Biden says he will not seek re-election, endorses Harris as his successor
President Joe Biden announced on Sunday afternoon that he will exit the 2024 presidential race and has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor in the race for the White House.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek re-election, I believe it is in the best interests of my party and the country for me to stand down and focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” Biden tweeted.
Biden said he will speak about his decision in greater detail next week.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024
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
Biden’s announcement marks the near end of a more than five-decade career in Washington that included more than thirty years in the U.S. Senate, eight years as Vice President under President Barack Obama, and ultimately his own term in the White House.
It comes about a month after the 81-year-old president’s arguably disastrous debate performance against former President Donald Trump and eight days after an assassination attempt on Trump that has made the now-Republican nominee even more popular with voters, according to polls.
More than two-dozen Democratic lawmakers had recently called on Biden to drop out of the race in the face of sagging poll numbers that had showed him either losing to or polling even with Trump in several states that Democrats have carried for a generation. Moreover, Trump leads in all seven battle ground states, polls show.
Among those who called for Biden to exit the race are former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and former Democrat-turned independent West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin.
Biden has had a rough week between calls for him to drop out as well as recovering from a COVID-19 infection.
The president and his campaign resisted calls for him to exit the race until near the very moment of the announcement.
Biden is the first sitting president not to seek re-election since Lyndon Johnson in 1968.
Trump responded to Biden’s announcement in a post on the social media platform Truth Social.
The former president said Biden was never fit for office in the first place and proceeded to attack his policy record. Trump said he would undo Biden’s policies on the border and on other crucial issues if he is elected.
Trump used Biden’s announcement as an opportunity to fundraise via a text to his supporters: “If we’re going to win back the White House, it will all be because of the momentum we built at this very moment-right here, right now!”
Maryland’s current and former elected officials were included among those who paid tribute to Biden’s lengthy career following the announcement.
“President Biden has dedicated his life and career to serving the American people. His legacy of hard work, dedication, optimism, and strength have shaped the trajectory of our nation – and made us better as a people and as a country,” Gov. Wes Moore (D) said in a statement. “This is a man deeply in love with his family, his country, and the promise of America. As a governor, I look to him as an exemplar of true leadership. As an American, I look to him as an embodiment of our shared values of freedom, decency, and patriotism.”
“Joe Biden has time and again shown our nation the true meaning of a dedicated public servant,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D) said in a statement. “Over the last four years – and throughout his decades of prior service – he has delivered on behalf of the American people, working to better the lives of millions, while never forgetting where he came from and who he was fighting for. President Biden has always put our country first, and in making this decision, he has once again done what he thinks is best for the future of our democracy. His legacy will set an example of what we can accomplish on behalf of everyday Americans for generations to come. There’s still more work to be done – and I know the President is committed to seeing it through.”
“Joe Biden is a friend, and has been a passionate public servant throughout his lifetime, putting the needs of this nation first time and again,” Sen. Ben Cardin (D) said in a statement. “As president, he has led an administration that for nearly four years has helped our nation, helped our people and has created hope and opportunity where there was sickness, despair and inequality. Unemployment is at historic lows, small businesses creation is at record highs and the Fed is on the cusp of cutting interest rates again because inflation is in check.”
“Joe Biden is among the best and most consequential presidents in American history,” Maryland Democratic Party chair Ken Ulman said in a statement. “In three and half years, President Biden navigated the country through COVID and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, passed historic investments in infrastructure and climate, lowered prescription drug prices for seniors, passed landmark gun safety legislation, and so much more.”
“I respect President Biden for his decades of public service,” former two-term GOP governor and now-U.S. Senate candidate Larry Hogan said in a statement. “I believe he made the right decision for his family and the country. These are dangerous and unprecedented times. He should be commended for putting country ahead of personal ambition.”
Democratic lawmakers began endorsing Harris’ candidacy for president shortly after Biden’s announcement.
Among those who endorsed the 59-year-old vice president and former California senator on Sunday are progressive firebrand Rep. Pramila Jayapal (Wash.), Rep. James Clyburn (S.C.), and Sens. Tim Kaine (Va.), Mazie Hirono (Hawaii), Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), and Chris Coons (Del.). Former President Bill Clinton and former First Lady Hillary Clinton also endorsed Harris.
Coons is the co-chair of the 2024 Democratic presidential campaign.
Harris is of Jamaican and Indian descent. She is both the first woman and the first person of color to serve as vice president. And if elected president, she would be the first woman to hold that office.
It is unclear if any Democrats will step forward to challenge Harris for the nomination.
Among those who have been mentioned as potential candidates are California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro. Though none of the three have expressed any interest in running for president.
Potential running mates for Harris are said to include Shapiro, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Minnesota Gov. Tim Waltz, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper.
Harris said in a tweet Sunday that she will “earn” and “win” her party’s nomination for president.
I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party—and unite our nation—to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda. If you’re with me, add a donation right now.https://t.co/xpPDkCRhoZ
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) July 21, 2024
It is unclear how Harris might perform in a race against Trump.
A CNN Poll of Polls released earlier this month showed Trump and Harris with about an even amount of support-48% for Trump and 47% for Harris.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated…
Bryan is an award-winning political journalist who has extensive experience covering Congress and Maryland state government.
His work includes coverage of the election of Donald Trump, the confirmation hearings of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and attorneys general William Barr and Jeff Sessions-as well as that of the Maryland General Assembly, Gov. Larry Hogan, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bryan has broken stories involving athletic and sexual assault scandals with the Baltimore Post-Examiner.
His original UMBC investigation gained international attention, was featured in People Magazine and he was interviewed by ABC’s “Good Morning America” and local radio stations. Bryan broke subsequent stories documenting UMBC’s omission of a sexual assault on their daily crime log and a federal investigation related to the university’s handling of an alleged sexual assault.