Maryland leaders react as President Joe Biden announces he won't seek re-election

President Joseph R. Biden announced his intent not to seek a second term in a letter to the American people on Sunday, calling his decision one “in the best interest of my party and the country.”

“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President,” Biden wrote. “And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, 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.”

Biden indicated in the letter that he plans to speak to the nation about his decision in more detail later in the week.

The announcement, coming less than a month after the first presidential debate and less than a month before the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Ill., brought a swift response from elected and would-be elected officials in Maryland.

US. Sen. Chris Van Hollen

“President Biden has always put our country first, and in making this decision, he has once again done what he thinks is best for the future of our democracy,” said United States Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., in a statement.

Rep. David Trone

“I commend President Biden’s decision to allow a new generation of leaders to take this country to new heights — leaders who will continue his legacy of unity and strength, of focusing on what brings us together, not what tears us apart,” said United States Rep. David Trone, D-6th, in a release.

Democratic US Senate candidate Angela Alsobrooks

“It is paramount that Democrats come together quickly and unite behind a qualified leader,” said Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, the state’s Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate.

She called current Vice President Kamala Harris “that leader.”

President Biden “fought for the soul of this nation, and I believe it is a fight he has won. He led with decency and moral clarity,” said Alsobrooks, in a statement. Vice President Harris, she said, “will provide a clear and stark contrast to the regressive vision Donald Trump has for this country.”

Republican US Senate candidate Larry Hogan

The Republican candidate for the state’s U.S. Senate seat, former Gov. Larry Hogan also commended Biden.

“I respect President Biden for his decades of public service,” said Hogan, in statement. “He should be commended for putting the country ahead of personal ambition.”

“The only way out of this cycle of chaos, divisiveness and dysfunction is to elect principled, common sense and experienced leaders who will focus on the day-to-day challenges facing Americans,” he said. “That’s why I’m running for U.S. Senate—to overcome all of the toxic politics and to bring strong, independent leadership to Washington.”

US Sen. Ben Cardin

The man whose seat both Alsobrooks and Hogan are aiming to fill, U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., pointed to Biden’s record.

“America has earned back respect and leadership around the free world,” said Cardin, the chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, in a statement. “Joe Biden has earned the right to determine his own future and I respect his decision. I thank him for his incredible service with all my heart.”

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While Cardin, who is not seeking reelection after three terms in the Senate, did not reference in his statement another Democratic candidate, he did reference the current Republican presidential nominee.

“Donald Trump is unfit to hold elected office,” said Cardin, who, like Biden, served over five decades in public office. “Democrats, along with Independents and Republicans, now must be united and focus our attention on preserving our nation, our Constitution and our way of life under the rule of law.”

This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: President Joe Biden won't seek re-election, Maryland leaders react