Schumer and Jeffries, the top two Democrats in Congress, endorse Harris at Tuesday news conference

By Manu Raju, Jamie Gangel and Michelle Shen, CNN

(CNN) — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for the Democratic nomination for president during a news conference in Washington on Tuesday.

“When I spoke with her Sunday, she said she wanted the opportunity to win the nomination on her own, and to do so from the grassroots up, not top down,” Schumer said. “Now that the process has played out from the grassroots, bottom up, we are here today to throw our support behind Vice President Kamala Harris.”

Jeffries echoed Schumer’s sentiment about Harris’ emphasis on winning grassroots support, stating that her candidacy “energized” Democrats and the nation.

“Kamala Harris and her candidacy has excited and energized the House Democratic Caucus, the Democratic Party and the nation,” he said. “I’m proud to strongly endorse Kamala Harris to be the 47th president of the United States of America.”

As the two top Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill, Schumer and Jeffries’ endorsement shows how quickly Harris consolidated support after President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid on Sunday.

One source told CNN that Schumer and Jeffries, both of New York, have spoken to Harris.

Harris’ candidacy has received a steady stream of endorsements that started Sunday afternoon after Biden’s announcement. Harris has the public support of more than 40 Democratic senators and more than 100 House members — a number that has been consistently increasing.

Notably, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, one of the most influential Democratic lawmakers in Washington, endorsed Harris’ campaign in a statement Monday, saying “enthusiastic support” and “immense pride and limitless optimism for our country’s future.”

Other high-ranking members of Democratic leadership, including Whip Katherine Clark, Chair Pete Aguilar and Vice Chair Ted Lieu, quickly endorsed Harris, along with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Congressional Black Caucus and Congressional Progressive Caucus.

However, Schumer and Jeffries did not immediately endorse Harris, at first stating that they “look forward to meeting in person with Vice President Harris shortly as we collectively work to unify the Democratic Party and the country.”

Many of Harris’ potential challengers, such as Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, endorsed the vice president, giving her a clear path to the nomination.

Plus, a wave of endorsements from state delegations Monday evening pushed her over the threshold needed to secure the Democratic nomination.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

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