Democratic and civil rights leaders reacted in real time on Sunday to President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 presidential election. TheGrio was in the room as many gathered inside a Brooklyn church for a prescheduled private event.
“It’s a momentous day. It’s a historic day. It’s a day to celebrate President Joseph Robinette Biden, who has led in an extraordinary way over the last three and a half years,” House Democratic leader, U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., told theGrio.
Jeffries said he was “appreciative” of Biden’s accomplishments as president, including signing “transformative legislation,” and his work over his 50-year-plus political career.
The Democratic leader said the president made a “heroic and patriotic decision, a selfless decision” in “passing the baton to the next generation of Democrats.”
In announcing his decision not to seek reelection, President Biden also endorsed Kamala Harris, his vice president, as the Democratic presidential nominee’s successor. If nominated by the party, Harris would take on former President Donald Trump in November.
Jeffries expressed his support for Harris’ candidacy, telling theGrio, “It’s no surprise that President Biden issued a full-throated endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris.” He continued, “She’s been a part of the tremendous success of the Biden administration. And Kamala Harris is ready, willing, and able to get the job done.”
The New York congressman joined other political leaders on Sunday at Berean Baptist Church to celebrate the 90th birthday of former New York Congressman Ed Towns. From the pulpit, just minutes after the announcement of Biden’s withdrawal, Rev. Al Sharpton framed the potential Harris-Trump matchup as one that would see “a prosecutor” vs. “a felon.”
Jeffries cut his time short at the afternoon church service, fielding calls from former President Barack Obama and President Biden, among others, in the midst of the fallout from the historic move by a sitting U.S. president.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer were expected to attend Sunday’s ceremony. However, theGrio confirmed with sources with direct knowledge that the Democratic leaders did not show up due to Sunday’s major news from the White House.
The announcement also came weeks after political pressure from high-stakes Democratic donors and members of Congress following Biden’s less-than-stellar debate performance against Trump.
Though most Democrats are enthusiastically supporting Biden’s decision and Harris as his replacement, there is also sorrow.
“We are disappointed,” U.S. Rep. Greg Meeks, D-N.Y., told theGrio of the president’s choice to bow out. He added, “It was always his choice to determine what he wanted to do. And I think we respected that, and we respected him, and we wanted others to respect him for the work that he has done.”
Nonetheless, Congressman Meeks said Harris is the “best candidate to win.” He noted that key swing states needed to win, like Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada, and Georgia, have large Democratic populations in cities that are significantly Black.
“We know that the heart and soul of … the Democratic Party is Black women,” noted Meeks.
With the Democratic National Convention just weeks away, organizers are working on rules and other procedures for handling this historic moment.
Within hours of Biden’s announcement, most of the Democratic governors believed to have a shot at clinching the presidential nomination, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, came out on Sunday in full support of Harris. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer did not endorse Harris but indicated she was not interested in seeking the nomination.
Last week, nearly 3,900 delegates committed to the Biden-Harris ticket for the nomination. It is now uncertain who those delegates will cast their votes for the convention.
“It is clear that Vice President Harris ought to be the one that is considered,” Sharpton told theGrio it’s important for leaders to be “weighing in very clearly” on behalf of Harris.
He explained, “When people voted for Joe Biden, they also voted for Kamala Harris.”
Vice President Harris is expected to deliver remarks on Wednesday at the national convention of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., a historic Black Greek organization, in Indianapolis. It would mark her first time in front of a Black audience after this historic shift in American politics.
