President Joe Biden announced Sunday that he will withdraw from the 2024 presidential race and backed Bay Area native Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him. The move leaves Democrats scrambling to determine a replacement candidate just weeks before their nominating convention.
Biden said in his letter that he will address the nation later this week.
In a letter released on X, he stated his decision was in the best interest of the nation.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024
It is not clear whom the party will choose as its presidential candidate. Harris is likely the favorite, though other Democrats have been mentioned over the last three weeks as calls for Biden to step aside have intensified. The Democrats meet in Chicago for their convention beginning August 19.
On Sunday, Biden also announced his full support for Harris to be the Democratic nominee.
My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term. My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it's been the best... pic.twitter.com/x8DnvuImJV
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024
Virtually all of those advocating for Biden, 81, to end his reelection bid have pointed out he's done a great job as president and cited his decades of public service, but that his age and mental acuity have become an issue.
Biden was diagnosed with COVID July 17 and cut short a campaign stop in Las Vegas to return to his vacation home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, where he is isolating. He is vaccinated and boosted and is reported to have mild symptoms, according to the White House. On July 19, Kevin O'Connor, the president's physician, stated that Biden continues a regimen of Paxlovid and still has a cough and hoarseness, though those both have improved "meaningfully." His vital signs are normal, O'Connor stated.
The president's future has been under a microscope since June 27, when he delivered a disastrous debate performance against former Republican President Donald Trump. He appeared tired, gave unclear answers at times, and stared into space. Since then, Biden has drawn criticism from members of his own party. But even before his debate performance, many voters had expressed unease about his reelection due to his age. (In polls, voters have also expressed concerns about Trump's age — 78 — and many don't want to see a rematch between the two men.)
About a week after the debate, various members of Congress started calling on Biden to drop out of the race. Those have intensified in recent days. Congressmember Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) had at first tried to stem the tide. The Bay Area Reporter noted that at the Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club Pride Breakfast in San Francisco June 30, Pelosi said of the debate, "The other day wasn't a plus for us. You have to be honest about that. But on the other hand, what we saw on one side of the screen — if you see a split-screen — is integrity, concern for people, answers to questions. What we saw on the other side was dishonesty, misrepresentation, and no concern for people."
More recently, however, Pelosi, a key Democratic leader and former House speaker, has been more circumspect as the prospect of Biden dragging down other Democratic candidates has grown more concerning to party officials. On July 18, CNN reported that Pelosi privately told Biden that polls show he can't win against Trump.
A day earlier, California Congressmember Adam Schiff (D-Burbank), who's a favorite in his U.S. Senate bid this fall and a mentee of Pelosi's, called on Biden to end his race.
In a statement reported first by the Los Angeles Times, Schiff said Biden "has been one of the most consequential presidents in our nation's history, and his lifetime of service as a senator, a vice president, and now as president has made our country better."
"But our nation is at a crossroads," he stated. "A second Trump presidency will undermine the very foundation of our democracy, and I have serious concerns about whether the President can defeat Donald Trump in November."
While the chatter of Biden dropping out had quieted in the immediate aftermath of the July 13 assassination attempt on Trump, it picked up again during the Republican convention in Milwaukee last week. Trump's 90-minute speech, however, proved to be mostly a rehash of his previous comments, and some officials said it would give an opening to Biden to continue in the race.
In his speech, after a stirring description of the failed attempt on his life in Butler, Pennsylvania, Trump made numerous false statements, including that the 2020 election was "stolen" from him.
Even former President Barack Obama, for whom Biden served as vice president, has weighed in, according to the Washington Post. Obama has privately told allies that Biden's path to victory has greatly diminished, and he thinks the president needs to seriously consider the viability of his candidacy, the paper reported July 18.
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