Biden's decision to drop out has Democrats across the country relieved and looking ahead
HARPER WOODS, Michigan: After weeks of uncertainty over who would be at the top of the Democratic ticket in November, many voters expressed relief at the news that President Joe Biden would drop his re-election bid and began thinking about who could replace him in a dramatically changed electoral landscape.
Jerod Keene, a 40-year-old athletic trainer 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 vice president and it would be difficult for the party to try to go in a different direction on that,” said Keene, who lives in Tucson. “And I think she seems ready.”
The Democratic Party has been deeply divided since Biden's poor debate performance on June 27, prompting many to question his ability to defeat Republican Donald Trump in November and secure another term. Party leaders had increasingly urged Biden to step aside, but his unwillingness to bend left voters nationwide unsure of who would face Trump in November.
The latest AP-NORC poll revealed that nearly two-thirds of Democrats believe Biden should withdraw from the presidential race, while a majority believe Harris would perform well in the top slot.
Keene's relief that the saga surrounding Biden's decision was 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 expressed optimism about the party's next nominee — whether it's Harris or someone else.
In Pittsburgh, Fred Johnston said he has been terrified of another Trump presidency and had long worried that Biden would not be able to beat Trump again. After watching Biden's shaky debate performance, he was eager for Biden to drop out and hand over his candidacy to Harris.
“Kamala is someone we can vote for, and that's what we need,” Johnston said.
He also believes she can win Pennsylvania: “I have no logical basis for this, but it's good to have hope. I haven't had hope in a while.”
In Las Vegas, Lucy Ouano, 68, said she was proud of both Biden's decision to drop out of the race and his move to quickly endorse Harris.
“He ends on a good note,” Ouano said. “Trump should be worried. He's now running against someone strong.”
Ouano, who immigrated to the United States in 1960 from Thailand as a young child with her parents, said she could not have imagined this outcome just weeks ago when she attended a Harris rally in Las Vegas to quell concerns about Biden's re-election campaign .
At the time, she told the AP that while she planned to vote for Biden, she wanted Harris at the top of the ticket.
“She's going to get the Asians to drum up, and she's going to get the women to drum up,” 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 aside. The Democratic voter, who voted for Biden in 2020, said his opinion of Biden changed after what he called a “disastrous” debate.
“He's been a great president and he's gotten a lot done for our country. But he's too old, he's not articulate,” he said. “He's not a good messenger for the Democratic Party.”
Some voters, like Nebraska resident Lacey LeGrand, had 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 would end up endorsing Biden. I wasn't very happy about that.”
LeGrand, a registered Democrat in Nebraska's swing district, a potentially decisive vote that Biden and Obama both won in the past, believes Harris “has a chance” to defeat Trump, though she added, “I wouldn't say it's a good shot.” “
But not all voters were happy with Sunday's announcement. 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 drop out of the race.
“I don't think President Biden should have dropped out,” she said. “On the other hand, maybe it's for the best.”
Haynes, 72, of Harvey, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans, quickly focused on who would lead the Democratic ticket, saying she is “very positive that Vice President Kamala Harris can handle the job.”
She added that she hoped Harris would 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 intercollegiate historically African-American sorority. The group has more than 360,000 members in graduate and undergraduate departments in 12 countries and can be a formidable political force in its own right.
Barbara Orr, a psychotherapist in the Lancaster, Pennsylvania area, said she believed Biden was capable of running for president, beating Trump and serving as president. However, she saw his decision to end his candidacy as a sign that he is not driven by ego and realized that because of his debate performance, voters assume he cannot do the job.
Orr, 65, said she's not “super impressed” by Harris, “but she can rise to the occasion. It's happened before in history.”
She also acknowledged that Harris has not had the chance to prove her mettle as a candidate against Trump.
Orr, a self-described progressive who favored Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders or Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren for president in 2020, said she would probably prefer Whitmer to replace Biden on the Democratic ticket.
“I love what she stands for,” Orr said.
Joe DeFrain was out kayaking when a text message informed him that Biden had dropped out. While the Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan, resident said he wasn't surprised to hear about the development, one thing surprised him.
“I was waiting to see if all the boaters out there would scream for joy, because a lot of them are Trump fans. And I didn't hear anything,” DeFrain said after sitting down for 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 thing ever.”
Ledbetter's initial reaction to the news came down to a single word: “Why?”
“He's a good president. I like Biden,” Ledbetter said. But, he added, “You've got to do what you've got to do.”
Ledbetter said he will support Harris despite his disappointment.
“I'll take that too. I think she can do it. First female president. That would be nice. African-American president. That would be nice again,” said Ledbetter, who is Black.
As for DeFrain, he said he will be watching to see 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 has voted Democratic in recent elections. “It should be entertaining.”
