Carolina Journal
Staff
In a letter released Sunday afternoon, President Joe Biden announced that he will not seek re-election in November. Addressed to “My Fellow Americans” the letter lists his campaign talking points, but then says he will not seek re-election in the “best interest” of the Democratic Party and the country. The decision ends his political career of more than fifty years. Biden was first elected to the US Senate in 1972 as one of the youngest senators in history.
“Together, we overcame a once in a century pandemic and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression,” read the letter. “We’ve protected and preserved our Democracy. And we’ve revitalized and strengthened our alliances around the world. It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.”
As the announcement was made public, security surrounding the White House tightened in Washingtonm DC as Secret Service and Capitol Police blocked off streets around the nation’s capital.
Following the announcement Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris on X.
“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,” his post read.
Others in the Democratic Party have followed suit including former President Bill and First Lady Hillary Clinton.
“We are honored to join the President in endorsing Vice President Harris and will do whatever we can to support her,” the Clintons announced Sunday. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper also thanked Biden in a statement Sunday calling him a friend, but did not endorse Harris.
Cooper’s name has been repeatedly raised as a possible addition to the Democratic Party presidential ticket. Cooper has a been a reliable supporter of Biden and his policies, and proven to be a prolific fundraiser. Just last week, DNC head Howard Dean said Cooper would improve Democrat’s chances of putting North Carolina in their column this November.
Term-limited, Cooper has not announced his future career plans. He is considered moderate in comparison to national Democrats, and despite his own state spending proposals, during his tenure the North Carolina’s Republican-led state legislature has ushered in a decade of fiscal management that put North Carolina in the black with strong economic growth, lower taxes, and a budget surplus.
Former President Barack Obama issued a statement Sunday using similar language and talking points to Biden’s announcement.
“We will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead. But I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges,” Obama wrote. “I believe that Joe Biden’s vision of a generous, prosperous, and united America that provides opportunity for everyone will be on full display at the Democratic Convention in August. And I expect that every single one of us are prepared to carry that message of hope and progress forward into November and beyond.”
Biden’s decision to withdraw caught Democrats by surprise outside of the inner party leadership. Just Sunday morning, North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton was among state party leaders from seven swing states to sign on to an open letter affirming their support for Biden.
“When we all lend our voices to contrasting the Democratic vision — from Biden-Harris straight down the ticket — with the MAGA nightmare, we win,” their letter Sunday read.
Democratic Party leaders of Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada also signed the letter.
A new nominee will be finalized at the Democratic National Convention kicking off August 19, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. This would mark the first time in more than five decades that a presidential nominee was not selected through the primary process.
In 1968, also in Chicago, Hubert Humphrey secured the Democratic nomination at the convention after President Lyndon B. Johnson announced he would not run for reelection. At that time, party faithful said the Humphrey nomination was “undemocratic” because it circumvented the primary process.
While some Democrats are putting their support behind Harris, others are calling for an open process to choosing a new 2024 Democratic nominee. A proposal to create a “blitz primary” has been circulating through party leaders since Biden’s disastrous debate against Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump in June. Former Obama staffer and Georgetown Professor Rosa Brooks and high-dollar Democratic donor Ted Dintersmith told CNBC in early July that they have written a plan for a televised “town hall” hosted by a Democrat celebrity like Oprah Winfrey or Taylor Swift to re-engage Democrats and pick a new candidate.
“Overnight, Biden is hailed as a modern-day George Washington, not an octogenarian clinging to power with a 37% approval rating,” the proposal reads. “From goat to hero.”
We the People party presidential nominee Robert. F Kennedy Jr. echoed the call for an open process.
“I call on the Democratic Party to return to its traditional commitment to democracy and exemplify it with an open process,” said Kennedy. “Instead of anointing a candidate hand-picked by DNC elites, the party should use neutral polling to identify the candidate who can best beat Donald Trump. The delegates should then select a nominee based on this information. If they had done this to begin with, I would not have had to leave the Democratic Party.”
The Trump/Vance campaign was quick to pivot to Harris as the potential opponent in November.
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