DELEGATE DASH: Kamala Harris’ campaign has secured enough verbal commitments to clinch the nomination, allies say. That came after Democrats worked the phones Monday to nail down a simple majority of the nearly 4,000 convention delegates needed the nomination. The commitments in Illinois came about once Gov. JB Pritzker announced Monday morning that he’s endorsing Harris for president. His backing helped clear the path for Harris. Now on board with Harris: Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, Senate President Don Harmon, House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, Illinois Atty. Gen. Kwame Raoul, Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08) and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. Former Gov. Pat Quinn and Congressman Eric Sorensen (IL-17) are with Harris, too. Illinois delegate count: Illinois has 178 delegates headed to the Democratic National Convention, and so far 64 have committed to Harris, said Christopher Dunn, the campaign’s Illinois state coordinator for delegate operations. The Illinois Democratic Party, which had asked members to hold their powder before endorsing, also started encouraging delegates to back Harris. Bringing back the band: Harris’s 2020 campaign team kicked into hear to help make the hundreds of calls needed to lock in support of delegates ahead of next month’s Democratic National Convention. “Every single conversation has ended with a commitment or has leaned that way,” said Illinois state Rep. Kam Buckner, who was on Harris’ 2020 Leadership Committee and was called on to help support her new campaign. Buckner was contacting delegates and elected officials in Illinois and other states “about the importance of a united front” behind Harris. Also on the team, Chicago Clerk Anna Valencia, state Rep. Bob Morgan, Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering, Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller and former adviser to President Bill Clinton Valerie Alexander. RELATED Interesting side note: Sheila Nix, the Chicago native who has served as Harris’ chief of staff, will play an outsized role now that the veep is running for president. Eric Holder is running Harris' veep vetting process, by POLITICO’s Christopher Cadelago NEW THIS MORNING: Gov. JB Pritzker said he hasn’t received any vetting materials to be considered for vice president — and pivoted from answering whether he would accept the call, saying on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," “I love being governor of the state of Illinois. And I’ve been out on the campaign trail fighting for Democrats.” adding he’ll soon be in Arizona and Tennessee. Inside the organizing call for Harris: “Tens of thousands of supporters gathered on Sunday to support Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee. They raised over $1 million in the process,” by POLITICO’s Sally Goldenberg and Jason Beeferman. SPOTTED: After endorsing Kamala Harris for president this morning, Gov. JB Pritzker visited the Democratic Convention headquarters in the West Loop to rally convention and host committee staffers — and bring them lunch from Manny's Deli. Also in attendance: convention fundraiser Michael Sacks. BLAGO OP-ED | Biden gets the Chicago treatment, writes former Gov. Rod Blagojevich: “In the old-school way of Chicago backroom politics, Barack Obama was the conductor of the band that successfully orchestrated the removal of the presidential candidate chosen by more than 14 million Democratic primary voters — to be replaced by someone he and the party bosses choose instead. It’s classic ward-boss tactics,” the Democrat turned “Trumpocrat” writes in The Wall Street Journal. Oops. Mayor Brandon Johnson wasn’t among those calling for the president to step down, as we indicated Monday.
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