Black Lives Matter demands DNC host virtual primary

By Gabriella Borter and Bianca Flowers

(Reuters) -Black Lives Matter demanded on Tuesday that the Democratic National Committee immediately host an informal, virtual snap primary across the country prior to the DNC convention in August, just hours after Vice President Kamala Harris secured enough delegates for the nomination.

In a statement, Black Lives Matter (BLM) called on Democratic party leaders to allow public participation in the nomination of the presidential candidate, instead of leaving it to the party delegates.

"The current political landscape is unprecedented, with President Biden stepping aside in a manner never seen before. This moment calls for decisive action to protect the integrity of our democracy and the voices of Black voters," BLM said.

The statement by Black Lives Matter, a decentralized political and racial justice movement that helped lead the global protests over police violence in 2020, interrupted a steady drumbeat of left-leaning voices and groups that have vowed to support Harris after Biden endorsed her on Sunday.

Harris' campaign has raked in $100 million since Sunday, with millions coming from the rapid mobilization of Black leaders and advocates. She would be the first Black woman and Asian American to become the Democratic presidential candidate.

"We are not actually saying no to Kamala Harris," BLM leader Shalomyah Bowers told Reuters in an interview. "We are saying yes to process. We’re saying yes to having Black people be able to have the ability to weigh in."

He noted that the statement represents the views of many stakeholders in BLM’s Global Network, but that individual chapters of the group are autonomous and may have a different view.

Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison said on Monday that the party will deliver a presidential nominee by Aug. 7.

"The process has been fair. It's been open. It's been transparent," Harrison said in a Today Show interview that aired Tuesday morning.

"But if anybody is thinking about running, you’re running against the sitting vice president, who, along with Joe Biden, has worked really hard going across this country building relationships and is probably the most qualified person to be on this ballot."

The DNC and Harris' campaign did not reply immediately to request for comment.

BLM said that while President Joe Biden wasn't the organization's preferred candidate, the Democratic Party's actions surrounding his candidacy and dropping out were "troubling."

"Following the primary where millions of Black voters weighed in, after one poor debate performance, the DNC Party elites and billionaire donors bullied Joe Biden out of the race," the group noted.

Black voters, and especially Black women, have historically been the most reliable Democratic voting bloc, and many Black Americans have already pledged to support Harris.

Tens of thousands of Black supporters joined organizing calls on Sunday and Monday and raised nearly $3 million for her campaign.

More than 44,000 Black women and allies joined a three-hour call Sunday evening hosted by Win With Black Women, an intersectional network of Black women leaders. The call featured several prominent Black women, including U.S. Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Jasmine Crockett and Joyce Beatty, as well as political strategists and celebrities. Attendees donated $1.5 million, organizers said.

A similar call hosted by Win With Black Men on Monday lasted four hours, had some 45,000 attendees and raised $1.3 million for the campaign, organizers said.

BLM noted that while the potential outcome of a Harris presidency may be historic, "the process to achieve it must align with true democratic values."

(Reporting by Bianca Flowers, Gabriella Borter and Kat Stafford; Editing by Nick Zieminski and Daniel Wallis)