Biden's decision to step down has left Democrats across the country feeling relieved and looking to the future
HARPER WOODS, Michigan: After weeks of uncertainty over who will top the Democratic ticket in November, many voters expressed relief at the news that President Joe Biden is withdrawing from his re-election bid. And start thinking about who can replace him. The electoral landscape has changed drastically.
Jerrod Kane, a 40-year-old coach from the swing state of Arizona, had planned to vote for Biden in November, but was grateful for the president's decision, calling it “definite.” Kaine said he is excited about the next candidate and hopes it will be Kamala Harris, who Biden endorsed on Sunday.
“Kamala Harris is the easiest choice based on the fact that she's the vice president, and it's hard for the party to move in any other direction on that,” said Kaine, who lives in Tucson. “And I think he looks ready.”
The Democratic Party has been deeply divided since Biden's poor showing in the June 27 debate left many doubting his ability to defeat Republican Donald Trump in November and win another term. Party leaders had increasingly called for Biden to step down, but his reluctance to capitulate has left voters nationwide uncertain about who will face Trump in November.
A recent AP-NORC poll found that nearly two-thirds of Democrats feel Biden should drop out of the presidential race, while a majority believe Harris will do well in first place.
Kaine's relief that the saga of Biden's decision is over was echoed by voters across the country in an interview 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 Harris or someone else.
In Pittsburgh, Fred Johnston said he feared another Trump term and had long worried that Biden would not be able to defeat Trump again. After seeing Biden's shaky performance in the debate, he was eager to ditch Biden and hand his candidacy to Harris.
“Kamala is someone we can vote for and that's what we need,” Johnston said.
He also thinks he can win Pennsylvania: “I have no rational basis for that, but it's good to hope. I haven't had hope for a while.”
In Las Vegas, Lucy Evano, 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 great note,” Uano said. Trump should be worried. He is now running against a strong person.
Uano, who immigrated to the United States from Thailand with his parents as a child in 1960, said he could not have imagined the outcome just weeks ago when he attended a Harris rally in Las Vegas to ease concerns about Biden's re-election campaign. . .
At the time, he told The Associated Press that while he planned to vote for Biden, he wanted Harris to be at the top of the table.
“He's drumming up Asians, and he's drumming up women,” Ono said Sunday after learning of Biden's decision.
Similarly, Arthur L. Downard Jr., 72, of Portland, Oregon, rated Biden's presidency positively but said he was “very happy” that Biden was stepping down. The Democratic voter, who voted for Biden in 2020, said his opinion of Biden changed after what he called a “disastrous” debate.
He has been a great president and has done a lot for our country. But he is too old, he does not express. “He is not a good messenger for the Democratic Party.”
Some voters, like Lacey LeGrand of Nebraska, had planned to reluctantly vote for Biden simply because he wasn't Trump.
“I definitely don't support Trump,” LeGrand said. So I think I was going to support Biden by default. I was not very happy about that.”
LeGrand, a registered Democrat in the swing district of Nebraska, a potential swing vote that both Biden and Obama have already won, believes Harris has “what it takes” to beat Trump, though he added, “I'm not saying it's a The shot is great.”
But not all voters were happy with Sunday's news. 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 a decision between the president and God.
Jarvia Haynes, a real estate agent in New Orleans, said she had “mixed feelings” about Biden's decision to drop out.
“I don't think President Biden would have dropped out,” he said. On the other hand, maybe it's for the best.”
Haynes, 72, of Harvey, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans, was quick to focus on who should lead the Democratic Party, saying that “it's very positive that Vice President Kamala Harris can do it give.”
He added that he hoped Harris would pick Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as his running mate.
“I think two women are going to change the whole dynamic of the race,” said Hines, who joins Harris as a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the first historically African American intercollegiate sorority. With more than 360,000 graduate and undergraduate members in 12 countries, the group can be a powerful political force in its own right.
Barbara Orr, a psychotherapist in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, said she thinks Biden can run for president, beat Trump and serve as president. He saw her decision to end her candidacy as a sign that she was not driven by ego, and noted that because of her debate performance, voters assumed she couldn't do the job.
Orr, 65, said he was “very unimpressed” with Harris, “but he might rise to the occasion. “This has already happened in history.”
He also acknowledged that Harris has not had a chance to prove himself as a candidate against Trump.
Orr, a self-described progressive who supports Sen. Bernie Sanders or Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts for president in 2020, said he would likely prefer Whitmer to replace Biden in the Democratic primary.
“I love what he stands for,” Orr said.
Joe Differin was kayaking when he received a text message that Biden had dropped out. While the Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan, resident said she wasn't surprised to learn of the development, one thing did surprise her.
“I was waiting to see if all the boaters there were screaming with joy, because a lot of them are Trump supporters. And I didn't hear anything.
Biden reportedly visited them earlier this year, a moment that program director George Ledbetter said was “the best moment.”
Leadbeaters' first reaction to the news was summed up in one word: “Why?”
He is a good president. Ledbetter said: I like Biden. But he added, “You gotta do what you gotta do.”
Ledbetter said he would support Harris despite the disappointment.
“I'll take that too. I think she can do it. The first female president is pretty good,” said African-American President Ledbetter, who is black, “good again.”
As for DeFrain, he said he'll 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 Differin, who voted for Democrats in recent elections. “Should be fun.”
