US vice-president Kamala Harris has moved swiftly to lock up Democratic delegates behind her campaign for the White House.

President Joe Biden’s exit was a seismic shift to the presidential contest that upended both parties’ carefully honed plans for the race. But his departure frees up his delegates to vote for whomever they choose.

Ms Harris, whom Mr Biden backed after ending his candidacy, is thus far the only declared candidate and was working to quickly secure endorsements from a majority of delegates.

It is only the first item on a staggering political to-do list for her after Mr Biden’s decision to exit the race, which she learnt of on a Sunday morning call with the president.

If she is successful at locking up the nomination, she must also pick a running mate and pivot a massive political operation to boost her candidacy instead of Mr Biden’s with just over 100 days until election day. In a sign that the Democratic party was moving to coalesce behind her, Ms Harris quickly won endorsements from the leadership of several influential caucuses and political organizations, including the AAPI Victory Fund, which focuses on Asian-American and Pacific Islander voters, The Collective PAC, focused on building black political power, and the Latino Victory Fund, as well as the chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the entire Congressional Black Caucus.

Ms Harris, if elected, would be the first woman and first person of South Asian descent to be president.

Notably, a handful of men who had already been discussed as potential running mates for Harris – Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro, North Carolina governor Roy Cooper and Arizona senator Mark Kelly – also swiftly issued statements endorsing her. Aides to Mr Shapiro and Mr Cooper confirmed that Harris spoke with them Sunday afternoon. In her brief call with Mr Cooper, the North Carolina governor told Ms Harris he was backing her to be the Democratic nominee, according to Mr Cooper’s spokeswoman Sadie Weiner.

However, former president Barack Obama held off on an immediate endorsement, as some in the party have expressed worry that the quick shift to Ms Harris would appear to be a coronation, instead pledging his support behind the eventual party nominee.

Ms Harris has not had a perfect time as vice-president, sometimes struggling with her brief covering the US-Mexico border. She also failed to pick up momentum during her run to be a candidate in her own right in 2020, and dropped out early.

With the Democratic conference next month, some candidates will still feel they have time to put themselves forward as an alternative to Ms Harris in such a closely fought election. But who are they?

Gretchen Whitmer is governor for Michigan, and has gained prominence over the past decade. The 52-year-old gave the Democratic response to Donald Trump’s 2020 State of the Union address, and criticised him for his response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Near the end of that year, the FBI uncovered a plot to kidnap her, which led to nine men either being convicted by jury or pleading guilty.

In her 2022 re-election campaign as governor, Ms Whitmer focused on reproductive rights, fighting for abortion rights. Ms Whitmer did say earlier this month that she would not step in as a candidate this year if Mr Biden were to step aside. She is currently on a national press tour for her new memoir.

Illinois governor JB Pritzker (58) is an heir to the Hyatt fortune – the Chicago-based hotel group. His net worth of $3.4billion makes him the richest politician holding office in the US. Having been re-elected in a normally Republican state, Mr Pritzker has been praised for balancing budgets in his Illinois, and increased education funding. If he doesn’t run himself, he’s been highly tipped as a possible vice-president for Ms Harris too.

California governor Gavin Newsom (56) gained fame as mayor of San Francisco from 2004 to 2011. In his first year in the job, he directed the San Francisco city-county clerk to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, violating state law. He was lieutenant governor from 2010, and then became governor in 2018. Mr Newsome was a college baseball star and started a successful wine company.

He has staunchly defended Mr Biden this year, and when the president dropped out of the race, Mr Newsom backed Ms Harris, saying she is “Tough. Fearless. Tenacious”, and there is “no one is better to prosecute the case against Donald Trump’s dark vision and guide our country in a healthier direction”.

Andy Beshear is Kentucky governor, who has a reputation for winning votes he wouldn’t have been expected to in a Republican-leaning state. He focuses on the concerns of ordinary Americans, and leading the response to tornadoes and flooding in the state. He also holds regular news conferences to get his message across. He says his Christian faith guides his politics. Previously an attorney, Mr Beshear’s father was two-term Kentucky governor Steve Beshear. Unlike other highly tipped runners, Mr Beshear has not yet endorsed Harris.

Donations have flooded into the Democratic party in the hours since Mr Biden announced that he was dropping out of the 2024 presidential race and Kamala Harris vowed to step up to seek the nomination.

In what has been called “the biggest fundraising day of the 2024 cycle”, liberal political action committee ActBlue announced on Sunday night that it had raked in $46.7m in funds as of 9pm ET – around seven hours after Biden’s announcement.

“UPDATE: As of 9pm ET, grassroots supporters have raised $46.7 million through ActBlue following Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign launch,” the PAC said in a statement.

“This has been the biggest fundraising day of the 2024 cycle. Small-dollar donors are fired up and ready to take on this election.”

The resurgence in donations comes after several of the party’s top donors had pulled funding in recent weeks as they, together with Democratic lawmakers, called on Mr Biden to quit the race following his disastrous debate performance last month.

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