State and Local Officials Respond to Biden Decision, Harris Endorsement
'There's no reason that we should not have a woman leading our country'
President Joe Biden’s announcement on Sunday that he will no longer seek the Democratic presidential nomination for reelection has garnered strong reactions from elected officials and political pundits across the country.
Biden has already endorsed his current vice president, Kamala Harris, to replace him as the candidate. With just under a month until the Democratic National Convention and just over 100 days until the presidential election, Harris is the current favorite to represent Democrats in that race.
In the first 24 hours that followed Biden’s endorsement of Harris, her campaign saw a wave of support from North Carolina Democratic officials. On Sunday evening the North Carolina Democratic Party’s (NCDP) DNC Delegation announced that it had unanimously endorsed Kamala Harris for the party’s presidential nomination.
“North Carolina Democrats are deeply thankful to Joe Biden. He is a true public servant and history will know him as being one of the most consequential and legislatively successful presidents in our nation’s history,” wrote NCDP Chair Anderson Clayton in a release announcing the vote. “During his administration, President Biden made historic investments in people – from our jobs, to our health care, to our infrastructure. As always, he has been a champion of our Democratic belief that every American in every community deserves to thrive.
“Tonight, our North Carolina Democratic DNC delegation held an emergency meeting and we discussed how to best chart a path forward, build on his success, and unite, ready to win in November,” Clayton continued. “Our DNC Delegation is thrilled to announce that we unanimously endorse Vice President Kamala Harris to be the next President of the United States. This November it’ll be a prosecutor going up against a felon. It will be experience going up against extremism. We know that with the infrastructure and the organizing powerhouse we have spent years building, North Carolina will send VP Harris to the Oval Office.”
The NCDP’s vote came amidst speculation that NC Gov. Roy Cooper could be selected as Harris’ running mate. Cooper is currently wrapping in the final year of his second term as governor, having won the gubernatorial race in 2016 and 2020, both of which were victories that came as Republican candidate Donald Trump won the statewide vote for president.
The North Carolina DNC Delegation also voted to endorse Cooper as the vice presidential nominee, as did the Mecklenburg County Democratic Party (MCDP).
“Governor Cooper’s track record of electoral success speaks for itself: he won 76,000 more votes than Donald Trump in North Carolina in 2020,” read a release from the MCDP. “North Carolina is a pivotal swing state that has seen years of underinvestment from national Democrats – this election is a major opportunity to lay the groundwork for Democratic victories in North Carolina for years to come, and selecting Governor Cooper as our Vice Presidential candidate would go a long way to building that infrastructure.”
Learn more: Nooze Hounds: Mecklenburg County Democratic Party Chair Drew Kromer (2023)
Cooper did address Biden’s decision on Sunday evening in a post on Twitter that read, “Kamala Harris should be the next President. I’ve known [her] going back to our days as AGs, and she has what it takes to defeat Donald Trump and lead our country thoughtfully and with integrity. I look forward to campaigning for her as we work to win NC up and down the ticket.”
Cooper then directly addressed rumors of his possible nomination as running mate on MSNBC’s Morning Joe on Monday.
“I appreciate people talking about me, but I think the focus right now needs to be on her this week,” said Cooper. “[Harris] needs to concentrate on making sure that she secures this nomination and gets the campaign ready to go.”
Democratic representatives in Congress were also quick to endorse Kamala, voicing their support over social media and through press release statements.
“The path forward is clear– we must unite behind Vice President Kamala Harris to defeat Donald Trump. Together, we can win in November and build on the historic progress forged by President Biden,” said US Rep. Deborah Ross (NC-2) in a post on Twitter.
“There are very few moments in history like this,” wrote US Rep. Jeff Jackson (NC-14) in a statement on Sunday night. “Relinquishing power before one must, doing so gracefully and solely out of concern for the country, is an act so profoundly rare that it deepens the honor of the presidency, not just the president. President Biden has earned his place among national leaders who showed true selflessness on behalf of our country, and he deserves our genuine gratitude. Now, unity and victory.”
North Carolina Republican officials were quick to release statements critical of Biden’s move.
“America can’t handle the disastrous Biden-Harris agenda for another four years,” said North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis on X.
“If Biden can’t run, he can’t serve,” wrote Lieutenant Governor and 2024 gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson on Twitter. “Democrats who like to talk about ‘protecting democracy’ are throwing out the will of their voters because of bad polling. But make no mistake, whether it is Biden or Harris, the horrible policies are the same: Open borders, rampant inflation, and rising crime.”
Many Republicans responded to Biden’s announcement by claiming that nominating Harris after voters chose Biden in the Democratic primaries would be unconstitutional. The League of Women Voters of Charlotte-Mecklenburg on Sunday evening sent out a statement put together by the National Task Force on Election Crises (NTFEC), of which the League of Women Voters is a member, debunking such claims.
“While a major party’s presumptive nominee withdrawing his presidential candidacy is an extraordinary occurrence, rules and procedures are in place to respond to this development,” the statement read. “Americans can be confident that this situation falls well within existing rules and that their election system continues to allow for a free and fair election. A political party has control over how to choose its nominee in accordance with the party’s own governing rules.
“When a presumptive nominee withdraws before their party makes its nomination official, the party will follow its own rules and procedures to choose an official nominee (typically, but not necessarily, in person at the party’s nominating convention),” the statement continues. “In this instance, the Democratic Party will determine its path forward, and its delegates will vote to approve a nominee at or before the Democratic National Convention this August.
The NTFEC also put together a more in-depth analysis of candidate succession policy before Election Day that you can read here.
Congresswoman Alma Adams discusses path forward for Democrats
On Monday afternoon, US Rep. Alma Adams (NC-12) held a virtual roundtable with local media to discuss Biden’s decision and the path forward for Kamala Harris.
Adams touched on a number of different topics related to Biden’s decision and the upcoming election, and we’ve compiled some of her comments below.
On Biden’s decision not to run for reelection:
“I certainly support the decision that he’s made, and I support his endorsement … Someone asked me if I was sad about it. He wanted to run again to beat the former president again, and certainly he’s not going to be able to do that now, but we’re going to do it for him. I do think the fact that he put the American people in our country first when he made this decision, I’m grateful to him for not only the way he did it, but also the selflessness that he showed.
“And of course, being a long-time professor It’s a powerful teaching moment for all of us. So we’re going to move ahead, and we’ve got 105 days or so left. And so we’re going to make every day count and work hard to ensure that we have a win for the White House and the US House and Senate as well.”
On whether Sunday night’s news reinvigorates the Democratic Party:
“Certainly it is reinvigorating the base … I do believe that people are excited about the prospect of moving forward. Some people have said, ‘Well, we need younger leadership, etc. So we’ve got that, or we will have it … There’s a lot of work we’ve got to do, [and] not a lot of time to do it, but I think people are invigorated about it. I’ve talked to folks, folks have been calling me, texting me, etc. I think the enthusiasm is building, and I think we’ll see the turnout that we are expecting and hope to expect in North Carolina for the Democrat.”
On whether America is ready for a woman president:
“There’s no reason that we should not have a woman leading our country. Other countries do. But I do believe that Vice President Harris has prepared herself. She’s been working side by side with the president for four years. So … to look at it another way, she’s been in training. She’s been doing this work. So if she comes in. If she’s the nominee, I certainly hope that’s the case, she comes in as the incumbent.
“She’s been a prosecutor, I think she’s going to prosecute this case. But I also think in terms of not only that, her previous accomplishments prior to coming to the White House, her previous accomplishments have been incredible. She’s been a wonderful prosecutor. She’s been first in so many things. So I think we’re ready, and we’re going to see.
“Our speaker emeritus [Nancy] Pelosi reminds us all the time that when women succeed, America succeeds. I’ll add to that, when black women vote everybody wins. We’re looking forward to a very vigorous campaign for the next 100 and so days that we have left. But I think it’s going to inspire a lot of people because, yes, I believe that we’re ready for a woman, and we’re going to show you something.”
On who should be the vice presidential candidate:
“Well, not me. I haven’t thought seriously about who it should be. I think, of course, we’ll be able to, I think, rely on whomever. I think Vice President Harris, as any president or presidential candidate, would need to have someone that not only they trust but who helps to offset what they’re doing so that you have a team where you’re able to work off of each other.
“I’ve heard a number of names, but I’m not sure what’s going to happen. The first thing we’re going to do is to get her nominated. I think that’s the first act of business. But people are thinking about it. They’re talking about it. But I haven’t had any major discussions with folks at this point about who that will be. My focus right now is going to be on trying to make sure that we do everything we can for this vice president to become our president.”
On whether it’s fair to ask, as Republicans have, whether Biden should step down from serving as president immediately:
“I don’t think that’s necessary. He’s made his decision. I’ve supported him. We’re going to, I think, see and hear a lot of distractions. That’s what happens. That’s what pretty much Republicans tend to do on most things, take your attention away from what we should be focused on. But if he feels he has things that he needs to do, then I think he should have an opportunity to do that. So I support it. But I don’t think that’s a discussion — I’m not surprised that it came up, but I do think that that’s the choice that he’s made, and I’m willing to support him on it.”
On how this decision will impact voter enthusiasm locally:
“The concerns that people had, I think, have been put to rest. Right now, the concerns on the minds of the folks that I’ve talked to in our community, in our county of Mecklenburg and then some other places in North Carolina, people are concerned about making sure that we win this White House — and I’m talking about the Democrats now. And so the enthusiasm is there. I don’t think that there was a lack of it. I think we all understand not only the value of our vote but why we must vote and the things that we have been able to benefit as a result of this president and this administration.
“We want to keep that pace going. We’re going to do what we we need to do. The folks in Charlotte and Mecklenburg, and I met with some people last night at the Black Political Caucus and some other places in our community, we’re keeping our eyes on the prize. We’re not being deterred by distractions because there are going to be a lot of them coming.
“We’re trying to knock on all 700,000 doors, and we’re going to continue to do that. We got a plan in place, we’ve been working that plan. We didn’t just put it in place yesterday. It’s been in place to really work to make sure we turn this vote out. So that’s really where the focus is. We have a lot of people who are registered, and as a matter of fact, even today, we have thousands more who we have registered. So the goal right now is to make sure that everybody on the books who are registered, who can vote, that are eligible to vote, will do that. That’s the bottom line. That’s where the rubber’s gonna meet the road and that’s what’s going to win this election for us.”
With Harris’ campaign still in its early stages, Democrats look to the Democratic National Convention, which will be held from Aug. 19-22 in Chicago, where delegates will officially nominate a presidential candidate and a running mate will be announced.
