WASHINGTON - US Vice President Kamala Harris said late Monday that she has secured enough support of Democratic delegates to become the party's nominee for the upcoming presidential election.

"Tonight, I am proud to have secured the broad support needed to become our party's nominee," she wrote in a statement sent by her campaign. "I look forward to formally accepting the nomination soon."

Under mounting pressure from within the Democratic Party, US President Joe Biden announced on Sunday that he was dropping out of the 2024 presidential race. He also offered his full support for nominating Harris as the Democratic presidential candidate.

Harris has won endorsement from a number of prominent Democratic figures including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has urged the party to unify and charge forward to "resoundingly defeat" former president Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee.