Top Democrats endorse Harris after Biden’s exit from election race
A majority of Democrats in Congress and nearly half of the country’s Democratic governors announced their support for Vice President Kamala Harris to lead the Democratic ticket in the hours after President Joe Biden stepped out of the race on Sunday.
Most Democrats were quick to issue statements commending Biden for his years of service after he announced he was dropping his re-election bid. Many offered their support for Harris to be the party’s nominee, though several key leaders did not immediately back her.
After weeks of fighting among Democrats on whether Biden, 81, should stay in the race, a rush of support coalescing behind Harris, if she is to be the nominee, is crucial with just over 100 days before the November election.
Doubts about Harris
success
But there are plenty of doubts inside the Democratic Party about whether Harris can beat Donald Trump, the Republican nominee and former president. Some Democrats have suggested the party should hold a mini-primary before the August convention.
Biden himself endorsed Harris on Sunday, in a separate statement following his letter saying that he is stepping down. He was quickly followed by the powerful Congressional Black Caucus, several key donors, various lawmakers and super PACs including Priorities USA and Unite the Country.
Former president Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, who served as secretary of State under president Barack Obama, also endorsed Harris in a statement.
Still, others, including former house speaker Nancy Pelosi and Obama, under whom Biden served as vice president for eight years, thanked Biden for his patriotism but have yet to throw their support behind Harris or any other
candidate.
“We will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead,” Obama said in a statement. “But I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who praised Biden’s decision to step aside, also was silent on who should be the Democrats’ nominee.
Trump’s vicious attack on Biden and his legacy led the Republican party’s reaction to the president’s decision to withdraw from the 2024 race.
“Crooked Joe Biden was not fit to run for president, and is certainly not fit to serve – and never was!” Trump said in a post to Truth Social, repeating his favored insult for the man who beat him in the 2020 election, and rehashing a familiar litany of unsubstantiated grievances.
“He only attained the position of president by lies, fake news, and not leaving his basement. All those around him, including his doctor and the media, knew that he wasn’t capable of being president, and he wasn’t.
“And now look what he’s done to our country, with millions of people coming across our border, totally unchecked and unvetted, many from prisons, mental institutions, and record numbers of terrorists. We will suffer greatly because of his presidency, but we will remedy the damage he has done very quickly.”
Trump said he thinks Harris will be easier to defeat in November’s election than Biden.
“Harris will be easier to beat than Joe Biden would have been,” Trump told CNN.