Live updates: Biden ends reelection bid, endorses Kamala Harris

KUOW and NPR coverage of President Joe Biden's decision to end his reelection bid.

Biden announced he would "stand down" in the 2024 presidential race Sunday. Here's what we know.

Monday, July 22, 2024

State GOP says Dems 'staged a coup' for Harris

As Democrats continued to rally behind Vice President Kamala Harris Monday morning, the Washington State Republican Party's X account accused them of staging a "coup" for an "unqualified candidate" — Harris.

And the Republicans didn't stop there.

State Republican Chair Jim Walsh shared a meme on his X account that shows Eric André shooting fellow comedian Hannibal Buress (the popular meme is from a skit about climate change). In the version Walsh shared, André, the shooter, is labeled "Democrats." Buress, who is being shot, is labeled "Democracy." The meme concludes with André addressing the viewer: "Now that democracy is out of the way, we can get back to saving it."

Walsh shared the meme Monday morning, just about a week after the attempted assassination of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

Meanwhile, Republican gubernatorial candidate Semi Bird took a more measured tone.

"President Biden made the right decision to end his campaign and not seek re-election," he said on X. "I look forward to President Trump's continued efforts to unite our nation toward victory."

— Katie Campbell

DelBene endorses Harris

Rep. Suzan DelBene, of Medina, this morning endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic presidential nominee.

In a statement, she said Harris is "the right person to prosecute the case against convicted felon Donald Trump" and to help Democrats retake the House of Representatives. She is, notably, the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

With DelBene's endorsement, just three Washington state Democrats in the U.S. House have yet to weigh in on Harris explicitly: Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, of Washougal; Rep. Derek Kilmer, of Gig Harbor; and Rep. Kim Schrier, of Sammamish.

In a statement Sunday evening, Gluesenkamp Perez said this of the party's next steps: "It’s time to move forward and put the past behind us. The next President must clearly be fit enough to do the job, and that fitness must be prosecuted publicly."

— Katie Campbell

Several WA Dems issue evening endorsements for Harris

Sen. Maria Cantwell has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for the presidency.

Cantwell's endorsement came about six hours after she initially commented on President Joe Biden's decision to step aside. She simply called for a "standard bearer" for the party in her first comments. Then, Sunday night, she officially endorsed Harris, calling her "a fierce advocate for working-class Americans, for reproductive rights, for investing in our nation and every citizen."

Rep. Rick Larsen, of Everett, also endorsed Harris hours after his first statement urged support for "the Democratic ticket" without putting any names to that ticket.

Larsen framed the match-up between Harris and Donald Trump as "The Prosecutor v The Felon."

And Washington Gov. Jay Inslee posted on X Sunday evening, arguing Harris "has what it takes to win."

"His support for Kamala Harris offers an historic path forward for Democrats and our nation," Inslee said.

Several other Democrats from Washington have yet to comment on Harris.

— Katie Campbell

Sunday, July 21, 2024

With President Joe Biden’s big announcement on Sunday came a flurry of responses: Political, which is to be expected, but also emotional from the rest of us on the will-he-won’t-he ride of the last few weeks.

KUOW listeners weighed in with their gut reactions on social media:

Elaine Bradtke: “Joe Biden did a good job, and I’m glad he’s recognized its time to retire. It’s unfortunate he didn’t do this earlier, so now we’re facing potential chaos.”

Eric Ross: “I’ll be voting straight blue regardless of who the Democrats run. Because I still think this country can be saved.”

Jessica Smith: “I, personally, love Kamala Harris but worry she doesn’t have broad enough appeal to carry the ticket. We can’t afford to allow Trump a second term.”

— Isolde Raftery

Washington state Democrats weighing in

State Democrats largely praised the president for his decision.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee was one of the first party leaders in the state to thank Biden for his service — and to applaud his decision to conclude that service when his term ends this year.

"As he’s done for five decades, Joe Biden put his country first," Inslee said in a statement on X. "In the long scope of history, his work to protect us from the ravages of climate change will be seen as an historic achievement. Biden is going out on top with a long record of accomplishments we can all be proud of."

Not surprisingly, lawmakers who had urged Biden to step aside were grateful that he did so after weeks of resisting mounting pressure.

U.S. Rep. Adam Smith (D-Bellevue), who recently made headlines when he joined calls for Biden to end his reelection bid, praised the president's announcement Sunday.

"I believe Joe Biden made the right decision," Smith wrote on X. "I applaud President Joe Biden for making this difficult choice. I think it is the best path forward for our country. I thank him for the great job he has done as President and for his 50+ years as a dedicated public servant."

In a separate statement, Smith endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic Party's presidential nominee.

Sen. Patty Murray (D), who is President Pro Tempore of the Senate, threw her support behind Harris, too.

"I know Kamala Harris can win," Murray said in a statement Sunday afternoon. "I am behind Vice President Harris one-hundred percent — she is exactly the woman we need to prosecute the case against Donald Trump, save American democracy, lead the fight to restore abortion rights, and build an economy that puts working people—not billionaires—first. I will do everything I can to help elect Kamala Harris as our next President."

And shortly before 1 p.m. Sunday, U.S. Rep. Marilyn Strickland (D-Tacoma) gave Harris her full endorsement, too, calling the vice president "the most qualified to succeed [Biden]."

The Washington State Democratic Party and U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, of Seattle, released statements in support of Harris as the Democratic nominee earlier in the day. (See below: Biden endorses Harris.)

Other Democrats in Washington's congressional delegation did not explicitly endorse Harris right away.

Sen. Maria Cantwell simply called for "a standard bearer" for the party in her initial statement.

Similarly, U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, of Everett, called on voters to "elect the Democratic ticket" without specifying a candidate, touting the accomplishments of the party under Biden and taking the opportunity to draw a stark comparison between the Democrats' agenda and that of Republican nominee Donald Trump.

"The stakes in this election are high and the choice is as clear as ever," Larsen said in a statement. "Democrats are delivering results for working families and upholding our shared values while the party of Trump is focused on undermining working families and dismantling the progress we have made as a nation."

And Rep. Kim Schrier, of Sammamish, praised Biden for "passing the torch to a new generation of leaders," though she did not name Harris or another leader in the party in her initial statement.

Still others did not immediately discuss next steps for the party's presidential nomination.

Rep. Derek Kilmer, of Gig Harbor, issued a statement focused on Biden's achievements in office.

Rep. Suzan DelBene, of Medina, sent a statement as the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee that also centered on Biden's legacy, dubbing him "the most consequential president in modern history."

Kilmer and DelBene did not immediately comment on Biden's endorsement of Harris. Nor did Rep. Marie Glusenkamp Perez, of Washougal, who had previously called on Biden to end his reelection bid. Gluesenkamp Perez was the last of the Washington Democrats in D.C. to comment on Sunday.

"I’m sure this was not an easy decision for [Biden] to make," she said, "and I believe he made it with the national interest in mind."

— Katie Campbell

Washington GOP chair condemns Biden's decision

While state Democrats largely backed Biden's decision to step aside, the chair of the Washington State Republican Party slammed the move.

Jim Walsh called Biden's decision "real chaos."

"It’s troubling that President Joe Biden is quitting his campaign for re-election at this late point in our nation’s process," Walsh said in a statement shared on X. wrote on X Sunday afternoon. "Many American voters chose him over other candidates in his Party’s caucuses and primaries. Now, Biden is allowing Party elites to override the voters’ choice and select someone new to be his Party’s presidential candidate."

Shortly before 2 p.m. Sunday, the Washington State Republican Party's X account followed up with another jab at Democrats, claiming the party "is in utter disarray cannibalizing its own."

"It was never about serving the American people. It was always about POWER," the post went on.

As of 2 p.m., neither of Washington's Republican representatives in Congress, Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Spokane) and Dan Newhouse (Sunnyside), had commented on the news.

— Katie Campbell

Biden endorses Harris

Within an hour of announcing he was ending his reelection bid, President Joe Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris.

"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," Biden said in a statement that was shared on X. "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."

If Harris gets the nomination, she would be both the first Black woman and the first Asian American person to win a major party's nomination in the United States.

Democrats in Washington state were already rallying behind Harris before the president made his endorsement official.

State Democratic Chair Shasti Conrad sent a statement shortly before Biden made his pick clear. She called on the state's delegates, 90 of whom are pledged to vote for Biden at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next month, to support Harris as the party's nominee in the presidential race this fall.

"We cannot and will not survive another media cycle of hand-wringing about whether the country will accept a woman as our president," Conrad wrote, in part. "We must be ready to surround her with a wall of support and be ready to stand against the racism and sexism that we know will come."

U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Seattle), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, also threw her support behind Harris.

"Vice President Harris has proven time and time again that she can prosecute the case against Donald Trump and campaign vigorously for Democrats down the ballot," Jayapal said. "She will mobilize and energize our base to re-engage and ensure that we turn out every single voter across the country and deliver victory in November."

— Katie Campbell

Biden drops out

President Joe Biden has ended his 2024 reelection campaign.

"It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President," Biden said in a statement Sunday. "And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of the party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on my duties as President for the remainder of my term."

Biden had resisted mounting calls for him to step aside for weeks, insisting he was “in this to complete the job I started” during a rare solo press conference on July 11. He spent much of that press conference batting back questions about whether he would – or should – continue to run. At the time, he was adamant that he was the most qualified candidate to run for president against Republican nominee Donald Trump.

“I beat him once and I will beat him again,” Biden said at the time.

But his perspective seems to have changed after more than 35 congressional Democrats and some major Democratic donors urged him to step aside.

"I will speak to the Nation later this week in more detail about my decision," Biden said.

The Democratic Party now has less than a month to rally around another candidate ahead of the Democratic National Convention, which kicks off in Chicago on August 19.

KUOW is covering this developing story live on air.

— Katie Campbell

Biden is still sidelined with COVID, but the debate over his campaign rages on

REHOBOTH BEACH, Del./PROVINCETOWN, Mass. — President Biden remained sidelined from the campaign trail by a case of COVID in his beach house in Delaware on Sunday as Democrats continued to openly discuss whether he should continue his bid for a second term.

Biden has insisted he will stay in the race. His disastrous June 27 debate against former President Donald Trump fueled a growing chorus of calls from Democratic party officials and donors for a younger candidate to take over as their 2024 candidate.

— NPR

Who is backing Biden? We're keeping track

NPR is tracking which Democratic lawmakers have called on Biden to step out of the race, expressed concerns, or have said they back Biden’s presidential bid. We have provided links to publicly available comments; all others listed have been confirmed by congressional sources to NPR.

This list will be updated as more Democrats weigh in. In some cases, changes will include a shift in position, which will be documented.

— NPR

Friday, July 19, 2024

Washington state Democratic delegation mum on rumors

As several more Democrats joined calls for Biden to drop out of the race — including two more U.S. senators — Washington state's Democratic delegation in D.C. has been quiet today.

Neither the state's senators nor its Democratic representatives offered comment on the reports that Biden could drop out of the race this weekend.

Pressure has been building throughout the week, especially after the White House confirmed Biden had tested positive for Covid-19.

U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, who represents Washington's Congressional District 3, wished the president "a full and speedy recovery" on X Wednesday. But she also doubled down on her opinion that "the crisis of confidence in his leadership needs to come to an end."

Earlier in the week, following Biden's remarks on the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen praised Biden for "doing presidential things." Politico previously reported that Larsen, who represents Washington's Congressional District 2, had expressed concerns about Biden continuing his reelection bid. Larsen refuted that characterization, writing on X, "I certainly do not want to be lumped in with the few members calling for the Prez to step down."

Nationally, Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown and New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich joined calls for Biden to end his campaign on Friday. More than 35 congressional Democrats are now urging him to step down, according to a Washington Post tally.

— Katie Campbell

More Democrats ask Biden to drop out. His campaign says he'll be back next week

More Democratic lawmakers on Friday publicly called for President Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 race, including New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich, who is running for reelection in what is supposed to be a safe seat for the party.

But Biden is planning to be back on the trail next week, the chair of his campaign said, making the case that party leaders should look at strong grassroots support for his candidacy and resolve their doubts over whether he should stay in the race for a second term.

Asked about the scores of headlines reporting that Biden is considering whether to leave the race, his campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon told MSNBC’s Morning Joe: “You have heard from the president directly time and again. He is in this race to win, and he is our nominee and he's going to be our president for a second term.”

— NPR

Top Democrats in Washington walking a careful line on Biden amid party panic about his candidacy

Top Democrats in Washington are mired in an ongoing crisis over President Biden's continued candidacy that has been exacerbated by his recent COVID diagnosis.

— NPR