Pritzker considered among leading candidates for Kamala Harris' running mate

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Within the first 24 hours after getting President Joe Biden's endorsement, Vice President Kamala Harris raised $81 million: a record for a presidential candidate.

Yet, there is still a lot of work to do before she can claim the nomination.

On Monday, Harris welcomed college athletes to the White House, but behind the scenes, she was scoring key endorsements from a growing list of Democratic Party leaders, including Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, who is the highest ranking senator to back Harris atop the ticket so far.

"She called me last night in Springfield, and we talked for a few minutes, and she asked me for my endorsement, and I gave it to her," said Durbin.

There are still no endorsements from the highest ranking House and Senate Democrats, Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer.

"She is going to be the nominee, but they don't want to be seen as putting their thumb on the scale, so on Wednesday the Rules Committee will meet. They'll come up with a process and the leadership will want to make it seem, and again, wants it to be, legitimate," said Professor William Muck, North Central College.

While Harris is not yet officially the party's presidential nominee, she has reportedly begun the process of deciding who to name as her vice president.

There are several front-runners, including Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker who has endorsed Harris, saying, "I think it’s past time we shatter that highest and hardest of glass ceilings and finally elect a woman as President of the United States."

"They're probably thinking regionally right, the Midwest is going to be so important, so to pick somebody from Illinois or Michigan or Pennsylvania would be rocket fuel to the campaign and Pritzker is a rising star there," said Muck.

Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who co-chairs the Biden-Harris campaign, has vowed to do everything she can to ensure Harris has the support she needs to win in November.