Kamala Harris secured the delegate votes needed to clinch the Democratic US presidential nomination and become the first woman of color at the top of a major party ticket.
Ms Harris, the US vice president, became the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination after President Joe Biden bowed to pressure from within the party and dropped out of the race last month.
She quickly won the support of party heavyweights and was the only candidate to qualify for the Democratic presidential ballot, which ensured the outcome of the delegate voting was never in doubt.
Party delegates voted virtually this week. Ms Harris, who joined the livestream event where the announcement was made, said she would officially accept the nomination next week after the virtual voting period had closed.
“But already I’m happy to know that we have enough delegates to secure the nomination,” said Ms Harris, the first Black and Asian person to become US vice president.
“And later this month, we will gather in Chicago united as one party where we’re going to have an opportunity to celebrate this historic moment together.”
Ms Harris needed to pass a 2,350-vote threshold from delegates to formally secure the nomination, her campaign said.
The announcement came with Ms Harris preparing to hit the campaign trail next week for a swing across seven crucial battleground states with her newly minted running mate – who is expected to be revealed within days.
DNC leaders had pledged to deliver a presidential nominee by 7 August, before the Democratic National Convention in Chicago which starts on 19 August.
The convention will feature ceremonial votes for Ms Harris and her running mate.
The DNC had said a virtual vote was needed to ensure the nomination process was completed by then, the date by which Ohio law required a nominee in place to make the state’s ballot.
Ohio lawmakers subsequently pushed back the deadline to 1 September, but party officials said they nevertheless wanted to meet the 7 August deadline to avoid any legal risk in the state.