US President Joe Biden ended his re-election campaign on Sunday night, clearing the way for Vice-President Kamala Harris to run at the top of the Democratic party ticket, the first black woman to do so in the country’s history. Picture: AFP
US President Joe Biden ended his re-election campaign on Sunday night, clearing the way for Vice-President Kamala Harris to run at the top of the Democratic party ticket, the first black woman to do so in the country’s history.
Biden’s decision came after fellow Democrats lost faith in his mental acuity and ability to beat Donald Trump, leaving the presidential race in uncharted territory.
Biden, in a post on X, said he would remain in his role as president and commander-in-chief until his term ends in January 2025 and would address the nation this week.
Biden’s announcement follows a wave of public and private pressure from Democratic lawmakers and party officials to quit the race after his shockingly poor performance in a televised debate last month against Republican rival Trump.
“It has been the greatest honour of my life to serve as your president.
“And while it has been my intention to seek re-election, 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 wrote.
It was unclear whether other senior Democrats would challenge Harris for the party’s nomination, who was widely seen as the pick for many party officials, or whether the party itself would choose to open the field for nominations.
The Democratic Party will be taking a historic gamble if it turns to her to become its presidential candidate, betting that a black woman can overcome racism, sexism and her own missteps as a politician to defeat Trump.
In more than two centuries of democracy, American voters have elected only one black president and never a woman, a record that makes even some black voters wonder if Harris can crash through the hardest ceiling in US politics.
“Will her race and gender be an issue? Absolutely,” said LaTosha Brown, a political strategist and co-founder of the Black Voters Matter Fund.
Harris would face other big challenges: if promoted to the top of the ticket, she would have barely three months to campaign and unite the party and donors behind her.
Yet many Democrats are excited about her chances.
Harris, 59, is two decades younger than Trump and a leader in the party on abortion rights, an issue which resonates with younger voters and Democrats' progressive base.
Proponents argue that she would energise those voters, consolidate black support, and bring sharp debating skills to prosecute the political case against the former president. “My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my vice president.
And it’s been the best decision I’ve made. Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats – it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this,” said Biden.
Harris’s candidacy would offer a contrast with Trump and his vice-presidential running mate, Senator JD Vance, the two white men on the Republican ticket, Brown said.
“That to me is reflective of America’s past. She is reflective of America’s now and future,” Brown added.
Vance criticised Harris during a campaign rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, saying: “Kamala Harris said something to the effect that I have no loyalty to this country,” Vance said.
“Well, I don’t know, Kamala. I served in the US Marine Corps and built a business. What the hell have you done other than collect the cheque?”
Harris had posted a 45-second video on X, criticising Vance for supporting a national abortion ban and voting against protecting in vitro fertilisation.
Cape Times
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