Kansas Democrats honor Biden’s withdrawal from race; GOP lawmakers demand his resignation

Kansas Republicans and Democrats offered differing perspectives on the decision by President Joe Biden to end his reelection campaign for president. Here the Democratic president speaks at the 115th NAACP National Convention on July 19. It was Biden’s last campaign event after testing positive for COVID-19. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

TOPEKA — U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids and Gov. Laura Kelly were among Kansas Democrats who praised Sunday the dedication to public service of President Joe Biden, while U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall and U.S. Rep. Ron Estes questioned the president’s ability to complete the final six months of his term.

Biden said on social media that he would withdraw as a candidate for reelection. He urged the Democratic Party to nominate Vice President Kamala Harris.

“For more than five decades,” Kelly said, “President Biden has made it his life’s work to better our country for hardworking Americans. Above all, he has been firm in his desire to safeguard democracy in a time of hyper-polarization and divisiveness. I thank him for his service and steadfast leadership.”

Davids, who serves the 3rd District and is running for a fourth term in Congress, said Biden restored decency to the presidency following the single term of President Donald Trump.

“By stepping aside from the presidential race today, he has once again put the future of our country first,” Davids said.

Trump lost to Biden four years ago, but accepted the Republican Party’s nomination for the third time during last week’s convention in Milwaukee.

Marshall, a Republican who entered the U.S. Senate in 2021, said Biden ought to resign. On Jan. 6, 2021, Marshall joined a small group of dissident Republican senators who objected to counting of electoral votes from Pennsylvania and Arizona in the presidential contest won by Biden in 2020.

“If Joe Biden is unable to serve another term, then he must resign right now,” Marshall said. “If he’s unfit to campaign, he should not have the nuclear codes. It’s that simple.”

Estes, a Republican representing the Wichita-based 4th District, said Biden ought to step down immediately. Estes said Biden’s decision to suspend his campaign was an “admission of something that Americans have observed for a long time — he is not fit to be president, which also means he can no longer serve as commander in chief.”

Estes said Vice President Kamala Harris was among a collection of Democrats and journalists who “shamefully ignored and willfully misled the American people by hiding the true cognitive state of President Biden.” The congressman’s statement didn’t reference the dozens of Democrats who urged Biden to withdraw.

Kelly Arnold, former Kansas Republican Party chairman, said it could be a mistake to insist upon Biden’s resignation. He said it didn’t make sense to invite Harris to assume the office of president so she could run as an incumbent in the November election.

“Hey, fellow Republicans,” said Arnold, state GOP’s chairman from 2013 to 2019. “Maybe we should rethink the calls for Biden to resign from office. I don’t know why we would want to elevate Kamala to president while she is running for president. How does that strategy help defeat her?”

Former U.S. Rep. Nancy Boyda, a Democrat seeking the 2nd District nomination for Congress, said on June 28 that Biden ought to end his campaign for president. She said Biden had to muster the courage to suspend his campaign and retire at the end of his term because the party needed a nominee capable of defeating Trump. The Democratic Party was at risk of placing welfare of an individual above welfare of the nation, she said.

“When we look like we care about one person that much over the well being of our country, what do we look like? As Democrats, within the party, we look like nice people. Outside of the party, we look weak,” Boyda said.

She said Biden deserved credit for preventing another four years of Trump’s “outrageous judicial appointments, historic tax cuts for powerful corporations and the further erosion of our global standing in the eyes of our allies and enemies abroad.” She said Biden’s accomplishments during his term were in stark contrast with those of his “ill-qualified predecessor.”

Matt Kleinmann, who also is campaigning for the Democratic Party’s nomination in the 2nd District, said Biden led the nation with “dignity and resilience during one of the most challenging periods in our history.” He said Harris was a steadfast advocate for the United States while serving as vice president.

“I fully support her efforts and look forward to working with her or whomever the next presidential nominee is,” Kleinmann said. “We need leaders who will fight for economic fairness and protect the interests of all Americans, not just the wealthy.”

Prasanth Reddy, one of two candidates competing for the Republican congressional nomination in the 3rd District, raised the issue of Biden’s competence to remain president, but posed the question in terms of Davids’ reelection campaign: “If President Biden is not in good enough shape to run, how can she continue to support him as president?”

The post Kansas Democrats honor Biden’s withdrawal from race; GOP lawmakers demand his resignation appeared first on Kansas Reflector.