Harris is certainly a strong contender, and I think she'll do a wonderful job, there is a process,” said Blake Mazurek, a delegate from Michigan’s 3rd Congressional District Democratic Party. “As we see the process play out, I need her to be a part of it.”

Most delegates who spoke with Bridge said they are fearful that an open convention could produce a messy process, however, further hampering the party’s ability to unite to defeat Trump this fall. 

“I think uniting behind (Harris) is our best chance to win, and she would be a historic first,” Wesley Wilson, a west Michigan delegate, told Bridge.“It's too late in the game to have infighting or division about who the nominee should be.”

An open convention

Biden’s decision to drop out marks a historically late shakeup in presidential politics, occurring just four months before the general election and weeks before Democrats were preparing to nominate Biden following his primary wins in states like Michigan, where he faced only token opposition. 

Nearly all Democratic delegates tasked with selecting the presidential nominee were previously pledged to Biden, including 115 he secured by winning the Michigan primary, but those delegates will likely be released from that obligation.

That opens up the possibility for a convention fight if several candidates were to come forward, but many Democrats appear eager to avoid that scenario and are backing Harris. 

The AP survey showed that by Tuesday morning, 2,668 delegates across the nation were already planning to vote for Harris at the convention, topping the 1,976 needed to secure the nomination.

In a Sunday statement , DNC Chair Jaime Harrison said the party will “undertake a transparent and orderly process to move forward” as delegates prepare to select new candidates for president and vice president. 

Rep. Carrie Rheingans, an Ann Arbor Democrat and at-large delegate supporting Harris, said Monday she’s spoken with several other Michigan delegates and said “almost all are supportive of Vice President Harris being our nominee.” 

“We really need a nominee to rally around. We can't have a month of campaigning without a candidate,” Rheingans added.

While Republicans have threatened lawsuits to try and keep Biden on the ballot, those efforts will not be successful, said David Becker, a national election law expert and director of The Center for Election Innovation and Research.

“If the Democrats come away with an official nominee by the end of their convention, there is no legal barrier to that person being on the ballot, and there's no legal machinations that could occur,” Becker said Sunday in a conference call with reporters.

Harris vs. ‘anybody but Trump’

An open convention hasn’t occurred since 1968, and it didn’t end well for Democrats in that election: Republican Richard Nixon beat eventual Democratic nominee Hubert Humphrey by more than 100 electoral votes.

Several Michigan delegates predicted Monday that the party could avoid that outcome this time around by uniting around Harris.  

Wayne County Commissioner Jonathan Kinloch, a delegate and chair of the 13th Congressional District Democratic Party, said having Harris on the ticket could push Detroit “back into those Obama Numbers” in terms of turnout.

“We don't need to get (in) the way of ourselves by trying to litigate and have a long, drawn out floor battle,” Kinloch said. “That further delays us from being able to, you know, begin to focus on what we need to be focusing on, and that is stopping Donald Trump from being elected in November.”

Convention delegate Chris Cracchiolo, who chairs the Grand Traverse County Democratic Party, said he believes it’s “way too late” in the election cycle for an open convention, and he doesn’t think any candidate besides Harris would have the fundraising or name recognition necessary to compete at this stage. 

And Amy Scrima, a delegate from Berrien County, said she hopes Harris can energize young people and shift the focus back to the Democratic message “so that everyone knows what this decision really comes down to in November.” 

“We're united, and…the stakes are high,” she said. “We're fighting for our democracy, and I can't imagine anything more important than that.”

Not every Michigan delegate is fully convinced, however. 

Michigan 5th Congressional District delegate Katybeth David told Bridge that, as a Black woman, she would be honored to vote for Harris. But “I cannot go with what my own feelings are, I have to go with what the Dems of this district want,” she said.

David said she’ll be conducting online polls in the run-up to the convention to determine who local Democrats want her to back.

“So far,” she said, “it’s Kamala and ‘anybody but Trump.’” 

Meet the Michigan delegates

Michigan Democrats selected the following delegates to represent the state at the Democratic National Convention, which is set to begin Aug. 19 in Chicago:

Automatic Delegates

Chair Lavora Barnes

Vice Chair Jason Morgan

Senator Debbie Stabenow

Senator Gary Peters

Governor Gretchen Whitmer

Congresswoman Debbie Dingell

Congresswoman Haley Stevens

Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib

Congressman Shri Thanedar

Congressman Dan Kildee

Congresswoman Hillary Scholten

Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin

Steve Dawes

Barry Goodman

Paula Herbart

Daryl Newman

Angela Rogensues

Virgie M Rollins

Shauna Ryder Diggs

Liano Sharon

David Woodward

Party Leaders and Elected Officials

Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson

Attorney General Dana Nessel

Mayor Michael Duggan

Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks

Speaker of the House Joe Tate

Oakland County Executive David Coulter

Wayne County Executive Warren Evans

State Senator Sarah Anthony

State Senator Jeremy Moss

State Senator Sean McCann

State Rep. Laurie Pohutsky

State Rep. Jason Hoskins

Former Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence

Mayor Andy Schor

At-Large Delegates

Shawn Fain

Cathy Garrett

State Rep. Brenda Carter

Fmr Governor James Blanchard

State Rep. Carrie Rheingans

Robert Joerg

Jenell Mansfield

Jeff Pietrowski

Jessica Lumbreras

Arn Tellem

Colleen Ford

James Johnson, Jr.

Rich Boyer

Eliza Parkinson

Sami Khaldi

Nancy Quarles

Derek Dobies

Felicia Wiseman

Eric Rader

Robin Smith

Jon Moore

Andrea Pierce

Aaron Eling

Wanda Anderson

Michael Short

District Delegates, by Congressional District

CD 1- Tony Tollefson

CD 1- Chris Cracchiolo

CD 1- Carolyn L.Bourland

CD 1- Mary Jo O'Neill

CD 1- Marie M Fielder

CD 2- Dallas Dean

CD 2- John M. Helge

CD 2- Courtney Phillips

CD 2- Susan Frahm

CD 3- Blake Mazurek

CD 3- Willie German

CD 3- Wesley Wilson

CD 3- Wendy Winston

CD 3- Joshua Irving Ferguson

CD 3- Donna Secor Pennington

CD 4- Kerria Randolph

CD 4- Chokwe Pitchford

CD 4- Amy Scrima

CD 4- Patricia Crawford Curtis

CD 4- Jill Dunham

CD 5- John Cakmakci

CD 5- Jonathan Current

CD 5- Katybeth Davis

CD 5- Julie N. Dye

CD 6- Ryan Husse

CD 6- Todd J. Regis

CD 6- Michael Koen

CD 6- Alec Hughes

CD 6- Debbie Chamberlain

CD 6- Theresa Reid

CD 6- Allison Rosemary Doroshewitz

CD 6 - Rima Mohammad (Uncommitted)

CD 7- Joseph D.Davis

CD 7- Adam Lacasse

CD 7- Adam Durr

CD 7- Judith Marie Daubenmier

CD 7- Susan Anderson

CD 7- Susan Skidmore

CD 8- Ronald John Bieber

CD 8- Brett Smith

CD 8- Frank Burger

CD 8- LaShawn English

CD 8- Ashley Prew

CD 8- Hailee L. P. Clack

CD 9- Michael Mansour

CD 9- Phillip W Reid

CD 9- Jeannette Bradshaw

CD 9- Stacie Renee Steward

CD 9- Pamela Kellar

CD 10- Aaron N. Squeo

CD 10- James D. Carlone

CD 10- Brian Dunphy

CD 10- Gina Liburdi

CD 10- Cassidy Conley

CD 10- Melody Magee

CD 11- Jaron Garza

CD 11- Elijah Isaguirre

CD 11- Barry Lepler

CD 11- Jeffery O'Donnell

CD 11- Laura Dickerson

CD 11- Rashon Byrd

CD 11- Glenda Stainback

CD 11- Sharon Baseman

CD 12- Terrence Martin

CD 12- Kevin Tolbert

CD 12- Daniel Pedersen

CD 12- Tomena Jeneen Rawls

CD 12- Caryl Conway

CD 12- Krystal Hemmings

CD 12 - Abbas Alawieh (Uncommitted)

CD 13- Yvonne Cash

CD 13- Sammy Wright

CD 13- Jonathan C. Kinloch

CD 13- Michael Brady

CD 13- LaKeisha Davis

CD 13- Byron Osbern

CD 13- Elanjua NicoleCurrent