The Colorado Democratic Party and the state’s delegation to next month’s Democratic National Convention on Tuesday formally endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to be the party’s presidential nominee, adding to support she’s received from state delegations since President Joe Biden announced Sunday that he was withdrawing from the race and endorsing Harris.

Democratic officials said about 95% of the state party’s central committee and convention delegation voted to back Harris in an online straw poll conducted since Monday evening, when more than 300 members of both groups convened for a virtual meeting to discuss making the endorsement.

“Colorado Democrats are united, fired up, and ready to deliver our state for Vice President Kamala Harris,” said Shad Murib, the state party chair, in an emailed statement. “There’s no one better prepared to prosecute the case against convicted felon Donald Trump than Vice President Harris, and our endorsement makes it clear that Colorado Democrats are ready to elect her this fall.”

Murib noted that every statewide elected official and all seven Democratic members of Colorado’s congressional delegation had already endorsed Harris, who so far isn’t facing announced opposition for the party’s nomination.

Republican state chair Dave Williams characterized Biden’s decision to drop out as “desperate” in a texted statement to Colorado Politics on Tuesday, adding that the move was was “too little, too late, and it doesn’t matter who the CO Democrats endorse because their new nominee will end up losing badly as President Trump continues to dominate in this race.”

The Associated Press reported Monday that Harris has received commitments from enough delegates to win the nomination and face former President Donald Trump in November, including from many states whose entire convention delegation supports Harris. Colorado is sending 87 delegates to Chicago for the DNC, which is scheduled to run for four days starting Aug. 19.

“We are moving quickly to coalesce around a unified candidate,” Murib told Democrats during the online meeting, noting that he was among the state Democratic chairs who unanimously endorsed Harris on Sunday, soon after Biden announced his withdrawal.

Added Murib: “I think everyone, especially the folks we heard from on this call, are by and large, overwhelmingly excited about her candidacy.”

State Rep. Leslie Herod, D-Denver, a DNC delegate, made a similar point during the Democrats’ online meeting.

“I have heard more excitement and hope than I’ve heard in a long time, not only for this country but also for the Democratic Party,” said Herod, who noted that she co-chaired Harris’ 2020 presidential campaign in Colorado. “This is exactly what we need to increase turnout, to get folks back into the fold.”

During the party’s virtual meeting, nearly every Democrat who spoke expressed support for Harris and her candidacy.

“I’m really excited about the idea of a former prosecutor running against a felon,” said Pueblo Democrat Dennis Obduskey, the chair of the state party’s platform committee. “I think that’s awesome.”

Indira Duggirala, the Colorado Democrats’ first vice chair, said in a statement that as a member of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, she was enthused about endorsing Harris, the first Indian American on a national ticket.

“Her unwavering commitment to justice, equality and inclusive leadership resonates deeply with me and our community,” Duggirala said. “Vice President Harris’s vision for America aligns with our values, and I am confident she will lead us towards a brighter, more unified future.”

The prospect of electing the country’s first female president drew cheers from Democrats on the call.

“As a 67-year-old Colorado native and, more importantly, a daughter of the feminist movement, it’s high time that we have a female that will help protect our rights of choice,” central committee member Ann Meisel said. “And if nothing else, we need to pump that home: Women you’ve got to vote for a woman to be empowered. She’s sharp. She is articulate, and I look forward to campaigning for her.”

U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, a Denver Democrat and one of the state’s superdelegates to the DNC, said Monday that she was proud to have been a staunch Biden supporter — “I think history is going to show him to be one of the most successful presidents that we’ve had, with all the legislation we passed in the last Congress” — but was equally proud to endorse Harris.

“Going into the fall, we really are going to have to have a candidate who can articulate the dangers ahead, the risk to reproductive freedoms after the Dobbs decision, and all the risks that we have of rolling back our environmental protections and our slow movement towards addressing climate change, and, frankly, the very core of our democracy itself,” DeGette said in a conference call with reporters.

Saying she heard from the Harris campaign shortly after Biden’s announcement, DeGette added that she would be “working closely” with the vice president to deliver the Democrats’ message about protecting abortion rights.

DeGette said she was approached by several people at the airport Monday when she was on her way back to Washington who told her that they were “redoubling” their efforts to help elect Harris.

“I think she’s really going to excite young voters as well,” DeGette said. “So I’m eager to work with her. I think that she will consolidate Democrats around her, and I think we will move on to victory in November.”