Biden Withdraws: Harris Gains Support Amid Party Doubts
Several members of the Democratic Party in the USA have quickly begun to support Vice President Kamala Harris's candidacy in the presidential elections against Donald Trump, following President Joe Biden's sudden withdrawal from the race.
At the same time, some influential members of the party, including former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, have remained silent, reports Reuters.
However, there are many doubts within the Democratic Party regarding Harris's ability to defeat Trump, the Republican candidate and former president. Some Democrats have suggested that the party should hold a mini-primary before the convention in August.
Biden himself supported her on Sunday in a separate statement, following his letter announcing his withdrawal. He was quickly followed by the powerful Congressional Black Caucus, several key donors, and various legislators.
“Today, I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be our party's candidate this year,” declared Biden on the social media platform X. “Democrats - it is time to unite and defeat Trump. Let’s do this.”
The list of Democratic legislators supporting Harris has grown since Biden's announcement. Dmitri Mehlhorn, an advisor to Reid Hoffman, the founder of LinkedIn and a major Democratic donor, called Harris "the American dream personified," noting that she is the daughter of immigrants. “She also embodies toughness, rising from my hometown, Oakland, California, to become the state's top prosecutor. With Scranton Joe stepping back, I can't wait to help elect President Harris.”
All 50 state Democratic Party chairs will support Harris as the new presidential candidate, Reuters reported on Sunday, citing multiple sources. The Democratic delegations from Tennessee, Louisiana, South Carolina, and North Carolina have declared their support for Harris.
Former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, who was Secretary of State under President Barack Obama, have also supported Harris in a statement. However, others, including Pelosi and Obama, under whom Biden served as Vice President for eight years, have thanked Biden for his patriotism but have not yet expressed their support for Harris or any other candidate.
“We will navigate uncharted waters in the coming days,” stated Obama in a statement. “But I have extraordinary confidence that our party's leaders will be able to create a process from which a remarkable candidate will emerge.”
Just as in 2020, when Biden secured the Democratic nomination, Obama believes he will be in a unique position to help unify the party once it has a candidate, a source familiar with the matter declared. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who praised Biden's decision to step aside, has also remained silent regarding who should be the Democrats' candidate.
American Senator Peter Welch, the first Democratic senator to ask Biden to withdraw his re-election bid, has called for an open nomination process. “The Democrats should have an open process so that whoever our candidate is, including Kamala, will have the strength of a process that shows the party's consensus position,” declared Welch. “The debate in the Democratic Party is about who can carry forward President Biden's legacy and defeat Trump.”
Translation by Iurie Tataru
