Biden talks about passing torch in address

Kamala Harris' virtual presidential nomination could start Aug. 1, but may be pushed back if other qualified candidates jump in the race

The Democratic National Convention's Rules Committee voted 157-3 on Wednesday to adopt a plan that allows the party to start its virtual presidential nomination process as soon as Aug. 1.

While Harris secured commitments from enough delegates to become the presumptive nominee if they all honor their commitment when voting, according to ABC News reporting, the plan approved on Wednesday allows for other candidates to jump in the race. They have from Thursday, July 25, until Saturday, July 27, at 6 p.m. ET to toss their names in the ring.

After filing a declaration of intent, all potential candidates will need to qualify to be considered for the nomination by filing a formal and notarized declaration of candidacy with the DNC, meeting party and legal qualifications to be president, and securing 300 delegate signatures electronically, not more than 50 of which may come from one delegation, according to the committee. The window to submit qualification materials ends on Tuesday, July 30, at 6 p.m. ET.

The rules adopted on Wednesday state that if only one candidate for nomination reaches the delegate support threshold to be considered by the convention, electronic voting by the delegates will begin on Aug. 1.

There is no set end date to virtual voting, but the rules committee said it should be completed "by early August."

House Republican leaders have privately told their conference to focus their attacks against Harris on her record, sources familiar with the conversation tell ABC News.

It comes after a number of House Republicans made references to Harris' race and gender when asked by reporters about her bid for the White House. Some like Reps. Tim Burchett of Tennessee and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia went as far as calling her a "DEI Vice President" or "DEI hire."

When House Republicans met behind closed doors on Tuesday, North Carolina Rep. Richard Hudson, who is a member of House leadership, warned members against making comments about Harris' race including that she's a "DEI pick" and urged the party to focus on her record, per multiple sources in the room.

It's notable coming from Hudson, who is the chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, the House GOP's campaign arm.

Separately, sources also tell ABC News, Speaker Johnson has also privately told members to focus on drawing a contrast with Harris' record against the "strength" of Trump. Johnson has privately and publicly insisted this has nothing to do with race.

Some moderate Republicans have been frustrated by the comments from others in the party.

One member saying, "pointing out she's not a white man is not a winning campaign message."

March For Our Lives, the youth-led organization dedicated to ending gun violence following the 2018 Parkland, Florida, high school shooting, will be endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election -- the first time the organization has ever endorsed a political candidate, and an indicator of the mounting youth support for the vice president.

"As one of the largest youth-led movements in the nation, we are clear-eyed about the challenge ahead, and we believe that Kamala Harris is uniquely suited to meet this moment," the group said in a news release shared first with ABC News.

The group goes on to say that Harris is the right candidate to meet the political moment the country currently finds itself in.

"We need an ardent defender of democracy, a gun violence prevention champion, and a leader who will listen to young people, give us a seat at the table, and fight for our future. We believe that Kamala Harris is that candidate and the right person to stand up for us and fight for the country we deserve," the news release read.

The organization's endorsement of Harris comes as she oversees the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention and has met regularly with advocates and survivors of gun violence.

Natalie Fall, executive director of March For Our Lives, told ABC News that March For Our Lives will mobilize young voters to cast ballots for Harris and other down-ballot candidates through door-knocking, phone banking and creative campaigns.

The group's endorsement comes as youth voters and organizations mobilize behind Harris.

Voters of Tomorrow, a Gen Z-led organization that engages young Americans in politics and government, announced on Sunday their endorsement of Harris and their efforts to mobilize youth voters behind her.

Following their announcement, the group said it raised $125,000 on Sunday -- its best fundraising day ever.

"There's so much authentic excitement surrounding Vice President Harris online and on the ground, and now we're channeling that into political action," Jack Lobel, press secretary for Voters of Tomorrow, said to ABC News in an interview.

Kamala Harris' presidential campaign expressed optimism about its path to the presidency this week, telling reporters in a memo that the change atop the ticket could help the vice president reach a new crop of voters as the campaign plans an aggressive approach to key battleground states.

The extraordinary and rapid ascension of Harris to be the presumptive Democratic nominee "opens up persuadable voters," campaign manager Jennifer O'Malley Dillon wrote.

"The race is more fluid now. The Vice President is well-known but less well-known than both Trump and President Biden, particularly among Dem-leaning constituencies," she added.

O'Malley Dillon said some in this "expanded universe of winnable voters were previously Democrats and support down-ballot Democrats this cycle," a possible reference to the fact that some polls showed Biden with less support than Democrats running further down the ballot.

The memo outlined a plan to capitalize on Harris' appeal with Black, Latino and women voters. It also suggested Harris could attract people who did not vote for the Democratic ticket in 2020 but moved toward Democrats in the years since.

Meanwhile, O'Malley Dillon stressed that the campaign has "multiple pathways" to 270 electoral votes and plans to "play offense" in the competitive Blue Wall states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, as well as the Sun Belt states of North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada.

Since Sunday, Harris has earned the backing of Democratic Party leaders and enough Democratic National Convention delegates to make her the nominee if they kept true to their pledges -- a major milestone for the vice president.

The memo comes a day after the vice president had her first campaign event in battleground Wisconsin on Tuesday, sharply framing her race against former President Donald Trump.