US Election: Biden Drops Out, Endorses Harris

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Facts

  • Joe Biden announced on Sunday that he's ending his presidential re-election campaign. In a one-page letter posted on social media, he said he believed the decision was in the 'best interest of [his] party' and the US.1
  • This comes after his June 27 presidential debate against Donald Trump and a string of missteps cast doubt within the party over his chances of winning in November, with several top Democrats calling for him to step out of the race. It also comes in the wake of Trump's attempted assassination.2
  • In a separate post, Biden endorsed his vice president, Kamala Harris, to replace him as the Democratic nominee ahead of the party's national convention next month.3
  • Since Biden withdrew before being formally nominated, Democratic individual delegates and 'superdelegates' will be called upon to select the party's nominee on the convention floor — or during a virtual roll call.4
  • Other names that have been touted as possible replacements for Biden include California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, and former first lady Michelle Obama.5
  • Earlier on Sunday, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told CNN's 'State of the Union' that there could be legal challenges in some states if Biden left the race to make way for a new ticket.6

Sources: 1Wsj, 2Reuters, 3Washington Post, 4CNN, 5New York Post and 6The Hill.

Narratives

  • Democratic narrative, as provided by New York Times. It's fair to say that Biden had no other choice but to quit the presidential race and even that his decision took longer than it should have. However, that doesn't change the greatness of his act. Unlike many rulers who cling tighter to power when threatened, Biden has ceded the stage for a younger fellow Democrat to renew optimism ahead of the election.
  • Republican narrative, as provided by PJ Media. If Joe Biden isn't fit to even run for president, how can he fulfill his duties in the White House for the remainder of his term? It's only logical he should resign and retire once and for all — and yet he declines to do so because this would only expose the fact that Kamala Harris isn't fit to be president of the US either.

Predictions