With Biden out of the 2024 race, Democrats rally around Harris (2024)

Posted July 22, 2024 at 3:27 PM EDT

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Context

Posted July 22, 2024 at 3:23 PM EDT

Speculation about who could be Vice President Harris' VP pick is dredging up some deep constitutional questions.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is rumored as a possible running mate, and Harris herself is a Californian, which begs the question: can both nominees on the ticket be from the same state?

The answer: Yes, but it's complicated.

According to the U.S. Constitution, the 12th Amendment details how presidential electors within the Electoral College cast ballots for the presidential ticket, writes History.com.

Article II of the U.S. Constitution states that electors "vote by ballot for President and Vice-President, one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves.”

So that means, in this hypothetical, California electors potentially can't back both Harris and Newsom. But there are workarounds.

While Vice President Harris currently resides at the Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., she maintains her California residency, which allows her to vote in the state.

Posted July 22, 2024 at 1:48 PM EDT

Andrew Harnik

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Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is getting credit for the behind-the-scenes operating that led to Biden's withdrawal, has officially endorsed Vice President Harris for president.

The Democratic representative from California endorsed the former senator from California with "with immense pride and limitless optimism for our country’s future," according to a statement Pelosi shared on social media.

Pelosi described her "enthusiastic support" for Harris as "official, personal and political."

"Officially, I have seen Kamala Harris’s strength and courage as a champion for working families, notably fighting for a woman’s right to choose," she wrote. "Personally, I have known Kamala Harris for decades as rooted in strong values, faith and a commitment to public service. Politically, make no mistake: Kamala Harris as a woman in politics is brilliantly astute — and I have full confidence that she will lead us to victory in November."

Pelosi also offered her love and gratitude to Biden, and called for the Democratic Party to "unify and charge forward to resoundingly defeat Donald Trump and enthusiastically elect Kamala Harris as the next President of the United States."

Posted July 22, 2024 at 1:44 PM EDT

Wondering where Harris stands on policy? Here's some suggested reading:

Foreign policy

• In Dubai, Harris deals with 2 issues important to young voters: climate and Gaza
• Harris urges a Gaza cease-fire for hostage deal, presses Israel to ease aid delivery
• Harris says 'there is only Plan A' for Ukraine aid. Zelenskyy says he's counting on it

Gun violence

• Harris is taking the lead on gun violence prevention. Will she reach young people?
• In Parkland, VP Harris urged greater use of red flag laws to prevent shootings

Abortion and healthcare

• Harris, who is Biden's voice on abortion rights, is likely to raise the volume
• Harris visited an abortion clinic, a first for any president or vice president
• Kamala Harris releases 'Medicare For All' plan with a role for private insurers

Voting rights

• Transcript: Vice President Harris on voting rights, the filibuster and the courts
• Biden says he will ramp up push to expand voting rights, and puts Harris in charge

Immigration

• Harris says Congress needs to lead on immigration after Title 42 restrictions end
• Harris visits the southern border after trying to keep the focus away from it

Economy

• Where Kamala Harris studied economics

Criminal Justice

• Let's talk about Kamala Harris
• The story behind Kamala Harris' truancy program
• In pitch for president, Sen. Kamala Harris focuses on criminal justice, inequality
• Kamala Harris: Walking the line between lawmaker and law enforcement

Just In

Posted July 22, 2024 at 12:10 PM EDT

Brendan Smialowski

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AFP via Getty Images

On Monday, Harris made her first public appearance since Biden withdrew from the presidential race and endorsed her for the Democratic nomination.

Harris spoke from the White House South Lawn at an event to celebrate the NCAA championship teams from the past season.

She did not explicitly comment on her run but instead, spoke at length about Biden's achievements.

"Joe Biden's legacy of accomplishment in the past three years is unmatched in modern history," Harris said. "In one term, he has already surpassed the legacy of most presidents who have served two terms in office."

She added, "Our president Joe Biden fights for the American people, and we are deeply, deeply grateful for his service to our nation."

Posted July 22, 2024 at 11:43 AM EDT

Former Vice President Mike Pence on Monday commended Biden for his decision to exit the presidential race.

"President Joe Biden made the right decision for our country and I thank him for putting the interests of our Nation ahead of his own," he wrote on X.

Pence did not mention Harris in his statement. Instead, he urged "leaders in both parties to project calm and send a message of strength and resolve to America's friends and enemies alike."

In March, Pence made clear that he would not endorse Trump, his former boss, for reelection.

Road to the DNC

Posted July 22, 2024 at 11:35 AM EDT

A growing number of Democratic National Convention state delegations are throwing their weight behind Vice President Harris for the Democratic presidential nomination.

The endorsem*nts that came in on Monday from Kentucky Democrats and on Sunday from DNC delegations from New Hampshire, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee — most of them made unanimously — bring Harris closer to clinching the nomination. Per DNC rules, nominating a candidate requires a written request, approval from the proposed candidate and a petition signed by at least 300 delegates.

The state backings come as questions arise as to whether there will be a "mini primary" contest to determine the party nominee in the lead-up to the DNC. So far, no major candidate has said they would challenge Harris for the nomination.

Posted July 22, 2024 at 11:30 AM EDT

Former President Donald Trump donated not once but twice to re-elect Kamala Harris as the attorney general of California.

California records show that Trump contributed $5,000 in September 2011 toward Harris' 2014 reelection campaign, and followed up with another $1,000 in February 2013. His daughter Ivanka Trump also donated to the campaign, contributing $2,000 in 2014.

Harris was elected attorney general in 2011 and reelected in 2014. She served until 2017, when she was sworn into the U.S. Senate.

But Harris did not keep the $6,000 from Trump. A spokesperson told the Sacramento Bee in 2020 that she donated the money to a "nonprofit that advocates for civil and human rights for Central Americans" in 2015, by which point she had been reelected and was launching her bid for the Senate.

News of Trump's contribution surfaced after Biden picked Harris as his running mate in 2020 and again this week after he endorsed her for president.

On Sunday, Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., tweeted out an image of Trump's 2011 check to Harris' campaign, calling it "a wise investment."

Trump has financially supported plenty of Democrats in his lifetime — in fact, as NPR has reported, most of his political donations went to Democrats until around 2010.

He acknowledged that history on the campaign trail in 2016, saying at one rally, "I’ve got to give to them, because when I want something, I get it. When I call, they kiss my a**."

"I was looking at the ones I’m running against. I’ve contributed to most of them — can you believe it?" he said. "I contribute to everybody. I’ve given to Democrats. I’ve given to Hillary. I’ve given to everybody, because that was my job."

Posted July 22, 2024 at 11:17 AM EDT

Andrew Caballero-Reynolds

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AFP via Getty Images

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a top Biden campaign surrogate previously seen as a top contender to replace him, threw her support behind Harris on Monday morning.

Whitmer endorsed Harris in unison with the Democratic governors of several other midwestern states: J.B. Pritzker of Illinois, Tim Walz of Minnesota and Tony Evers of Wisconsin.

In a statement shared on X, Whitmer wrote that she is "fired up" to endorse Harris, who has her "full support."

"In Vice President Harris, Michigan voters have a presidential candidate they can count on to focus on lowering their costs, restoring their freedoms, bringing jobs and supply chains back home from overseas, and building an economy that works for working people," Whitmer wrote. "She's a former prosecutor, a champion for reproductive freedom, and I know that she's got Michigan's back."

She drew a stark contrast between Harris and Trump, "a convicted felon who stokes violence, overturned Roe, attacked our auto industry which hardworking families depend on, left office after losing 100,000 manufacturing jobs, and drove our economy into the ground last time he was in the White House."

"We cannot let Donald Trump anywhere near the White House," she added. "Let's go!"

Whitmer is the latest potential challenger to coalesce around Harris, in a growing sign of unity among Democrats.

Must See

Perspective

Posted July 22, 2024 at 11:15 AM EDT

Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who was rumored to be considering a run for the Democratic nomination against Vice President Harris, said Monday he is not going to be running for president, though he did not outright endorse Harris or endorse a running mate for Harris, and instead called for a "mini primary" in the lead-up to the Democratic National Convention.

"First of all, let me make it very clear," Manchin said. "I am not going to be a candidate for president. I am a candidate for, basically speaking, for the middle of this country."

Manchin, who for decades served as a Democrat, switched his party affiliation in May by registering as an independent. After President Biden announced Sunday he would step down from the nomination and subsequently endorsed Harris as president, speculation swirled that Manchin would challenge Harris for the spot.

But in refuting those claims in an interview with CBS News, he said to not have a "mini primary" to pick the Democratic nominee would be a "mistake."

"A lot of people would like to see a mini primary," Manchin said. "That's the process. Find out if you have the strongest candidate — whether it be Kamala or whoever else — could rise to that level, who everyone could get behind."

He criticized Democrats for immediately throwing their support behind Harris, calling it a decision that was "predetermined by President Biden." He said he believes Harris' policies — which he says are too far to the left — would be more properly challenged if an impromptu contest were to arise.

Speaking of Harris' political beliefs, Manchin said, "I would like to see that direction change, and let's see if that would happen. But unless you have a contested primary, or have some type of contest, you're gonna get what you got."

The senator also thanked Biden for his leadership and for deciding to step down as the Democratic Party's nominee. "For him to step aside — I know how difficult that was, but making the right decision for himself, his family and most importantly our country was the right thing to do," he said.

Posted July 22, 2024 at 11:06 AM EDT

Here's what we know about Vice President Harris' and second gentleman Doug Emhoff's whereabouts over the weekend, hours before Biden left the race and endorsed her instead:

• On Friday, as Biden quarantined with COVID-19, Harris enjoyed one of the president's favorite hobbies: eating ice cream. She and her two grandnieces visited SMiZE & DREAM, Tyra Banks' new ice cream pop-up in Washington, D.C.
• Harris hit the campaign trail on Saturday, raising money and talking up Biden at an event in Provincetown on Cape Cod. Nearby, hundreds of cheering Democratic donors cheered and waved fans imprinted with "Veeptown" — a play on P-Town, as the beach town is called.
• Harris and Biden spoke by phone early Sunday, as NPR reported.
• Emhoff was traveling in Arizona as part of the administration's "Investing in America tour." He appeared in a series of events throughout the state on Friday, including riding a streetcar in Tempe to emphasize the importance of reliable public transit, as member station KJZZ reported.
• He capped off the week by stopping by a training facility in Phoenix to wish the USA women's basketball team good luck before their departure for the Paris Olympics. "I’m here to see them and hopefully will get to see them again in Paris," he told the Associated Press. "It means everything. This is who we are as a country, we come together to root on our teams.”
• Emhoff then traveled to Los Angeles for a previously scheduled trip and remained there until Monday morning, according to his director of communications, Liza Acevedo. She said he is returning to Washington, D.C. today.

Posted July 22, 2024 at 10:56 AM EDT

Allison Joyce

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Among the names rumored as a potential running mate for Harris is North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper — a Southern moderate and fierce advocate for abortion rights.

On Monday, Cooper appeared on MSNBC's Morning Joe, where he said he was confident Harris can win the presidential election.

Cooper was also asked about his thoughts on serving as Harris' running mate.

"I appreciate people talking about me. But I think the focus right now needs to be on her this week," he said.

When asked again, he responded: "The vice presidential conversation needs to occur later."

Cooper said he spoke with both Biden and Harris on Sunday after Biden's announcement to drop out of the election. The governor said his conversation with Harris went well, adding "we talked about winning this race."

Posted July 22, 2024 at 10:46 AM EDT

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker endorsed Vice President Harris on Monday, ending speculationabout his own political future.

"From protecting women's rights to defending American workers and strengthening the middle class, Vice President Harris is a champion of the American values we hold dear. She represents our Party's best chance to defeat Donald Trump in November, and I will work my heart out to help her do that," Pritzker said in a statement posted on X.

Pritzker emphasized that "in virtually every political speech and statement," he has repeated the need for Democrats to beat former President Trump at the ballot box in November. Pritzker said Harris is the best option to do just that.

As governor of Illinois, Pritzker will welcome Democrats to Chicago in August for the Democratic National Convention. An heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune, Pritzker is worth an estimated $3.2 billion.

Posted July 22, 2024 at 10:04 AM EDT

Frank Luntz has conducted poll research for Ross Perot, Newt Gingrich and Rudy Giuliani. He said that after seeing the response from donors to Vice President Harris' announcement, the race is now impossible to call.

Jacquelyn Martin

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AP

"Her candidacy has instilled a new sense of electricity, of passion that was missing from the Democratic presidential campaign till now," the Republican pollster told NPR's A Martinez.

Still, Luntz warned that voters may not appreciate having a presidential candidate that they did not choose to represent them.

"Voters do not want to have decisions imposed on them," Luntz said on Morning Edition. "And they did not vote for her."

When it comes to a potential Trump-Harris debate, Luntz believes that it wouldn't be in either candidate's best interest to spend time convincing voters on a national scale. Instead, he thinks they should focus on the same swing states that Biden was focused on before he ended his campaign.

"I think Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin are going to make up this campaign," Luntz said. "So, a national debate is not in either candidate's best interest."

Posted July 22, 2024 at 9:50 AM EDT

Jon Cherry

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Who Harris might pick as a running mate is being closely watched. One name that has been rumored is Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear — a red-state Democrat who has been praised for his track record on working with both sides of the aisle.

Beshear, 46, was on MSNBC's Morning Joe this morning. When asked whether he would be open to being on the ticket as Harris' running mate, Beshear sidestepped the question.

"Let me first say, I love my job, I love serving the people of Kentucky. The only way I would consider something other than my current job is if I believe I can further help my people and help this country," Beshear said.

When asked a second time, he replied: “Well I think if somebody calls you on that, what you do is at least listen. And I want the American people to know what a Kentuckian is and what they look like."

Beshear also dodged the question of whether the Harris campaign has reached out to him. He did, however, give his full endorsem*nt of Harris as the presidential pick.

"The vice president is ready, she has my full endorsem*nt and I’m going to do everything I can to support her," he said.

Posted July 22, 2024 at 9:44 AM EDT

Andrew Harnik

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Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, who has been widely viewed as one of several potential 2028 — and now, 2024 — presidential contenders, broke the suspense on Monday morning with a lengthy endorsem*nt of Vice President Harris.

Moore made history when he was inaugurated last year as Maryland's first Black governor, and has risen to national prominence, especially in the wake of the Baltimore bridge collapse.

And he cited that tragedy as part of the reason behind his endorsem*nt.

"The morning that the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed, one of the first calls I received was from Vice President Harris," he wrote in a statement shared on X. "She made clear that the entire nation stood with Maryland as we confronted one of the worst tragedies in the history of our state. In that moment, she demonstrated not just her powers of leadership, but also her powers of empathy."

Moore wrote that he has witnessed those values firsthand as he's gotten to know Harris and her family, and called her "the fighter we need at this moment to realize the full promise of our nation."

He also thanked Biden for his service, and said he had spoken directly to both Biden and Harris yesterday in "lengthy conversations" in which he offered his support for her candidacy.

"She will have the unique ability to energize the Democratic Party base and mobilize a unique coalition, and we must rally around her and elect her to serve as the next President of the United States," he added.

Updated July 22, 2024 at 11:47 AM EDT

Posted July 22, 2024 at 9:23 AM EDT

It's the first morning since Biden announced his withdrawal and endorsed Harris, shaking up the presidential race.

Who might we hear from today, and when? Here's what we know so far — and we'll have updates on this blog as we learn more.

• Harris delivered remarks at 11:30 a.m. ET at an event celebrating the 2023-2024 National Collegiate Athletic Association championship teams. She was standing in for Biden, who is still recovering from COVID-19 at his beach house in Delaware.
• Afterwards, Harris posted on X that she plans to travel to campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, to greet staff on the first full day of her campaign.
• Republican VP nominee JD Vance is scheduled to hold two rallies today: one in his hometown of Middletown, Ohio at 1:30 p.m. ET and one in Radford, Va., at 6 p.m. ET.
• Trump, who railed against Biden at his first rally since accepting the Republican nomination on Saturday, is scheduled to speak again at a rally in Charlotte, N.C., on Wednesday.

Posted July 22, 2024 at 9:13 AM EDT

Mandel Ngan

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AFP via Getty Images

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff could become the first first gentleman if Harris wins both the nomination and the election. But he didn't publicly comment on that possibility, or her candidacy, on the day it was announced.

Instead, on Sunday evening, he posted a tweet thanking President Biden and first lady Jill Biden for what he called "their years of friendship and support."

"President Biden is a true patriot who leads our nation with honesty, decency, and integrity," Emhoff wrote. "Alongside @VP, they have fought tirelessly for families and communities, delivering for Americans across our nation. I am so proud of their accomplishments and thankful for their leadership."

Harris and Emhoff met on a blind date in 2013 and married a year later. Emhoff, a father of two and former California entertainment lawyer, is also the first Jewish spouse of a U.S. president or vice president. He has made antisemitism one of his key issues in the administration.

Just In

Posted July 22, 2024 at 9:08 AM EDT

Anna Moneymaker

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Congressman Jamie Raskin is just one of the Democratic lawmakers who called on President Biden to drop out of the race. Once Biden announced his exit on Sunday, Raskin was quick to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris.

“Time, circ*mstance and density has brought her to us,” Raskin told NPR’s Michel Martin.

When asked about concerns that Harris’ late entry into the race may hinder the democratic process of nominating a presidential candidate, the Maryland lawmaker said no one is forcing the roughly 4,000 delegates at the Democratic National Convention to vote one way or another.

“I don’t control any other delegates in the Maryland delegation or anywhere else,” Raskin said. “I don’t tell them who to vote for. The delegates who’ve been elected are going to vote for whoever they want.”

Raskin said that like Biden, he believes in the vice president’s ability to defeat Donald Trump.

“She’s going to unleash her inner prosecutor and prosecute Trump and his willing accomplice, the right-wing 'show-billie’ JD Vance,” Raskin said.

Picture Show

Posted July 22, 2024 at 8:50 AM EDT

Several visitors held up signs outside the White House yesterday thanking Biden for his service and showing their support for candidate Harris.

Samuel Corum

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AFP via Getty Images

Samuel Corum

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AFP via Getty Images

People also left signs of encouragement for Harris outside of her Washington, D.C. residence.

Daniel Slim

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AFP via Getty Images

Posted July 22, 2024 at 8:44 AM EDT

Biden dropped out of the race less than a month before the Democratic National Convention and with just 107 days until Election Day, opening up both the Democratic nomination and many questions about what will happen next.

If it feels like it's all happening fast, that's because it is — especially because U.S. elections take a long time, at least compared to other countries.

Brandon Bell

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Take this year, which has been as an especially fast-moving one. Primary season officially kicked off in January, with the Iowa Republican caucuses and New Hampshire primaries. The Trump-Biden rematch was officially on the books by March. And Election Day isn't until Nov. 5.

By contrast, elections in countries including the United Kingdom, France and Mexico have already come and gone this summer.

On May 22, days before Parliament's term ended, then-U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak set the date of the general election for July 4. Candidates submitted their nominations by June 7, and voters must have registered by June 18 (and 19th to vote by mail). By July 4, incoming Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the center-left Labour Party had won in a landslide.

In France, another high-stakes election season played out in a matter of weeks.

President Emmanuel Macron called an election three years early in June, after the far-right National Rally party performed better than expected — and better than his party — in European Parliament elections. The process involved two rounds, on June 30 and July 7, culminating in a stunning upset by a diverse leftist coalition.

In Mexico, campaign season officially started in March for the June 2 election, which ended in the victory of the country's first female president.

So why does the U.S. campaign timeline stretch so much longer? It comes down to a few reasons, including laws and money.

As NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben reported in 2015, many countries have laws dictating how long a campaign period is, while the U.S. doesn't.

Mexico caps presidential campaigns at 90 days, Canadian campaigns average 50 day and Japanese law restricts them to just 12 days, for example.

Plus, a country's system of government can dictate the length of campaign season, which is usually tied to the date when the prime minister dissolves parliament (a prime minister often chooses to do so when their party is popular, to get a boost in the election).

In the U.S., however, elections can run as long as candidates want them to, which is why any serious contenders need millions of dollars to keep their campaign going.

A shorter campaign season could lower that financial bar and keep voters from tiring out, but doesn't seem likely to buck the trend set in recent decades — with the exception, of course, of this last-minute race to the Democratic nomination.

Posted July 22, 2024 at 8:36 AM EDT

Anna Moneymaker

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The calls for President Biden to abandon his bid for reelection started with Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont.

He became a leader in the chorus of voices expressing skepticism about the president’s ability to campaign after Biden’s debate performance last month, writing in the Washington Post that the president should step aside "for the good of the country." But Welch does not believe that Biden was necessarily persuaded by his colleagues.

"Joe Biden wouldn’t be bullied by anybody, whether it’s Putin or a member of Congress," Welch told NPR’s Michel Martin. "That just isn’t real."

Welch told Morning Edition that he believes Biden made this decision after considering what was best for the country.

"He made this decision on his own, and made his own assessment," Welch said.

The senator did not say that he would endorse Vice President Harris yet, but did say that he might get there, and that Harris had done an incredible job with fundraising in the last 24 hours. Welch said he’d like to see Harris make her case to both voters and state delegates who are skeptical of Democrats

"We’ve got to speak to working people, folks who are trying to buy a house and can’t afford it, single women who can’t afford childcare," Welch said. "We got to show that this is an economy that works for everyone."

Listen to the full interview with Senator Welch here.

Posted July 22, 2024 at 8:10 AM EDT

What happens to the $240 million President Biden's campaign said it had at the start of July now that he's out of the race?

The president's campaign has filed official paperwork to change its name to "Harris for President" with the Federal Election Commission, the agency that enforces campaign finance laws, following his announcement Sunday to not seek re-election.

FEC chair Sean Cooksey told Morning Edition that the move is "complicated."

"This is really unprecedented in terms of modern political history and certainly in terms of campaign finance law. We have a presidential nominee or presumptive nominee dropping out just weeks before his party convention," Cooksey said. "And what he's attempting to do is to give his entire committee the cash and all the assets over to another person."

The agency will likely need to sign off on Harris taking over those funds, Cooksey said. He added that the move is subject to debate and will likely draw official complaints and even legal challenges from Republicans, though the short lead-up to the election will be an issue.

"One of the problems with those processes is they can take a lot of time and we don't have a lot of time up until the election," Cooksey said.

Cooksey, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump and serves alongside two other Republicans and three Democrats, said it is "entirely reasonable" for people to question FEC appointees' motivations.

"I can only speak for myself, which is to say that in my time on the Federal Election Commission, I've made dozens of rulings against Republicans and many rulings in favor of Democrats," Cooksey said. "I always try to approach these issues based on what the law requires and what is the best policy, not what's going to give people a certain partisan advantage in the short term."

Analysis

Posted July 22, 2024 at 7:57 AM EDT

Three weeks ago, Howard Dean, a former presidential candidate and the former governor of Vermont, told Morning Edition that it’d be “incredibly ugly” for the Democrats to change nominees so late in the game.

But now that it’s happened, Dean said that the truth is, Biden probably couldn’t get elected for a second term.

“It’s like the scream speech with me,” Dean told NPR’s Michel Martin, referring to the infamous campaign rally scream that is credited with sinking his 2004 bid for the White House. “It may not be fair, but that’s what you have to live with.”

When it comes to the Democratic National Convention, Dean said that he expects to see the majority of delegates support Harris’ bid for the presidential nomination, especially now that top contenders for the nomination have thrown their support to the vice president.

“We’ve already had every viable potential candidate say that they are not going to run and back Harris,” Dean said. “Now, we’re down to the vanity candidates who want to run.”

Dean doesn’t think this means Harris will clinch the nomination with unanimous support, and may not win the nomination on the first ballot.

“It’ll be a small number of people who have other ideas, and they will welcome those ideas,” Dean said. “Unlike the Republicans, we believe in the democratic process.”

Posted July 22, 2024 at 7:50 AM EDT

Kevin Dietsch

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Throughout Joe Biden’s presidency, he leaned on the outspoken former prosecutor and senator he selected as his vice president, Kamala Harris, to be the White House’s voice of unflinching support for reproductive health rights.

Now, as Democrats rebuild their presidential ticket just a few months before Election Day, Harris would widely be expected to take an aggressive stance in support of abortion access if she became the party’s new presumptive nominee — hitting former President Donald Trump on an issue that could undermine his chances of victory.

While Biden sought to keep abortion center stage in his reelection bid, abortion advocates had harbored doubts that the president — a practicing Catholic who has said he is not “big on abortion” — could be an effective standard-bearer as Republican efforts erode access to abortion and other women’s health care around the country.

Harris, on the other hand, became the first vice president to visit a clinic run by Planned Parenthood. She undertook a nationwide tour focused on reproductive rights. And when Sen. JD Vance of Ohio was named Trump’s running mate, Harris used her next campaign appearance to criticize him for blocking protections for in vitro fertilization.

“Most significantly, Harris would be the face of the drive to protect abortion rights,” Larry Levitt, executive vice president for health policy at KFF, a health information nonprofit that includes KFF Health News, said in an interview before Biden stepped aside. “Abortion access would likely be front and center in her campaign.”

A strong stance on abortion is not the only major contrast to the GOP that Harris offers: She is well versed in health policy. As a child, Harris often accompanied her mother to work on the weekends, visiting the lab where her mother, a biomedical scientist, was studying breast cancer.

While running for president in 2019, she backed “Medicare for All,” a single-payer insurance proposal that established her bona fides as a more progressive voice on health policy. And as California’s attorney general, she fought against consolidation in the health industry over concerns it would drive up prices.

She stumped for a Biden administration rule setting minimum staffing levels at federally funded nursing homes in April.

“She deserves credit, she’s talked about them on the campaign trail. I don’t see any change there in the priorities on what Democrats want to do on health care if she becomes the nominee,” said Debbie Curtis, vice president at McDermott + Consulting.

Read the full story here.

From the field

Posted July 22, 2024 at 7:45 AM EDT

Next month, 36 delegates will be heading to the Democratic National Convention to represent primary voters who did not vote for President Biden in the Democratic primaries. These voters cast their ballots for “uncommitted” instead.

Many of those delegates are from Minnesota, where nearly 20% of voters in the state chose the uncommitted option on their primary ballots. Clay Masters, a senior political reporter at Minnesota Public Radio, says those delegates are now feeling both optimism and a great deal of responsibility heading into the convention.

The uncommitted movement started long before Biden’s poor debate performance, Masters told NPR’s A Martinez. These protest votes were mainly in response to the president's policies on the Israel-Hamas war. Now, these delegates are hoping to use this moment to push for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza.

“What we're asking for is an open convention so that people can share their ideas for what's happening in Gaza specifically, so that delegates like me can come forward and say that they want to support a cease-fire,” Asma Mohammed, one of the organizers of the uncommitted movement, told Morning Edition.

A large majority of the delegates that Minnesota Public Radio has spoken to has said that they will back Harris at the DNC, but uncommitted delegate Hassan Saffouri said that this is an opportunity for the uncommitted delegates to hear from Harris about the kind of strategy she presents on the Middle East.

“The reality was Joe Biden was going to become the nominee, " Saffouri said. “Regardless of what we did and how we did it, we were just going to be able to raise some issues, and bring them to people's attention. That part has now become more important.”

Posted July 22, 2024 at 7:41 AM EDT

The Biden-Harris campaign account on X (formerly Twitter) is now officially "Kamala HQ," and it's decidedly "brat"-coded.

It introduced itself on Sunday as the "official rapid response page of Vice President Harris’ presidential campaign." It's first post was that of a Venn diagram, for which Harris' enthusiasm has been well-documented.

The account, which used to bear the name "Biden HQ" and an avatar of "Dark Brandon", is now referencing internet culture in a different, but still tongue-in-cheek, way.

The bio section reads "providing context" — a reference to the coconut tree meme — and the cover photo says "kamala hq" in all-lowercase letters across a lime green background.

It's the same font and color as "Brat," the studio album from Charli XCX, which has, for many younger audiences, come to define the aesthetic and attitude of the summer.

The English singer offered her own endorsem*nt of Harris late Sunday, tweeting, "kamala IS brat."

Posted July 22, 2024 at 7:38 AM EDT

Tens of thousands of supporters tuned into a conference call led by the collective "Win With Black Women" on Sunday night, after Biden endorsed Harris.

The organization says that 44,000 people were on the call.

It said on social media that the group "made history together tonight," including by raising more than $1.5 million in just three hours.

ABC7 reports that people kept trying to join the call and donate money even after 1 a.m. on Monday, prompting Zoom to lift its capacity limits.

Posted July 22, 2024 at 7:35 AM EDT

Michael Kappeler/Pool DPA

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AP

Reaction to President Joe Biden's decision to step aside as Democratic presidential nominee has poured in from across Europe, including from key allies in the United Kingdom and Germany.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz wrote on X that Biden's decision to drop his reelection bid deserved recognition, while his foreign policy leadership merited praise.

"Joe Biden has achieved a great deal: for his country, for Europe, for the world," Scholz said. "Thanks to him, transatlantic cooperation is close, NATO is strong and the USA is a good and reliable partner for us."

British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he respected Biden's decision, and he looked forward to the two of them "working together during the remainder of his presidency."

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called the move brave and dignified, while Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said it may have been the most difficult decision of Joe Biden’s life.

In Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — who was in Washington D.C. just days ago for a NATO summit hosted by Biden — said his nation was grateful to Biden for his "critical" support for Ukraine's defense against Russia since the 2022 invasion.

"He supported our country during the most dramatic moment in history, assisted us in preventing Putin from occupying our country, and has continued to support us throughout this terrible war."

"Many strong decisions have been made in recent years," he continued, "and they will be remembered as bold steps taken by President Biden in response to challenging times. We respect today's tough but strong decision."

Meanwhile Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was "four months until the election" in November, a period that he termed, "a long time in which a lot can happen. We need to observe and see what happens."

Read more here.

Member Station Reports

By Morning Edition

Posted July 22, 2024 at 7:30 AM EDT

Across NPR, our stations have been asking voters what they’re making of this historic moment.

In New Hampshire, Dustin Ferzacca said that he feels relieved that a decision has been made.

“At least, as a party, we can go forward,” Ferzacca said on Morning Edition.

Greg Summers, a resident of Wisconsin said that the decision was like pulling off a Band-Aid quickly before waiting too long.

“I mean he did a really good job as president but it’s pretty clear that he was not going to be able to win the election, and even if he did, in four more years, he would not be able to serve,” Summers said.

Back in New Hampshire, Carol Chellman said that the situation was starting to annoy her, and she was wondering whether or not she wanted to vote for President Biden anymore.

“I was getting really annoyed at Biden about what had happened and him sort of like not accepting how bad it was and what people saw with their own two eyes,” Chellman said.

Posted July 22, 2024 at 7:28 AM EDT

Wearing a Howard University hoodie, sweats and sneakers, Vice President Harris worked the phones yesterday, spending more than 10 hours on Sunday calling more than 100 party leaders from government, labor, and advocacy and civil rights groups, making it clear she wants to work to earn the Democratic nomination “in her own right,” a person familiar with the calls said, speaking on condition of anonymity to describe the private conversations.

She called her pastor, Amos Brown III, who prayed over her. And she arranged pizza for dinner for family and staff gathered at her Naval Observatory residence.

“The vice president's pizza came with anchovies, her go-to topping,” the source said.

The calls appear to be paying off. Harris has secured a long and growing list of endorsem*nts, including from members of congress, whole state delegations and some of the big name Democrats who had previously been mentioned as possible candidates.

Context

Posted July 22, 2024 at 7:22 AM EDT

Looking ahead to Harris’ potential vice-presidential pick, if she indeed is the nominee, she has a plethora of choices.

And she has the opportunity to rejigger the electoral map. There are risks and rewards with each of these candidates, but some of the names floated include lots of white, male moderates like Pennsylvania’s Shapiro, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, as well as Whitmer, a swing-state governor.

• Shapiro, 51, is a popular pick in Democratic circles because he’s generally well-liked, has handled thorny issues competently and is from Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania has seen more ad money than any state this election. The Trump campaign knows it has to take one of the blocks out of the Blue Wall — Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. They’ve targeted Pennsylvania more than any other swing state, and, as of Sunday morning, were holding onto a narrow lead there in an average of the polls.
• Cooper is also from a swing state, but one that is a little bit more of a reach for Democrats. Plus, he’s 67 years old.
• Beshear, 46, is a popular Democrat. He’s won praise from both sides of the aisle for how he’s worked with both parties, but he’s in a Republican presidential state.
• Kelly, 60, is also from a swing state. He’s an astronaut married to former Rep. Gabby Giffords, who was shot in 2011 at a constituent event; he’s shown he can raise a lot of money for Democrats, and he could help, to a degree, blunt Republicans’ immigration attacks since he is from a border state and has separated himself some from Biden on border policy. He isn’t from a swing state with as many delegates as Pennsylvania or North Carolina, though.
• Whitmer would help with Michigan, but there has never been two women on a major party presidential ticket.

Historical Context

Posted July 22, 2024 at 7:19 AM EDT

Gene Forte

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Hulton Archive/Getty Images

This isn’t the first time a Democratic president has bowed out of a presidential race. In 1968, Lyndon B. Johnson announced his decision to not run for a second term in a televised address to the nation. Like President Biden, Johnson stepped down voluntarily, and was not popular towards the end of his first term in office. Johnson also had suffered a series of serious medical problems, and wanted to end the Vietnam War. But there were significant differences.

“Biden is stepping down kicking and screaming,” Jill Lepore, a professor of History and Law at Harvard University and a staff writer at the New Yorker told NPR’s Michel Martin. “It would've been quite a bit better for him to make it Johnson style, quite a lot earlier.”

Lepore said that it would be a disservice to the present moment to say it’s exactly like Johnson’s decision to step down in 1968, but the questions regarding presidential succession are often seen during fraught policial times, like in 1940, when President Franklin D.Roosevelt decided to break tradition and run for a third term in office, arguing that the United States needed to be a stable force in the global world.

“I think Biden will be remembered for being quite a successful president who didn’t hang up his hat quite in time, but did the right thing in the end,” Lepore said on Morning Edition.

Posted July 22, 2024 at 7:17 AM EDT

Grassroots supporters donated a whopping $46.7 million through ActBlue by 9 p.m. ET, just hours after Harris' campaign launch, the Democratic fundraising platform and political action committee tweeted on Sunday night.

"This has been the biggest fundraising day of the 2024 cycle," it added. "Small-dollar donors are fired up and ready to take on this election."

Separately, political activist and mass shooting survivor David Hogg helped bring in $100,000 for Harris in a single hour, after challenging his followers on X (formerly Twitter).

Context

Posted July 22, 2024 at 7:15 AM EDT

The Trump campaign, conservative media and Republicans on Capitol Hill have been campaigning against Biden — and the Biden family — for years now.

They’ve charged that Biden was too old, might not know where he is, wasn’t qualified to run the country and he and his son are likely corrupt and have enriched themselves.

Throw that tattered playbook out the window.

If it is indeed Harris who becomes the Democratic Party’s nominee, Republicans will be running against a much younger candidate (Harris is 59), a former prosecutor — who is sure to draw on that experience to contrast herself with the convicted felon — and potentially the first woman to be president, first Black female president and first Asian American president.

That presents all kinds of risks for how Republicans talk about Harris; a Black woman running against two white men brings a different dynamic than another older white man.

It’s not often that Democrats get to troll Republicans, but soon after Biden’s announcement, many were trying to flip the script, saying the country can’t have a president who would be 83 at the end of his term.

Hunter who?

Context

Posted July 22, 2024 at 7:11 AM EDT

For someone to challenge Harris at the convention they will need the signatures of at least 300 delegates to get on a ballot. For context, Biden has some 3,900 delegates.

It’s certainly possible someone challenges Harris, but who?

Many of the big names that have been mentioned as a Biden replacement have come out and endorsed Harris — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and others.

So the stars appear to be aligning for Harris, but she still has work to do.

She has tremendous strengths and weaknesses. Harris has the potential to fire up key portions of the Democratic base — Black voters and younger voters, two groups with whom Biden was struggling. She’s also seemed to find her voice during this campaign when talking about abortion rights, in particular.

But on the flip side, she was not a very good candidate in 2019 when she ran for the Democratic nomination. She struggled to convey her core values, instead saying she saw herself as a problem solver. She has been caricatured by the right as a California liberal, while also facing criticism from the left as being too tough on crime as the state’s attorney general. She’s struggled with messaging at times as vice president, including on immigration, one of the areas Biden put her in charge of early on.

People close to Harris contend that she’s improved since those early days.

“Kamala Harris will be the next president of the United States,” said Jamal Simmons, who was Harris’ communications director in the second year of the administration. “She’s a better candidate than she was, with a great position on the most important issue to the Democratic coalition and a majority of Americans who are anti-MAGA.”

This is going to be a hyper-compressed and closely watched campaign. It will be crucial how Harris deals with the spotlight, not just because of the shortened amount of time, but also because she has to prove she’s a better messenger than Biden and reassure Democrats they’re making the right choice before next month’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Context

Posted July 22, 2024 at 7:08 AM EDT

KEVIN LARKIN

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AFP via Getty Images

Biden has been in public life since 1972, when he won election to the U.S. Senate as a 29-year-old. He wasn’t even old enough to serve in the Senate at the time. He turned 30 two weeks after his election.

This is all Biden has ever known. He won seven terms to the Senate from Delaware, and then was vice president. He ran for the presidency twice before winning. He dropped out in disgrace in 1987 after a plagiarism scandal and did not get many votes in his 2008 campaign before being plucked by Barack Obama to be his running mate.

He has always wanted to be president and has been told by plenty of people in his life that he couldn’t do a lot of things. In 2020, he defeated Trump, and Democrats credit him with saving democracy. But now, reality set in that the path forward was narrowing, or potentially nonexistent.

Many Democrats are calling Biden’s concession patriotic and selfless, in part an attempt to draw a contrast with Trump. This would be a hard decision for any president, especially for someone who has been around as long as Biden has.

“As a historical matter, very, very few people do this,” historian Jon Meacham, who has helped in writing speeches for Biden, including his 2023 State of the Union address, told NBC News on Sunday, “and in an era where so many of us privilege power over principle, where a lot of us would rather take than give, I think it’s a moment for the country to consider that the president has given us a lesson: that our own wishes, our own immediate desires, should not always be controlling."

Context

Posted July 22, 2024 at 7:01 AM EDT

Maybe it was the Lord Almighty, after all.

Or just Nancy Pelosi.

Whatever the case may be, President Biden on Sunday made the historic announcement that he’s no longer running for reelection. And he endorsed his vice president, Kamala Harris, instead.

Here are six takeaways about what to make of it all:

1. Biden did this because of the polls that led to Democratic and donor pressure.
2. Democrats now have a much-needed pep in their step —and dollars in the bank.
3. This changes the narrative of the race.
4. Harris is likely going to be the Democratic nominee, but she has a lot to prove.
5. Democrats could gain geographic or ideological balance with the VP pick.
6. This decision will be a capstone on Biden’s legacy.