Biden's decision to drop out leaves Democrats across the country relieved and looking toward future
After weeks of uncertainty about who would be at the top of the Democratic Party바카라 게임 웹사이트s ticket in November, many voters expressed relief over the news that President Joe Biden would drop his reelection bid and began to think about who might replace him in a dramatically altered election landscape.
Jerod Keene, a 40-year-old athletic trainer from swing-state Arizona, had planned to vote for Biden in November but was thankful for the president바카라 게임 웹사이트s decision, calling it 바카라 게임 웹사이트inevitable.바카라 게임 웹사이트 Keene said he바카라 게임 웹사이트s excited about the next candidate, hoping it will be Vice President Kamala Harris, whom Biden endorsed on Sunday.
바카라 게임 웹사이트Kamala Harris is the easiest pick based on the fact that she바카라 게임 웹사이트s vice president and it would be tough for the party to try to go a different direction on that,바카라 게임 웹사이트 said Keene, who lives in Tucson. 바카라 게임 웹사이트And I think she seems ready.바카라 게임 웹사이트
The Democratic Party has been deeply divided since Biden바카라 게임 웹사이트s poor debate performance on June 27, which left many questioning his ability to defeat Republican Donald Trump in November and secure another term. Party leaders had increasingly called for Biden to step aside, but his reluctance to bow out left voters nationwide uncertain about who would face Trump in November.
Recent revealed that nearly two-thirds of Democrats felt Biden should withdraw from the presidential race, while a majority believe Harris would perform well in the top slot.
Keene바카라 게임 웹사이트s relief that the saga surrounding Biden's decision was over was echoed by voters nationwide in interviews with The Associated Press. In key swing states such as Wisconsin, Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Nevada, many expressed optimism about the party바카라 게임 웹사이트s next nominee 바카라 게임 웹사이트 whether it be Harris or someone else.
In Pittsburgh, Fred Johnston said he has been terrified of another Trump presidency and had long worried that Biden couldn바카라 게임 웹사이트t beat Trump again. After seeing Biden바카라 게임 웹사이트s wobbly debate performance, he was eager for Biden to drop out and hand off his candidacy to Harris.
바카라 게임 웹사이트Kamala is someone we can vote for, and that바카라 게임 웹사이트s what we need,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Johnston said.
He also thinks she can win Pennsylvania: 바카라 게임 웹사이트I have no logical basis for this, but it바카라 게임 웹사이트s good to have hope. I haven바카라 게임 웹사이트t had hope for a while.바카라 게임 웹사이트
In Las Vegas, Lucy Ouano, 68, said she was proud of both Biden바카라 게임 웹사이트s decision to drop out of the race and his move to quickly endorse Harris.
바카라 게임 웹사이트He바카라 게임 웹사이트s ending on a great note,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Ouano said. 바카라 게임 웹사이트Trump should be worried. He바카라 게임 웹사이트s now running against someone strong.바카라 게임 웹사이트
Ouano, who emigrated in 1960 to the U.S. from Thailand as a young child with her parents, said she couldn바카라 게임 웹사이트t have imagined this outcome just a few weeks ago when she attended a Harris rally in Las Vegas meant to quiet concerns about Biden바카라 게임 웹사이트s reelection campaign.
At the time, she told the AP that while she planned on voting for Biden, she wanted Harris at the top of the ticket.
바카라 게임 웹사이트She바카라 게임 웹사이트s going to get the Asians drummed up, and she바카라 게임 웹사이트s going to get the women drummed up,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Oaano said Sunday after learning about Biden바카라 게임 웹사이트s decision.
Similarly, Arthur L. Downard Jr., a 72-year-old resident of Portland, Oregon, viewed Biden's presidency favorably but said he was "very pleased바카라 게임 웹사이트 that Biden stepped aside. The Democratic voter, who cast his ballot for Biden in 2020, said his opinion of Biden changed after what he called a 바카라 게임 웹사이트disastrous바카라 게임 웹사이트 debate.
바카라 게임 웹사이트He바카라 게임 웹사이트s been a great president and he바카라 게임 웹사이트s gotten a lot done for our country. But he바카라 게임 웹사이트s too old, he바카라 게임 웹사이트s not articulate,바카라 게임 웹사이트 he said. 바카라 게임 웹사이트He바카라 게임 웹사이트s not a good messenger for the Democratic Party.바카라 게임 웹사이트
Some voters, like Nebraska resident Lacey LeGrand, had planned to reluctantly vote for Biden simply because he wasn바카라 게임 웹사이트t Trump.
바카라 게임 웹사이트I바카라 게임 웹사이트m definitely not supporting Trump,바카라 게임 웹사이트 LeGrand said. 바카라 게임 웹사이트So I think by default I was going to end up supporting Biden. I wasn바카라 게임 웹사이트t very happy about it.바카라 게임 웹사이트
LeGrand, a registered Democrat in Nebraska바카라 게임 웹사이트s Omaha swing district, a potentially decisive electoral vote that Biden and Obama both won previously, believes Harris 바카라 게임 웹사이트has a shot바카라 게임 웹사이트 at defeating Trump, though she added, 바카라 게임 웹사이트I wouldn바카라 게임 웹사이트t say it바카라 게임 웹사이트s a great shot.바카라 게임 웹사이트
But not all voters were happy about Sunday바카라 게임 웹사이트s news. Georgia voter Dorothy Redhead, 76, was 바카라 게임 웹사이트disappointed바카라 게임 웹사이트 that Biden dropped out of the race but said she is 바카라 게임 웹사이트just having to accept바카라 게임 웹사이트 Biden바카라 게임 웹사이트s decision as one between the president and God.
Jarvia Haynes, a real estate agent in New Orleans, said she has 바카라 게임 웹사이트mixed feelings바카라 게임 웹사이트 about Biden바카라 게임 웹사이트s decision to leave the race.
바카라 게임 웹사이트I don바카라 게임 웹사이트t think President Biden should have dropped out,바카라 게임 웹사이트 she said. 바카라 게임 웹사이트On the other hand, maybe it바카라 게임 웹사이트s for the best."
Haynes, 72, of Harvey, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans, quickly focused on who should lead the Democratic ticket, saying she is "very positive about Vice President Kamala Harris being able to handle the job.바카라 게임 웹사이트
She added that she hopes Harris would choose Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to be her running mate.
바카라 게임 웹사이트I think two women would change the whole dynamic of the race,바카라 게임 웹사이트 said Haynes, who joins Harris as a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the first intercollegiate historically African American sorority. The group boasts more than 360,000 members in graduate and undergraduate chapters in 12 countries and could be a formidable political force of its own.
Barbara Orr, a psychotherapist in the Lancaster, Pennsylvania area, said she thought Biden was capable of running for president, beating Trump and serving as president. She viewed his decision to end his candidacy, however, as a sign that he is not guided by ego and recognized that, because of his debate performance, voters assume that he can바카라 게임 웹사이트t do the job.
Orr, 65, said she isn바카라 게임 웹사이트t 바카라 게임 웹사이트super impressed바카라 게임 웹사이트 with Harris, 바카라 게임 웹사이트but she might rise to the occasion. That바카라 게임 웹사이트s happened before in history.바카라 게임 웹사이트
She also acknowledged that Harris hasn바카라 게임 웹사이트t had the chance to prove her mettle as a candidate against Trump.
Orr, a self-described progressive who favored Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders or Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren for president in 2020, said she would probably prefer Whitmer to replace Biden on the Democratic ticket.
바카라 게임 웹사이트I love what she stands for,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Orr said.
Joe DeFrain was out kayaking when a text informed him that Biden had dropped out. While the Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan, resident said he wasn바카라 게임 웹사이트t stunned to learn of the development, one thing did surprise him.
바카라 게임 웹사이트I was waiting to see if all the boaters out there were going to be screaming with joy, because a lot of them are Trump fans. And I didn바카라 게임 웹사이트t hear anything,바카라 게임 웹사이트 DeFrain said after sitting down for dinner at They Say, a restaurant in the Detroit suburb of Harper Woods.
Biden visited They Say earlier this year, a moment that manager George Ledbetter said was 바카라 게임 웹사이트the best ever.바카라 게임 웹사이트
Ledbetters' first reaction to the news came down to a single word: 바카라 게임 웹사이트Why?바카라 게임 웹사이트
바카라 게임 웹사이트He바카라 게임 웹사이트s a good president. I like Biden,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Ledbetter said. But, he added, 바카라 게임 웹사이트You gotta do what you gotta do.바카라 게임 웹사이트
Ledbetter said he바카라 게임 웹사이트ll support Harris despite his disappointment.
바카라 게임 웹사이트I바카라 게임 웹사이트ll take that, too. I think she can do it. First woman president. That바카라 게임 웹사이트d be nice. African American president. It바카라 게임 웹사이트d be nice again,바카라 게임 웹사이트 said Ledbetter, who is Black.
As for DeFrain, he said he바카라 게임 웹사이트ll be watching to see what happens before and during the Democratic National Convention.
바카라 게임 웹사이트It바카라 게임 웹사이트s going to be something we have never seen in our lifetime,바카라 게임 웹사이트 said DeFrain, who has voted for Democrats in recent elections. 바카라 게임 웹사이트It should be entertaining.바카라 게임 웹사이트
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Cappelletti reported from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Householder from Harper Woods, Michigan, and Kramon from Atlanta. Associated Press writers Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin; Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Rio Yamat in Las Vegas, Nevada, Chevel Johnson in New Orleans, Louisiana, Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska, and Claire Rush in Portland, Oregon contributed to this report.