Joe Biden Exits Presidential Race
On Sunday, Biden released a letter on his social media accounts confirming that he was exiting the 2024 presidential race.
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This decision comes after many major Democratic mega-donors and lawmakers publicly asked him to drop out, as they were concerned he wouldn’t be able to win against former President Donald Trump.
Biden Endorses Kamala Harris
After releasing this letter, Biden also officially endorsed Harris quickly through a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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This caused many other Democrats to quickly rally around Vice President Harris and also endorse her to take Biden’s place in the race to earn the Democratic Party’s nomination.
AOC Also Endorses Harris
Representative Ocasio-Cortez also endorsed Harris for president — even though she has stuck by Biden’s side throughout all of this Democrat infighting.
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In a post on X, Ocasio-Cortez said, “Kamala Harris will be the next President of the United States. I pledge my full support to ensure her victory in November. Now more than ever, it is crucial that our party and country swiftly unite to defeat Donald Trump and the threat to American democracy. Let’s get to work.”
AOC’s Previous Warning
Ocasio-Cortez’s endorsement of Harris comes after the progressive House Democrat previously warned the public about this very situation during an Instagram Live.
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During this live event, Ocasio-Cortez insinuated that the people who want Biden off of the presidential ticket also want Harris completely off — and they didn’t want her to take Biden’s place.
An Uneasy Transition?
Ocasio-Cortez claimed that these megadonors and party elites wouldn’t allow an easy transition.
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She said, “If you think that is going to be an easy transition, I’m here to tell you that a huge amount of the donor class and these elites who are pushing for the president not to be the nominee also do not want to see the VP be the nominee.”
Putting the Country in Enormous Peril
Ocasio-Cortez further insinuated that forcing Biden to step down would put the party — and perhaps even the country — in enormous peril.
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“I have not seen an alternative scenario that I feel will not set us up for enormous peril,” she stated.
Will Anyone Challenge Harris?
Ocasio-Cortez’s previous comments and warnings — made only a few days ago — have come back into the limelight as analysts ponder over whether the progressive’s insight could mean that some Democrats won’t back Harris.
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Immediately after Biden endorsed Harris, some analysts even wondered whether other Democrats would try to challenge Harris — and win the Democratic Party’s nomination themselves.
Potential Harris Challengers
So far, no major challenger has emerged. California Governor Gavin Newsom was thought to be a potential Harris challenger on Sunday.
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However, Newsom has already come out to officially endorse Harris for president, thereby showing that he will not challenge her attempt to earn the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination.
Other Potential Challenges
Meanwhile, Sunday’s reporting also suggested that Senator Joe Manchin would seek to challenge Harris and attempt to become the party’s nominee.
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Though it appears Manchin thinks Harris is “too liberal”, he will not seek to run against her. Manchin has also called for a “mini-primary” process to occur.
Some Democrats Still Haven’t Endorsed Harris
Though many Democrats have quickly endorsed Harris for president, some major party figures still haven’t, perhaps suggesting that Ocasio-Cortez may have been right that some don’t want to see Harris on the ticket at all.
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Most notably, former President Barack Obama still hasn’t officially endorsed Harris yet. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi didn’t endorse Harris on Sunday. By Monday, she had.
Democrats Rally Behind Kamala Harris
Though it appears the Democratic Party still has to figure many things out now that Biden has suddenly exited the race, various Democrats have already rallied behind Harris as their possible nominee.
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In the future, Harris will choose her Vice President, which could also impact events at the DNC in August.