Joe Biden endorses Kamala Harris as Democrat nominee
Joe Biden has officially dropped out of the US election race and has revealed which Democrat he wants to replace him.
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US President Joe Biden has dropped his re-election bid, officially endorsing Vice-President Kamala Harris to replace him as nominee.
In what appears to be a carefully coordianted announcement, after weeks of chaos following Mr Biden’s shambolic debate with Donald Trump, Bill and Hillary Clinton have also endorsed Ms Harris.
Releasing a statement on Sunday, Mr Biden said he believed it was in the “best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling the duties as President for the remainder of my term”.
He also thanked Ms Harris personally, saying she was an “extraordinary partner”.
“Let me express my heartfelt appreciation for the American people for the faith and trust you have placed in me,” he added.
“I believe today and always have: that there is nothing America can’t do – when we do it together. We just have to remember we are the United States of America.”
Although in his initial statement, Mr Biden did not officially endorse Ms Harris, he later wrote on X that he was offering his “full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party”.
He added: “Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this.”
Democrats were quick to rally behind Ms Harris, offering her their support.
New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman, who recently lost his bid for re-election, endorsed Ms Harris on X.
“Now that President Biden has suspended his campaign, Vice President Kamala Harris is the most qualified and best choice to lead us forward,” he wrote on X.
Harry Sisson, the pro-Biden TikTok influencer who has been given full media access by the administration, immediately put his support behind Kamala Harris.
“I fully endorse Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee and the next President of the United States! Let’s get to work and BEAT Donald Trump!” he said on X.
The move comes after a chorus of Democratic politicians, as well as Hollywood actor George Clooney, called for 81-year-old Biden to step down, three months ahead of the election.
If named as the nominee, Ms Harris will take over $91 million raised by the Biden-Harris campaign committee.
Clintons endorse Harris
Within an hour of Mr Biden announcing he was stepping down Bill and Hillary Clinton issued a joint statement praising the President and getting behind Ms Harris.
Mr Biden, the said, “has capped his extraordinary career of service with a Presidency that has lifted America out of an unprecedented pandemic, created millions of new jobs, rebuilt a battered economy, strengthened our democracy, and restored our standing in the world,” the Clintons wrote on Twitter/X.
The pair then added: “We are honoured to join the President in endorsing Vice President Harris and will do whatever we can to support her,
“Now is the time to support Kamala Harris and fight with everything we’ve got to elect her.”
Who is Kamala Harris?
Ms Harris was born in California to two immigrant parents, Jamaican-born economics professor Donald Harris and Indian-American breast cancer researcher Shyamala Gopalan Harris.
The couple divorced when she was a child. Her mother has since passed away.
Ms Harris, who has degree from the University of California, began her career in the Alameda Country District Attorney’s Office.
She went on to become District Attorney of San Francisco, where she had a tough-on-crime approach, then a self-proclaimed “top cop” as Attorney-General of California.
In 2016, she was elected as a Senator for California, becoming only the second Black woman to be elected to the US Senate.
Ms Harris launched her candidacy for president in early 2019 but later dropped out from the presidential race in December that year.
She again made history in 2021 when she became was sworn in as Vice President, becoming the first woman, the first Black American, and the first South Asian American to be elected to the position.
Outside of her career, Ms Harris married lawyer Douglas Emhoff in 2014 and is stepmother to his two children Cole and Ella.
Harris on Biden’s disastrous debate
Ms Harris came to the Mr Biden’s defence following his disastrous performance during the first round of presidents debates last month.
“Joe Biden is extraordinarily strong,” Ms Harris told CNN, before eventually conceding “it was a slow start”.
“That’s obvious to everyone. I’m not going to debate that point,” she said.
The 59-year-old expressed strong support for Mr Bien during a campaign event in Nevada earlier this week, describing the president as a “fighter”.
“We always knew this election would be tough, and the past few days have been a reminder that running for president of the United States is never easy,” Ms Harris said.
“But the one thing we know about our president, Joe Biden, is that he is a fighter. He is a fighter, and he is the first to say, when you get knocked down, you get back up.”
Could Harris beat Trump?
For years Ms Harris has been less popular among Americans than other Democrats seen as possible candidates, such as California Governor Gavin Newsom or his Michigan counterpart Gretchen Whitmer.
US media have reported extensively on mistakes she made early in this administration, mainly on the diplomatic front, and on tension among her staffers.
But Ange-Marie Hancock, professor of political science at The Ohio State University, said things could turn in Ms Harris’s favour, because she has spent time out visiting battleground states, in particular to promote abortion rights as it came under repeated fire from conservative judges and governors.
Flickers of that turn could be seen on social media, where supportive Ms Harris-related memes have begun going viral under the hashtag #KHive.
Ms Harris is sometimes criticised as disappointing as an orator. But she got a warm welcome recently when she made a tour of universities that was focused on schools with high numbers of minority students.
The New York Times reported this week Mr Biden’s campaign was quietly testing the strength of Ms Harris as a potential match-up against Mr Trump.
Results of a new poll released earlier this week found Ms Harris would fare better than her former boss if she ran for president.
The ABC/Washington Post/Ipsos poll found Ms Harris leading Mr Trump by two points, scoring 49 per cent against the former President’s 47 per cent among registered voters.
Ms Harris scored slightly better than Mr Biden, at 49 per cent compared to the presidents’s 46 per cent.
Hancock warned the Republicans have been ready and waiting for Ms Harris.
“Kamala Harris is very much on the GOP’s radar,” Hancock said, referring to Trump’s party.
The Trump campaign last week broadcast a video montage of Biden suffering falls and other embarrassing moments, and questioned whether he can serve another term.
It concludes with the question, “And you know who is waiting behind him, right?” and footage of Harris laughing.
– With AFP
Originally published as Joe Biden endorses Kamala Harris as Democrat nominee
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