As we wrote on Sunday, President Joe Biden has decided to drop out of the race for the 2024 presidential nomination and support Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party candidate.
In a X-Post When he received approval, he wrote:
Dear Democratic colleagues, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus fully on my duties as President for the remainder of my term. My very first decision as the party’s nominee in 2020 was to select Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it was the best decision I ever made. Today, I want to express my full support and endorsement of Kamala becoming our party’s nominee this year. Democrats – it’s time to come together and defeat Trump. Let’s do it.
There were reactions from across the political spectrum, including from Republicans and Democrats (both in the leadership and outside) to Biden’s exit from the race:
That was quick: Bill and Hillary Clinton fully rely on Kamala Harris as president
Pelosi comments on Biden’s withdrawal from 2024 re-election
Leading Republicans call for Joe Biden to resign as president
Now Kamala Harris responded to Biden’s resignation and supported her as a presidential candidate.
above The hill:
“I am honored by the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination,” she said in a statement.
“Over the past year, I have traveled across the country speaking to Americans about the clear choice in this momentous election. And I will continue to do so in the days and weeks ahead. I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party – and our nation – to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda,” she added.
….
The vice president thanked Biden for his decades of service, saying his “remarkable legacy of accomplishments is unparalleled in modern American history.” She called his decision to drop out of the race a “selfless and patriotic act” and recalled first meeting Biden through his delayed son Beau, who was attorney general under Harris.
“We have 107 days until Election Day. Together we will fight. And together we will win,” Harris said.
But what some Democrats are hoping for – an automatic switch from Biden to Harris as candidate – could have a catch, writes my colleague Streiff, and House Speaker Mike Johnson said on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday:
Johnson’s statement suggests that he sees a challenge ahead based on the results of the primaries.
So it would be wrong, and I think it would be illegal under some of these state regulations, for a handful of people to go into the back room and replace the candidate because they don’t like him anymore. That’s not how it’s supposed to work.
So I think they would face legal obstacles in at least some of these jurisdictions and there will be compelling arguments that this should not happen. So I think they will run into legal trouble if this is their intent and their plan.
Read more:
Speaker Johnson hints at legal challenges to attempts to replace Biden on the ballot
Johnson said in his remarks: “So we will see how it turns out.”
There are also this modern statementt from Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison – which strangely lacks Harris’ name:
“In the coming days, the party will begin a transparent and orderly process to move forward as a united Democratic Party with a candidate who can defeat Donald Trump in November,” he said. “This process will be governed by the party’s established rules and procedures. Our delegates are ready to take their responsibilities seriously and quickly present a candidate to the American people.”
We’ll keep you updated on the (likely bumpy) progress of the process on this side of the aisle.
