Louisiana’s delegates to the Democratic National Convention officially endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s nominee for president, the state’s Democratic Party chairman said following a virtual meeting late Sunday night.

Louisiana Democratic Party Chairman Randal Gaines said the delegates “by an overwhelming majority vote” are backing Harris during the convention Aug. 19-22 in Chicago.

Gaines didn’t release the vote count in a news release, but USA Today Network contacted six delegates individually who all said they support Harris after President Joe Biden withdrew from the race Sunday. Louisiana is sending 53 delegates to the convention.

“We are grateful to President Joe Biden for his remarkable leadership, and we are committed to honoring his legacy by working tirelessly this fall to keep the White House in Democratic hands,” Gaines said in the release. “I am proud to share that Louisiana’s Democratic delegates will join President Biden in endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as our nominee.

“It’s time we come together, and by throwing our full support behind her, we can beat Donald Trump again and continue Joe Biden’s legacy of accomplishments and progress for our country. We look forward to a productive, energizing, and historic convention in which we nominate the first black woman as our Democratic nominee.”

Louisiana Congressman Troy Carter is the state’s only Democrat in Congress and a delegate to the convention.

“President Joe Biden’s legacy is a testament to his unwavering commitment to civil rights, voting rights, and the rule of law. His transformative leadership has empowered families in Louisiana and nationwide,” he said in a statement to USA Today Network. “We honor his substantial contributions, including the historic nomination of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first African American woman to the Supreme Court. His selfless decision to pass the torch to Vice President Kamala Harris resonates deeply. I have every confidence in Vice President Kamala Harris to continue their great work.”

More: Here’s who Louisiana Democratic delegates support for president after Biden’s exit

Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1

There is an old joke whether you live in Boutte or Baton Rouge, Breaux Bridge or Bastrop if your driver’s license says “Louisiana” then you live in a low-lying area. And while it’s true that some parts of our state lie lower than others, it’s also true that no matter where you live in Louisiana over the next couple of days heavy rainfall is going to be a concern for you. 

The Weather Prediction Center is the department of the National Weather Service that develops forecasts with a particular focus on precipitation. The WPC is the department that forecasts heavy snow storms, flash flooding, and in the case of Louisiana over the next several days, the threat of an excessive rainfall event.

An Excessive Rainfall Event is defined this way. When precipitation falls at a rate greater than drainage systems can handle, that’s when you have an excessive rainfall event in the Lafayette, Louisiana area that is a rainfall rate of about two inches per hour for an hour or so. Some other municipal systems can handle more rain, some can’t handle that much.

The reason for all the rain is a trough of low pressure that extends southward into the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. The counter-clockwise circulation around this weather system is pulling moisture from the Gulf of Mexico over Louisiana. It is also providing lift in the atmosphere which creates instability and that’s when the showers and storms start to form.

Over the next several days mornings will find the greatest concentration of showers and storms along the coast. As the day progresses those showers will begin to move onshore or form over land with the daytime heating. General rainfall rates will be less than one-quarter of an inch but some areas could see torrential downpours in a short period of time, hence the “excessive rain advisory” that has been posted for the state.

Meanwhile, don’t look for conditions or the forecast to change that much over the upcoming work week. Forecasters have listed rain chances well above average all the way through next Friday. Again the greatest threat of rain will be along the coast in the morning and onshore in the afternoon hours.

ERWINVILLE, La. (WAFB) – Louisiana State Police and paramedics responded to an accident involving a 4-wheeler in West Baton Rouge Parish early Sunday evening.

The accident happened around 5 p.m. on Poydras Drive Road in Port Allen, in front of St. Peter’s Baptist Church.

A 22-year-old died from the accident, investigators said.

According to officials, a 15-year-old was transported by ambulance to Our Lady of The Lake Children’s Hospital in Baton Rouge.

No other details were immediately available.

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