Democrats exhaled.
Minutes after Biden announced he was dropping out of the presidential race on Sunday, Democrats expressed relief at the decision. They said the impasse over Biden’s future was a disaster for Democrats and further increased the risk of him losing to former President Trump in November’s presidential election.
“At last,” one Democratic strategist complained, as the battle dragged on in recent weeks as the dismal debate performance highlighted deep concerns about the 81-year-old president’s age and ability to do his job and as congressional Democrats one after another called for Biden to resign.
“The last three weeks couldn’t have been any worse for us,” the strategist said.
Another strategist close to the campaign said the move was in Democrats’ best interest. “Yesterday there was no light. Today there is optimism and hope in the party,” the strategist said following Biden’s withdrawal and his endorsement of Vice President Harris as the party’s nominee.
Donors who had told Biden’s campaign they would not be making any more contributions said they were now back in the race.
“Let’s go,” said one major donor who had expected Biden to hand the reins to Harris. “I’m not going to go against the president. He’s a hero. But things have been getting bad and now is our chance.”
Another donor expressed some trepidation about Harris being the top candidate, but added that at least Democrats could unite behind her.
“I’m feeling a lot better than I did this morning,” Donner said. “This morning we were in a downward spiral, but now we can at least take a breather.”
Jamal Simmons, a Democratic strategist who worked for Harris until last year, said he acknowledged the sense of relief for the party but also that it was mixed with deep sadness.
“People feel sorry for him personally,” Simmons said. “People love Joe Biden. He’s one of the most beloved politicians, and if he were 10 years younger, he would have won this election.”
Democratic strategist Christy Setzer went a step further: “Let me be very clear: this was a murder by a Democratic colleague, not a suicide by debate.”
“We may have gotten over his debate performance, but we couldn’t get over a month of his party slamming him daily. Joe Biden is a transformative president and deserved to be treated so much better. The best thing everyone who pushed him out can do now is work 10 times harder to get Kamala Harris elected.”
It’s unclear whether Harris will remain on a full path to become the Democratic nominee. Hours after Biden’s decision, many Democrats voiced their support for Harris, but other key figures, from former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California to former President Barack Obama, did not.
Speaker Pelosi and other Democrats, including Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), have called for an open election to choose Biden’s successor, which Pelosi argues would bolster support for Harris if she becomes the nominee.
But there have been doubts among some in the party about whether Harris is a strong enough candidate to take on Trump.
Simmons, the former Harris staffer, said Vice President Harris is in the best position to defeat Trump and that he must be nervous.
“I’m sure he’s worried. I think he thought he was done dealing with the prosecutors, especially since one of his biggest cases was dismissed. But now he’s facing another prosecutor in the largest court in the country,” Simmons said.
