Jeff Mason here. It was a sunny, quiet day in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on Sunday. Reporters covering Biden, at least yours truly, pondered some down time at the beach after several busy news days, while the president, who we had not seen since the previous Wednesday, convalesced from COVID-19 at his home. Then his letter to the country posted. He was dropping out of the 2024 presidential race and, he said in a separate note, endorsing his vice president.
I have never seen anything quite so seismic happen mid-campaign in nearly 17 years of covering U.S. politics for Reuters – and yes, Donald Trump had just survived a shooting the week before.
Biden's timing was a shock, but his decision was not a complete surprise. We reported the previous Thursday that he was soul searching and taking calls to step down seriously after weeks of defiance in the face of pressure from lawmakers and party leaders for a new top of the ticket. Senator John Hickenlooper of Colorado told me the party felt anguish and grief about a Biden exit, even if it was the right move.
By Sunday, after deliberations with aides and family members, Biden was out. That sparked a fast ascent for Harris, who raised tens of millions of dollars within hours, and had enough delegates to secure the Democratic nomination within days. The question now is how long that momentum will last. Harris will have to overcome racism and sexism in addition to concerns about her own political missteps to make history and become the first woman elected president of the United States. Former Attorney General Eric Holder is handling vetting of running mates, who include a who's-who of rising stars in the party.
Meanwhile attacks started rolling in from former President Trump, who formally accepted the Republican Party's nomination with a rambling, roughly 90-minute speech last week. His campaign complained about Harris taking over Biden's campaign war chest, but he said he would debate her. A Reuters/Ipsos poll showed how much things changed for Trump and for the Democrats in a few short days: Harris is now leading in the presidential race 44% to Trump's 42%. It's within the margin of error, but it's a new direction, nonetheless.
Comments
Post a Comment