President Biden has announced he is dropping out of the presidential race and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic nominee — less than four months before the election.
President Joe Biden wrote on the social media platform X on Sunday “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 decision I’ve made. Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this”.
President’s choice to favor social media bypassing traditional media in making his stunning announcement that he won’t be on the 2024 ticket has helped to butress Elon Musk’s point of social network’s role as a direct channel to convey world events rather than traditional media.
Vice President Kamala Harris has accepted Biden’s endorsement and announced she will seek the Democratic Party’s nomination to face Donald Trump in November.
“I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination. Over the past year, I have traveled across the country, talking with Americans about the clear choice in this momentous election. And that is what I will continue to do in the days and weeks ahead,” Harris said in a statement she also shared on X. “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.”
No Democrats have so far come out to challenge Harris in the process to replace Biden. According to NBC News; a source close to the Harris campaign effort said she has been working phones hard to get support from all the short-listers. “She’s already rallying all the potential candidates behind her,” this person said. “You’re going to see everyone fall into place.”
While some quickly endorsed Harris on Sunday, other rumored or would-be candidates are keeping their cards close to the vest, with most of them refraining from discussing Biden’s succession.
Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., a former astronaut who won two back-to-back statewide elections in battleground Arizona, has been rumored as a possible vice presidential contender. Kelly endorsed Harris on Sunday to take the mantle from Biden this fall.
NBC News reported that the source close to the Harris campaign effort said Kelly is the “dark horse” in the contest for vice presidential candidate, given his military experience and personal narrative and that he comes from a swing state.
Former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton posted a joint statement on X following Biden’s announcement and his endorsement. They endorsed Harris for President and wrote that “we will do whatever we can to support her,” particularly as “nothing has made [them] more worried” for the country than “the threat posed by a second Trump term.”
More endorsements are coming up and there’s a surge in donations for Kamala Harris since Biden made the announcement to step aside upon the completion of his term in office.
