Did Joe Biden drop out of the election?
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Did Joe Biden drop out of the election race? That was the Sunday surprise question that roiled social media and TV and online news July 21.
He announced that he is stepping aside as the nominee of his party.
What happens now that Biden is no longer the Democratic nominee?
Did Biden endorse Kamala Harris for president?
Biden, facing calls from more than three dozen of his own party to not run for re-election, did not endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for the race in his first Tweet. He said in a post on X that he would be speaking to the nation later this week.
Then, in a second Tweet, he did appear to endorse the vice president.
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… pic.twitter.com/x8DnvuImJV
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024
What tipped the scales for Biden and his family, in making the decision? That will be the question of this coming week.
Harris has been on a yo-yo string with Democratic Party bigwigs since that cataclysmic debate performance catapulted her boss out of a sure 2024 nomination.
Weeks before President Joe Biden stepped aside, the vice president had emerged as the most logical replacement for Biden at the top of the ticket after he wore his frailty on national TV.
Allies disseminated a logic about why Harris would be the natural successor: She could seamlessly inherit the campaign's massive warchest; her law enforcement background is best suited to prosecute the political case against Republican Donald Trump; polling shows she can win; and having been the nation's first multiracial and woman VP could galvanize a new generation of younger progressives.
Joe Biden announces on X / Twitter that he will not seek reelection
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024
Why did Joe Biden drop out?
It marks an extraordinary turn for Biden, who for three weeks remained defiant in the face of growing calls from Democratic lawmakers that he withdraw after a disastrous June 27 debate with Trump raised scrutiny over the president's mental fitness.
Biden's exit came after he received bleak warnings from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., that his candidacy could lead to massive losses for Democrats in the Senate and House.
Democratic polling in the presidential race
An exclusive new Detroit Free Press poll of likely Michigan voters out July 21 showed that former President Donald Trump has taken a notable 7-percentage-point lead over incumbent President Joe Biden in the state, a result that further worried Democrats Sunday who already were pushing for Biden to abandon his reelection bid.
"It's only going to add to the pressure on Biden to step aside and have someone replace him," said Bernie Porn, the pollster for EPIC-MRA in Lansing before Biden's announcement. His group conducted the survey of 600 voters for the Free Press and its media partners. "The Democrats are in a difficult position."
The poll showed Trump, who held a rally in Grand Rapids on Saturday evening, leading Biden 49%-42% in a head-to-head matchup, with 9% undecided, saying they would vote for neither or refusing to answer.
— USA TODAY contributed to this article.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Did Joe Biden drop out of the election?
