Are NC Democrats getting behind Harris? What both parties are saying about Biden’s exit.
President Joe Biden’s announcement Sunday afternoon on social media that he’s ending his reelection campaign left North Carolina’s Democrats praising his service, and the state’s Republicans calling for Biden’s resignation from office.
Biden’s decision leaves the Democratic Party without a nominee for president, though Biden immediately threw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris.
Rep. Deborah Ross, a Democrat from Wake County, was among the first to second Biden’s call for Harris to become the new nominee.
“The path forward is clear — we must unite behind Vice President Kamala Harris to defeat Donald Trump,” Ross said, in a news release. “Together, we can win in November and build on the historic progress forged by President Biden.”
Hillsborough Town Board member Matt Hughes, a member of the Democratic National Committee since 2020, said he supported Biden for a second term but stands completely behind Harris as the Democratic nominee.
“President Biden’s decision today cements his legacy as someone who protected our democracy and pulled the economy from near-depression, and I think deciding to pass the torch to Kamala Harris will only strengthen and enhance his legacy as someone who has decided against putting personal ambition and politics ahead of our country and our party,” Hughes said.
Biden’s announcement comes after weeks of pressure from Democrats calling for him to drop out of the race after a dismal debate performance against former President Donald Trump that led many to question his mental agility and whether he could continue to lead.
North Carolina and the Biden campaign
Gov. Roy Cooper said he “thanks Biden from the bottom of his heart for his service.”
“President Biden has cemented his place among our nation’s finest Presidents,” Cooper wrote. “When our democracy faced danger, President Biden stood strong as the rarest type of leader who could help us forge ahead with a vision to repair our country’s soul.”
Cooper praised him for his accomplishments in office, but didn’t mention rumors that Cooper could become the next vice presidential nominee with Biden out of the race.
Attorney General Josh Stein, a Democrat looking to succeed Cooper as governor, called Biden “a true patriot.”
“His decision today exemplifies his commitment to always putting the country before himself,” Stein wrote. “I thank him for his remarkable service to our nation.”
The Biden campaign has had a strong presence in North Carolina since announcing Biden’s reelection campaign. Biden lost North Carolina to Trump in 2020 by 1.3% of the vote, the smallest margin Trump won by of any other state.
North Carolina is a swing state, despite having only elected one Democrat, former President Barack Obama, since 1976. But since 2008, the margin between the two party’s presidential nominees has been less than 4%.
Biden, Harris and their surrogates have made frequent visits to North Carolina, on an almost weekly basis, with Harris having come to the Tar Heel State twice in the past two weeks.
Democrats have been hungry to flip North Carolina blue, and it’s unclear how Biden’s announcement will impact the state.
Democrats call Biden a patriot
Many Democrats around North Carolina, contacted for comment on Biden’s announcement, let their phones go straight to voicemail. Some didn’t immediately respond to voicemails left by reporters seeking comment, while others said they would send statements shortly.
North Carolina Democrats who have responded to Biden’s decision have been supportive.
For state Senate Democratic Whip Jay Chaudhuri, Biden “made a decision that reflected his values of putting the country over himself.”
Biden is leaving “his presidency with an extraordinary legacy,” Chaudhuri said, “and I think President Biden gives Vice President Harris an extraordinary track record for us going into the November 2024 election.”
Biden dropping out also makes Trump “the oldest presidential nominee in modern American history,” he said in an interview with The N&O.
Asked if Biden should remain through the end of his term, Chaudhuri said Biden made a decision to “complete his presidency. And that is his decision alone. And I respect that.”
As for effects of the news, what Chaudhuri called a reset “is going to generate a lot of excitement among Democrats, Independents and even some Republicans,” he said. Harris is “going to bring a lot of energy to the ticket” and all the new energy “will impact offices that Democrats contest up and down the ballot,” he said.
After Biden’s debate in June and ensuing calls for him to drop out, there was speculation that Cooper could be a potential nominee for vice president.
Chaudhuri said that is “Governor Cooper and his family’s decision to make. But I can’t think of a better vice presidential candidate for Kamala Harris than Roy Cooper.”
Rep. Don Davis, a Democrat from Snow Hill, and the only member of Congress facing a true competition to retain his seat in the House, said he “wholeheartedly supports” Biden’s decision.
“My sincere prayers are with him and his family as I continue to focus on fighting for eastern North Carolina,” Davis said, in a written statement.
And Rep. Alma Adams, a Democrat from Charlotte, the most senior member of the Democrats in the delegation, said Biden and Harris have presided over “one of the most successful, most accomplished presidential administrations.”
“President Biden has served our citizens well,” Adams wrote on social media. “I am thankful for his leadership and support his final decision. It is imperative that we keep this good governance going.”
Rep. Kathy Manning, a Democrat from Greensboro, called Biden “a true patriot” and said he made a difficult decision for the good of the country.
“His legacy is secure, and we Democrats must keep fighting to protect all the progress we’ve made,” Manning wrote.
Rep. Wiley Nickel, a Democrat from Cary, said Biden has served with “honor, integrity and unwavering commitment.” He added that Biden’s “willingness to do what’s right for our democracy will go down in the history books.”
Rep. Jeff Jackson, a Republican from Charlotte, focused in on the enormity of the moment.
“There are very few moments in history like this,” Jackson said. “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.”
He then called for unity and victory.
Republicans call for Biden to resign
The Republican Party just finished their national convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which began just days after an attempted assassination of Trump. After the shooting, which left a 50-year-old father dead, two others seriously injured and Trump with a gunshot wound to his right ear, Republicans also called for unity within their party.
Republicans wasted no time responding to the news. Rep. Richard Hudson, a Republican from Southern Pines who leads the Republican National Congressional Committee, called Biden’s announcement “a scandal of historic proportions.”
“President Biden is incapacitated, Democrats knew and they lied to the American people to cover it up,” Hudson wrote on social media. “If Biden is mentally unfit to campaign, he is mentally unfit to have the nuclear codes. Will Democrats now say he should resign?”
Rep. Dan Bishop, a Republican from Mecklenburg County, who is running for attorney general, immediately took to social media asking how he can remain president.
“Yet another sign of devotion to ‘our democracy,’” Bishop said.
Rep. Virginia Foxx, a Republican from Banner Elk, called for his resignation.
Biden said in his letter to the nation, posted on social media, that his focus is on fulfilling the remainder of his term in office. He also thanked Harris for being “an extraordinary partner.”
Rep. David Rouzer, a Republican from Wilmington, said that Washington liberals and the national media ignored three years of raised concerns about Biden’s cognitive and physical abilities.
“The truth is, the only reason why the Democrat power brokers forced President Biden out of the race is because they had come to the conclusion that he could not win,” Rouzer wrote. “This is a true subversion of the will of the voters who cast their vote for President Biden to be their nominee.”
And Rep. Greg Murphy, who echoed his colleagues, honed in on Harris.
“With President Biden now endorsing Kamala Harris, he is endorsing a woman who cannot keep executive staff members and who failed in her only job,” Murphy wrote.
North Carolina Republican Party Chairman Jason Simmons said Biden’s announcement “is an acknowledgment of what the American people already knew: Joe Biden is not capable of being President. It also exposes the craven political expediency of the Democrat Party.”
“They have no message, nothing to offer voters, and have benched Joe Biden solely to keep political power. As we saw at the RNC, President Trump and Senator JD Vance lead a united Republican Party that will deliver for the American people once elected on November 5,” he said in a news release.
An NRCC spokeswoman, Delanie Bomar, questioned in a news release whether Biden was fit to continue serving in office. “Democrats can’t have it both ways. If Joe Biden can’t handle a debate or a rally, he can’t stand up to Putin or have access to the nuclear codes.”
Former Rep. Mark Walker, who now works for the Republican National Committee, also said if he’s not able to run for president, “you are not able to be President.”
Biden is currently undergoing treatment for COVID-19. He took a sixth dose of Paxlovid on Saturday, according to doctors.
Democrats in the Triangle react
Democratic officials in the Triangle said Biden has been an accomplished president.
Steve Rawson, chair of the Durham Democrats, said he takes an “immense amount of pride” in both Biden and his legacy.
“This decision, to me, emphasizes what has made Joe Biden such a great public servant for so many years, which is that he listened and he considered and he made a decision that was very hard for him personally, but that he believed would be the best course forward for our country,” Rawson said, noting the stakes in the 2024 election are very high.
“We recognize as Democrats that the vision that we have for our country, the plans that we also have, are going to benefit Americans (nationwide) … but in order to do those things, we have to win this election, and Donald Trump is a unique danger” to the nation and democracy, he said.
It has become clear in the last month that Biden may not be the best person to lead the next stage of progress, Rawson said when asked if the decision Sunday was the best choice.
But Harris is the “obvious and best choice moving forward,” he added.
Having a clear decision is a relief, especially after spending the last three weeks responding to calls, texts and emails from Democrats with ideas about what should happen, said Kevyn Creech, chair of the Wake County Democratic Party Executive Committee.
“There is no one on this planet more qualified” than Harris, Creech said.
For vice president, she said Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, or even “our amazing” governor, Cooper, could be a good choice.
“All three of these folks govern states that are swinging and purple, that include a large swath of rural constituents and have traditionally not been the wealthier states — the so-called more elite states — so they know what they’re doing with a diverse group of people.”
This story was originally published July 21, 2024 at 3:00 PM with the headline "Are NC Democrats getting behind Harris? What both parties are saying about Biden’s exit.."