By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia
In a stunning turn of events, President Joe Biden has announced that he will not seek re-election, bowing to mounting pressure from within his own party. This decision comes after a growing number of Democratic Party members voiced concerns that Biden’s candidacy was jeopardizing their chances of keeping the twice-impeached former President Donald Trump out of the White House.
President Biden, who faced intense scrutiny following a disastrous debate performance last month, made the announcement in a letter posted on his X account. “And 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 to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” he wrote.
Biden assured the nation that he would continue to serve with dedication until the end of his current term. He also indicated that he would provide further details about his decision in a forthcoming address to the nation later this week.
This unexpected announcement has already sent shockwaves through the political landscape, setting the stage for a highly contentious primary season as the Democratic Party scrambles to find a new standard-bearer. Biden has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him as the Democratic presidential nominee in this note to other Democrats from his account on X: “My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term. My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made. Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this.”
Immediately, Washington State Democratic Chair Shasti Conrad has called on the party to nominate Vice President Kamala Harris:
“President Biden has led our nation with courage and historic success. He is a true patriot who ensured the Democratic Party denied Donald Trump a second term and has accomplished more in one term than many presidents have accomplished in two. He kept his promises to create good-paying jobs, guide our nation out of the pandemic, and implemented the largest effort to combat climate change in our nation’s history. He has been an incredible ally supporting our first Black president and choosing to partner with our first Black and Asian woman vice president. He also promised to be a transitional leader to the generations that will come after. I support his decision to make good on that promise.
“Today, I call on his delegates to support Vice President Kamala Harris to lead our Party and our country. As the leader and steward of the Washington State Democratic Party, I have listened to the overwhelming consensus of Democrats in Washington State who are excited to support Vice President Harris as our standard bearer.
“Vice President Kamala Harris has spent the last four years championing and pushing President Biden’s successful agenda. She knows this work is heart-led work, and her effective advancement of the Biden-Harris Administration’s priorities positions her as the only viable alternative to President Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket. Her lived experience as a Black and Asian American woman has inspired millions of people, myself included, to see ourselves occupying the highest positions of power and leadership. We are a big-tent party and Vice President Harris is the only national figure capable of unifying the full diversity of our Party to lead us to victory in November.
“But let me be clear, as a Party and as an American people, we must offer our full-throated support for Vice President Harris. We cannot and will not survive another media cycle of hand-wringing about whether the country will accept a woman as our president. We must be ready to surround her with a wall of support and be ready to stand against the racism and sexism that we know will come. As a Party, we must not perpetuate any of the bigoted and wrong sentiments that we know will come from the Trump-owned Republican Party.
“As the first South Asian woman to lead a Democratic Party organization in the entire country and the first woman of color to lead the Washington State Democrats, I know that there will undoubtedly be people from within our own party who will question Vice President Harris’ ability to win and to lead. But I am confident that she will not only lead but will exceed all expectations. President Biden chose her to be by his side while the Biden-Harris Administration enacted the most progressive accomplishments of any Administration in my lifetime, and I look forward to fully supporting Vice President Kamala Harris to lead us and this nation as our next President.
“President Biden put the interests of the nation and our party above any other concern and threw his full support behind Vice President Harris to lead us to victory in November. This is a heart-wrenching decision, and I hold the deepest respect and admiration for President Biden. Given the existential threat to our democracy and the soul of our nation posed by the Trump-Vance ticket’s xenophobic and hateful Project 2025, the Democratic Party must put forward the best candidate for victory in November. That candidate is Vice President Kamala Harris.”
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Stacy M. Brown is an NNPA Newswire Correspondent