Biden's decision to step down leaves Democrats across the country relieved and looking to the future
HARPER WOODS, Mich.: After weeks of uncertainty over who will be the Democratic Party's front-runner in November, many voters expressed relief at the news that President Joe Biden would drop his re-election bid and began thinking about who might replace him in a dramatically changed electoral environment.
Jerod Keene, a 40-year-old track and field coach from the swing state of Arizona, had planned to vote for Biden in November, but was grateful for the president's decision, calling it “inevitable.” Keene said he is excited about the next candidate and hopes it will be Vice President Kamala Harris, whom Biden endorsed on Sunday.
“Kamala Harris is the easiest choice based on the fact that she's the vice president and it would be hard for the party to try to go in another direction,” said Keene, who lives in Tucson. “And I think she's ready.
The Democratic Party has been deeply divided since Biden's poor performance in the June 27 debate, which left many doubting his ability to defeat Republican Donald Trump in November and secure another term. Party leaders have increasingly called for Biden to step down, but his reluctance to bow has left voters across the country uncertain about who will face Trump in November.
A recent AP-NORC poll found that nearly two-thirds of Democrats thought Biden should withdraw from the presidential race, while a majority believed Harris would do well in the top job.
Keene's relief that the saga surrounding Biden's decision is over was echoed by voters across the country in interviews with The Associated Press. In key swing states like Wisconsin, Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Nevada, many have expressed optimism about the party's next nominee — whether it's Harris or someone else.
Fred Johnston said in Pittsburgh that he dreaded another Trump presidency and had long worried that Biden could not beat Trump again. After seeing Biden's shaky debate performance, he was eager for Biden to drop out and hand his candidacy to Harris.
“Kamala is someone we can vote for and that's what we need,” Johnston said.
He also thinks he can win Pennsylvania: “I have no logical basis for that, but it's good to have hope. I had no hope for a while.”
In Las Vegas, Lucy Ouano, 68, said she was proud of both Biden's decision to withdraw from the race and his effort to quickly endorse Harris.
“It ends great,” Ouano said. “Trump should be worried. Now he's running against someone strong.”
Ouano, who immigrated to the U.S. from Thailand in 1960 as a young child with her parents, said she couldn't have imagined the outcome just a few weeks ago when she attended a Harris rally in Las Vegas to assuage concerns about Biden's re-election campaign. .
She told the AP at the time that while she planned to vote for Biden, she wanted Harris at the top of the ticket.
“He's going to drum up Asians and he's going to drum up women,” Oaano said Sunday after learning of Biden's decision.
Similarly, Arthur L. Downard Jr., a 72-year-old resident of Portland, Ore., viewed Biden's presidency favorably but said he was “very pleased” that Biden stepped down. A Democratic voter who cast his ballot for Biden in 2020 said his opinion of Biden changed after what he called a “disastrous” debate.
“He was a great president and he did a lot for our country.” But he is too old, he is not articulate,” he said. “He's not a good messenger for the Democratic Party.”
Some voters, like Nebraska resident Lacey LeGrand, planned to reluctantly vote for Biden simply because he wasn't Trump.
“I definitely don't support Trump,” LeGrand said. “So I think by default I'm going to support Biden. I wasn't very happy about it.”
LeGrand, a registered Democrat in Nebraska's swing district, a potentially swing vote previously won by both Biden and Obama, believes Harris “has a shot” at beating Trump, though she added, “I wouldn't say it's a great shot.”
But not all voters were happy with Sunday's news. Georgia voter Dorothy Redhead, 76, was “disappointed” that Biden dropped out of the race, but said she “just has to accept” Biden's decision as one between the president and God.
Jarvia Haynes, a real estate agent in New Orleans, said she has “mixed feelings” about Biden's decision to leave the race.
“I don't think President Biden should drop out,” she said. “On the other hand, maybe it's for the best.
Haynes, 72, of Harvey, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans, was quick to focus on who should lead the Democratic nomination, saying she was “very positive that Vice President Kamala Harris is able to do the job.”
She added that she hopes Harris will choose Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as her running mate.
“I think two women would change the whole dynamic of the race,” said Haynes, who joins Harris as a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the first historically African-American intercollegiate sorority. The group boasts more than 360,000 members in graduate and undergraduate chapters in 12 countries and could be a formidable political force in its own right.
Barbara Orr, a psychotherapist in the Lancaster, Pennsylvania area, said she thinks Biden is capable of running for president, defeating Trump and serving as president. However, she saw his decision to end his candidacy as a sign that he was not driven by ego, and acknowledged that his debate performance made voters assume he could not do the job.
Orr, 65, said she wasn't “super impressed” with Harris, “but she might jump at the chance. This has already happened in history.”
She also admitted that Harris did not have a chance to prove her abilities as a candidate against Trump.
Orr, a progressive who favored Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders or Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren in 2020, said she would likely favor Whitmer to replace Biden on the Democratic ticket.
“I love what it stands for,” Orr said.
Joe DeFrain was on a kayak when he was notified by text that Biden had dropped out. While the Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan, resident said he wasn't impressed when he heard about the development, one thing surprised him.
“I was waiting to see if all the boaters outside were screaming with joy because a lot of them are Trump fans. And I didn't hear anything,” DeFrain said after sitting down to dinner at They Say, a restaurant in the Detroit suburb of Harper Woods.
Biden visited They Say earlier this year, a moment manager George Ledbetter said was “the best ever.”
Ledbetters first reaction to the news was a single word: “Why?”
“He's a good president.” I like Biden,” Ledbetter said. But he added, “You gotta do what you gotta do.”
Ledbetter said he will support Harris despite his disappointment.
“I'll take that too.” I think he can do it. The first female president. That would be nice. African American President. It would be nice again,” said Ledbetter, who is Black.
As for DeFrain, he said he will be watching what happens before and during the Democratic National Convention.
“It's going to be something we've never seen in our lifetime,” said DeFrain, who voted Democratic in recent elections. “It should be fun.
