Endorses Kamala Harris
The United States (US) President, Joe Biden, has withdrawn from the race for the US presidency, an extraordinary decision upending American politics, that plunges the Democratic nomination into uncertainty just months before the November election against Donald Trump, a candidate he has warned is an existential threat to US democracy.
In a letter announcing his decision, Biden said, While it has been my intention to seek re-election, I believe it is in the best interest 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.
The President made the shocking announcement after a week-long pressure campaign by Democratic leaders, organisers and donors who increasingly saw no path to victory so long as the embattled incumbent remained on the ticket.
Biden however, endorsed Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee in his place, posting on social media: ‘Today, I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year’.
More than 30 Democratic members of Congress had called on Biden to step aside. As recently as Friday, his campaign had insisted he was staying in the race. An ABC News/Ipsos poll released yesterday found that 60% of Democrats believed he should end his bid.
A disastrous debate performance last month, and his uneven public appearances since, have only exacerbated longstanding voter concerns that the 81-year-old President was simply too old to serve another four years.
Bidens decision to step aside from the race, though remain as president, caps a singular few weeks in American politics, the latest stunning episode in an unusually tumultuous election season.
Recall that Trump, the former president and Republican nominee, narrowly survived an attempt on his life during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania that bloodied his ear and left one spectator dead. Biden, after appealing for calm in the wake of attack, had returned to the campaign trail last week determined to salvage his candidacy and once again prove his doubters wrong.
In media appearances, the President was defiant, insisting that he would remain the partys standard-bearer in November, barring an intervention from the Lord Almighty, being struck by a train or a medical condition. On Wednesday, as Biden was set to deliver remarks at a conference in Nevada, he tested positive for Covid.
After serving as Bidens vice-president, Harris, 59, has the largest national profile of any Democratic candidate, and delegates may view her as the safest option, with just four months to spare before election day.
Despite Harriss advantages, her nomination is not automatic, and other lawmakers including California governor, Gavin Newsom, Michigan governor, Gretchen Whitmer and Illinois governor JB Pritzker have been named as potential alternatives. If any of those candidates were nominated in Chicago next month, they would face the monumental task of introducing themselves to voters, crafting a campaign message and defeating Trump all in two-and-a-half months.
