US Democrats are largely supporting the announcement that Vice President Kamala Harris is launching a bid to run for the top job, as President Joe Biden withdraws from the race.

Donations to the party's election campaign have surged following the news that Harris was being endorsed by Biden after he ended his run for the 2024 election.

Biden stated that he would remain in his role as president and commander-in-chief until his term ends in January 2025.

He had faced vocal opposition from within his party, particularly after his performance in the first official debate against his Republican opponent Donald Trump, and has not been seen in public since testing positive for Covid-19 last week.

Harris now has to convince her party to officially vote her in as their candidate.

New York-based correspondent Mitch McCann reported that Democrats are largely supporting her.

Senior Democratic Party representatives have issued their own statements backing Harris, saying she has a track record of winning tough elections and is a proven leader.

'In the 12 hours since she started running for the top job, she's received a lot of endorsements and a lot of money,' McCann said.

'They are getting behind [Harris] for the simple fact that no one of prominence within the Democrats is trying to take her on at this stage.

' However, there are some big names from the Democratic Party who have not endorsed her.

Among them are Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Chuck Schumer, the Senate majority leader.

But it's important to note that it's been reported in the US that they are not endorsing Kamala Harris because, as party leaders, they see it as their role to be impartial and fair in case someone else wants to challenge her - it's not because they don't like her, they just want to be fair.

Democratic delegates will vote for their party's official presidential nominee in their primary elections, set for August 19-22.

To get the nomination, Harris must get the majority vote from approximately 4600 delegates, which could take several rounds of voting.

In more than two centuries of democracy, American voters have elected only one Black president and never a woman.

Joe Biden is under intense pressure from Democrats to step down, with some US media outlets reporting that he has become more open to the idea - and a decision could come as soon as this weekend.

Both US presidential candidates reached for ridiculous claims and insults and struggled to answer questions coherently.