Many of Colorado’s leading Democratic elected officials and others who will have a say in picking the party’s presidential ticket said Sunday that they support nominating Vice President Kamala Harris after President Joe Biden’s historic decision to withdraw from the race less than four months before the November election.

Harris drew endorsements from Colorado’s governor, both of the state’s U.S. senators and all five Democratic members of the state’s U.S. House delegation within hours of Biden’s announcement even as national Democratic Party officials made clear that replacing Biden at the top of the ticket would not amount to a coronation.

Late on Sunday, state Democratic Party chair Shad Murib told Colorado Politics that he voted in favor of supporting Harris during a virtual meeting of the country’s 50 state party chairs, who voted overwhelmingly to back Harris. Murib said he planned to hold meetings as soon as Monday of the party’s state central committee and Democratic National Convention delegation to consider whether to coalesce behind Harris as the party’s nominee.

While some of the the state’s delegates to next month’s DNC in Chicago told Colorado Politics they wanted to wait before voicing a preference, more than a dozen delegates said they agree with Biden, who wholeheartedly endorsed Harris at the same time he dropped out earlier in the day.

“I’m enthusiastic and excited about her nomination and potential election,” said former state Sen. Polly Baca, a DNC delegate and one of the Democrats’ 10 presidential electors for Colorado. “I will vote for her at the DNCC next month and in the Electoral College.”

State Rep. Leslie Herod, a Denver Democrat and DNC delegate, told Colorado Politics that she was all in for Harris.

“There is no doubt in my mind that Kamala Harris is the leader we all need right now,” Herod said. “It’s time to come together and fight to protect everything we hold dear — our democracy, our freedoms and our people.”

Murib said the vast majority of the state’s delegates appeared to favor making Harris the nominee during an online call with delegates and elected officials held hours after Biden’s announcement.

Colorado is sending 87 delegates to the DNC, including 15 so-called automatic delegates, sometimes referred to as superdelegates, who earned slots based on their offices or party positions, including governor, members of Congress and top party posts. Superdelegates are unpledged ahead of the convention and typically don’t vote in the first round of balloting.

The other 72 delegates are pledged to Biden, based on the results of Colorado’s presidential primary, but will be able to vote for whomever they want now that Biden is no longer a candidate, party officials said.

Among the automatic delegates are U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, who routinely cross paths with Harris in her role as president of the Senate.

“Vice President (Kamala Harris) has the experience, record, and integrity to be the next President of the United States,” Bennet tweeted. “She is exactly the candidate we need to beat Donald Trump, and I am honored to endorse her.”

Hickenlooper pointed to Sunday’s groundswell of support for Harris in his post endorsing her for the nomination.

“Vice President Harris is already uniting the Democratic Party, just as she will unite America,” Hickenlooper tweeted. “She has been President Biden’s copilot for these amazing four years, and we can’t wait to do everything we can to help her win.”

Gov. Jared Polis initially suggested he was backing Harris when he posted a somewhat cryptic tweet featuring emojis representing a coconut, palm tree and American flag — likely referencing online shorthand for a Harris remark about coconut trees — but made his endorsement clear a few hours later.

“I am thrilled to support Vice President Harris — Kamala has a vision of hope and a future we all can believe in,” Polis said in a tweeted statement.

U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette of Denver was the only member of the state’s congressional delegation who urged Biden to stay in the race earlier this month, as calls mounted for him to end his campaign following a disastrous debate with former President Donald Trump in late June.

On Sunday, DeGette threw her support behind Harris, calling her “a proven Pro-choice champion who will fight for reproductive rights.”

Added DeGette: “I have worked closely with her to restore Americans’ freedom to access the abortion care that Trump’s Supreme Court stripped away.”

Although other Democratic members of Congress from Colorado expressed qualms about Biden’s ability to beat Trump — including Bennet and Hickenlooper — U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen of Lakewood was the only one to have explicitly called on Biden to “pass the torch.” Pettersen said Sunday that she was proud to support Harris as the party’s nominee.

“She’ll continue to champion working people & the freedoms of every American,” Pettersen tweeted. “She will build upon the accomplishments of the Biden/Harris Administration and unite our party to defeat the greatest threat to our nation.”

U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse of Lafayette, the House’s assistant Democratic leader, was among the first Colorado officials to endorse Harris, calling her “a dedicated public servant and trailblazer who has delivered real progress for the people of our country.” Later Sunday, Neguse tweeted that he was “excited for the road ahead” after having had a chance to speak with Harris that evening.

Said Neguse: “She has the experience, dedication and vision to lead our great country as the next President of the United States.”

Other automatic DNC delegates from Colorado also expressed their support for Harris in social media posts, including Secretary of State Jena Griswold and U.S. Reps. Jason Crow and Yadira Caraveo.

Calling Harris, a former district attorney and California attorney general, a “trailblazer” with the experience to lead the country through difficult times, DNC delegate and Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser tweeted that he was ready to roll up his sleeves to help elect her as president.

“Harris is a steadfast, strong, and dedicated defender of the rule of law, of civil rights, and of justice for all, including protecting reproductive rights,” Weiser said. “This matters more than ever — because in November, our freedoms and constitutional democracy are once more on the line.”

State Rep. Junie Joseph, D-Boulder, a DNC delegate, told Colorado Politics she plans to cast her vote for Harris in the convention’s roll call.

“Currently, she is the only candidate who has come forward, and I am optimistic about her leadership and dedication to our shared values,” Joseph said in a text message. “I am committed to following the party platform and supporting a nominee who aligns with our goals and principles. Should Vice President Harris be nominated by the whole, I will fully support her. I am very excited about her. However, if the body as a whole supports another candidate, I will stand behind and support the chosen nominee with the same dedication.”

Sterling Simms, an at-large DNC delegate from Denver, said he was proud of Biden’s decision, which he described as “putting country over self,” and excited about Harris’ candidacy.

“As one of the youngest members of the Colorado delegation, I believe that Kamala Harris is the best choice to prosecute the case against a second Trump presidency,” Simms said in an email. “I fully support her as our nominee!”

“I’m all in for VP Harris!” said state Rep. Meg Froelich, D-Centennial, in a text message.

Alex Apodaca-Cobell’s message was as succinct: “I’m supporting Kamala,” he texted, followed by an emoji indicating 100%.

Not every DNC delegate who responded to Colorado Politics wanted to make an endorsement on short notice.

Paul Rosenthal, a former state lawmaker, said on Sunday afternoon that he was inclined to support Harris but wanted to see if any other candidates emerged. By late Sunday night, however, Rosenthal said in a text message that he planned to vote for Harris to be the party’s nominee.

Other delegates were more circumspect.

State Treasurer Dave Young said he wasn’t yet ready to comment, and Howard Chou, a former state party vice chair, deferred responding.

Across the aisle, U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, a Windsor Republican, criticized Biden’s decision to step aside, suggesting it was the result of party elites calling the shots.

“The Democrat Party should never claim to be the party of ‘democracy’ ever again,” Boebert tweeted. “They just disregarded the entire primary process and said their ‘elites’ knew better.”

Boebert, a staunch Trump supporter, later mocked the Biden campaign’s explanation for the Democrat’s poor performance in the June 25 presidential debate.

“So I guess it wasn’t a ‘just a cold’ after all…” Boebert tweeted.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include additional responses from DNC delegates.