President Joe Biden bows out of reelection campaign, Harris vows to win nomination
DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison of SC promises ‘transparent and orderly process’
BY: JACOB FISCHLER AND ASHLEY MURRAY - JULY 21, 2024 2:20 PM
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race Sunday, he said in a letter posted to social media, creating an unprecedented vacancy atop the Democratic ticket one month before he was scheduled to officially accept his party’s nomination.
He will remain in office through the end of his term.
Biden’s withdrawal came after a weeks-long pressure campaign from party insiders following a disastrous June 27 debate performance against GOP candidate former President Donald Trump.
The move throws an already-unusual presidential race into further chaos, and it was not immediately clear Sunday how Democrats would choose a replacement for Biden in November’s election, though Vice President Kamala Harris would have a strong claim to lead the ticket.
Biden did not endorse a replacement in that statement but praised Harris as “an extraordinary partner” in the administration’s accomplishments.
In a follow-up post less than 30 minutes later, Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to take his place at the top of the Democratic ticket.
Biden was not specific about his reasons for stepping aside, but said he believed it was in the country’s best interest.
“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,” Biden wrote in the one-page letter.
Biden, 81, appeared frail and confused at several points throughout the debate, leading to worries among elected Democrats and the party’s voters that he was no longer up to the task of governing or contesting Trump’s bid to win back the White House.
In response to Biden’s withdrawal from the race, South Carolina GOP Chairman Drew McKissick said a change at the top of the ticket won’t help Democrats.
“They’re making Joe Biden tap out in hopes it will fix their problems,” he said in a statement. “I recommend they simply admit the truth: the American people don’t support their ideas or their record. No change of players can fix that for them, and Donald J. Trump will be the 47th President of the United States of America.”
Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison said Democrats are united in their quest to defeat Trump and the party will alert Americans to its next steps “in short order.”
“The work that we must do now, while unprecedented, is clear,” the South Carolinian said in a statement. “In the coming days, the party will undertake a transparent and orderly process to move forward as a united Democratic Party with a candidate who can defeat Donald Trump in November. … Our delegates are prepared to take seriously their responsibility in swiftly delivering a candidate to the American people.”
South Carolina Democratic Party Chairwoman Christale Spain said Biden “holds a special place in the hearts of South Carolina Democrats.
“There are only two words to be said: Thank you,” she said in a statement. “South Carolina Democrats will always be proud we played a small part in President Biden’s nomination in 2020. The president’s decision today exemplifies his dedication and love for our country.”
SC Daily Gazette Editor Seanna Adcox contributed to this report.
Jacob covers federal policy as a senior reporter for States Newsroom. Based in Oregon, he focuses on Western issues. His coverage areas include climate, energy development, public lands and infrastructure.
SC Daily Gazette is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
Ashley Murray covers the nation’s capital as a senior reporter for States Newsroom. Her coverage areas include domestic policy and appropriations.
SC Daily Gazette is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
SC Democratic delegation backs Harris hours after Biden drops from the race
BY: ABRAHAM KENMORE - JULY 21, 2024 9:46 PM
COLUMBIA — The South Carolina delegation to the Democratic National Convention endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris hours after President Joe Biden announced he was no longer running for a second term.
“South Carolina’s Democratic Delegates join President Biden in endorsing Vice President Harris as our nominee,” said state Democratic Party Chair Christale Spain in a statement late Sunday evening. “We must move forward in unity for the sake of democracy; by selecting President Biden in February, South Carolina Democrats also selected the Vice President for her ability to lead.”
Biden won South Carolina’s primary in February, the first recognized primary in the country, by over 96% of the vote.
The Palmetto State delegation to the DNC includes 55 delegates elected in a complex process outlined on the website.
The state will also send 10 automatic delegates, or superdelegates. Superdelegates do not get to vote in the first round of the Democratic convention. These superdelegates include current Democratic members of Congress, which in South Carolina is just U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn.
Clyburn also endorsed Harris Sunday afternoon, saying he was “proud to follow (Biden’s) lead in support of her candidacy to succeed him.”
As recently as Thursday, Clyburn told reporters that he was backing Biden. Biden credits Clyburn’s endorsement of him prior to the 2020 South Carolina Democratic primary for his 30-point victory in the Palmetto State, after disappointing finishes that year in Iowa and New Hampshire.
In his statement posted to the social platform X, Clyburn praised Biden’s policy goals and accomplishments as president.
“President Biden has improved the lives of countless Americans through his selfless service, and I thank him for his unparagoned leadership,” he wrote. “I echo the good judgement he demonstrated in selecting Vice President Harris to lead this nation alongside him.”
Former South Carolina state Rep. Bakari Sellers, who ran for lieutenant governor in 2014 and is a political commentator for CNN, was more critical of the forces that pushed Biden out in his endorsement of Harris than Clyburn.
“Democrats should be embarrassed by the way President Biden was treated by his own colleagues the last month,” Sellers posted on the social platform X. “He is one of the most transformative Presidents of a generation. That fight is over … Kamala Harris is battle tested and battle ready.”
Abraham Kenmore is a reporter covering elections, health care and more. He joins the SC Daily Gazette from The Augusta Chronicle, where he reported on Georgia legislators, military and housing issues.
SC Daily Gazette is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
TRUMP'S RESPONSE here.
Donald J. Trump
