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Biden bows out: Takeaways from a day that fundamentally changed the presidential race

Biden bows out: Takeaways from a day that fundamentally changed the presidential race
After five decades in politics, President Joe Biden's political career is coming to *** close as he exits the 2024 presidential race. He won the highest political office after *** career spanning 36 years in the US Senate and eight years as vice president to Barack Obama. Biden's inauguration came at *** time of national tumult and uncertainty amid the coronavirus pandemic. *** ceremony of resilience weeks after January 6th when the US Capitol was attacked by hundreds of Donald Trump supporters in *** failed effort to overturn the 2020 election. Standing near Biden was Vice President Kamala Harris, the first female vice president and women of color to hold the office. President Biden drew in his time in the Senate to spearhead the passage of *** $1 trillion by partisan infrastructure bill and the inflation reduction act. Biden visited many countries during his presidency including Ukraine during its war with Russia and Israel during its offensive in Gaza against Hamas. He also ordered the final withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan fulfilling *** campaign promise to end America's longest war. It ain't over man. We're just getting started. Biden was known for often rambling in speeches, but he was *** humorous plainspoken and at times emotional speaker who peppered his remarks with folks malarkey and plenty of anecdotes from his childhood. He often talked about lessons. Both of his parents taught him while growing up in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Biden suffered an immense personal tragedy just as his career was starting soon after being elected to the Senate in 1972. His 30 year old wife Nelia and their one year old daughter, Naomi were killed in an auto accident. Sons, Bowe and Hunter were critically injured. Biden was not in the car during the crash later in life. Bowe, the attorney general of Delaware and Joe Biden's eldest son would pass away in 2015 after battling brain cancer. Biden's openness around grief and his ability to empathize with Americans who have experienced loss became defining traits of his political career. Biden married Jill Jacobs in 1977 and their family grew with the birth of their daughter, Ashley. They are grandparents to seven grandchildren. As *** Senator Biden mostly commuted to Washington DC from Delaware. He relished taking the train to work and past projects to boost railway safety. As chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Biden presided over the Supreme Court confirmation hearing of Clarence Thomas Biden failed to conduct *** full investigation into sexual harassment allegations from Thomas accuser, Anita Hill an error. He later took responsibility for Biden worked to improve his record on he's important to women with the 1994 passage of his federal violence against Women Act. Biden ran for president three times in his career in 1987 his first run quickly ended after Biden was forced to admit, committing plagiarism in law school as *** candidate for the 2008 democratic presidential nomination. Biden faced criticism for describing Barack Obama as quote, articulate the remark offended some in the black community. Obama said he didn't take it personally and chose Biden as his running. They went on to win *** historic victory to Obama surprised Biden by honoring him with the medal of freedom before leaving office in 2017 as *** symbol of their partnership in the White House, Biden often criticized then President Donald Trump and said Trump's divisive presidency propelled him to run again to quote, restore the soul of the nation after *** bitter battle during one of the worst pandemics in US history. Biden won the 2020 contest after more than three days of uncertainty as election officials sorted through *** surge of mail in ballots. Trump capitalized on that delay to make unfounded claims of election fraud. Biden tested positive for COVID-19 twice during his presidency and has gotten numerous vaccinations and booster shots to protect against the virus. Biden ended the US national health emergency three years into the global pandemic. COVID-19 has killed more than 1 million Americans as the oldest president in US history. Biden ran for *** second term in 2024 in *** rematch against former President Trump but ultimately left the race following *** disastrous debate. Performance. Biden was seen by some colleagues as *** man who attempted to reach across the aisle during difficult times to find bipartisan solutions.
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Biden bows out: Takeaways from a day that fundamentally changed the presidential race
President Joe Biden’s abrupt decision to bow out of the presidential race and endorse Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic candidate against former President Donald Trump caused a political earthquake on Sunday. It also changes the contours of a presidential race — which most voters said they did not want to see — that has seemed rigidly set for more than a year.Here are some takeaways from the historic day.Democrats who had been in disarray are falling in lineSince Biden's disastrous debate in June, the Democratic party has been in disarray. Drip by drip, high-level party officials reversed course and started to send signals that the president needed to step aside.Before Sunday, seeing Biden step aside did not necessarily mean making room for Harris. The vice president's approval ratings were as grim as Biden's, and there's widespread skepticism on the left about her electability after her disappointing performance in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary.But on Sunday, Democrats started lining up behind Harris. Dozens of members of Congress and senators endorsed her. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro — himself a dream nominee for many Democrats who have hoped Biden would step aside — also came out in favor of Harris, as did California Gov. Gavin Newsom.Two big names — former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former President Barack Obama — notably withheld endorsements. But with less than two months before early voting begins in the presidential election, Democrats may be deciding they don't have time for further turmoil.It's also a reminder of the stark difference between the Democratic and Republican parties. Trump took over the Republican Party on the strength of his personality and loyal following of party voters. Harris has been assiduously working the phones to key Democratic members of Congress to assemble a durable coalition. Democrats are still trying to balance multiple power centers.The GOP only has one power center now.Will the election be about Trump, or Harris, or someone else?Normally, a president's reelection campaign is a referendum on the incumbent. For months, Biden tried to make it about Trump.When pushed in interviews about his own poor debate performance, Biden tried to counter it by highlighting Donald Trump’s deceptions. He made the perceived threat of another Trump presidency his big pitch to donors, saying that the Republican would end U.S. democracy. But after the debate, the framing quickly turned to Biden, and whether he had the capacity to serve another four years.Now Democrats hope Harris, at 59, can cast a spotlight on Trump, who is just three years younger than Biden.The GOP made no secret that it preferred to run against Biden, but it's pivoting to attack Harris in similar ways. Republicans are already criticizing Harris for defending Biden's ability to do his job over the past several years. They're tying her to the least popular aspects of Biden's presidency, like border policy and immigration. During last week's GOP convention, speaker after speaker called Harris the “border czar” — which has never been her title, but was shorthand for how Biden tasked her with handling immigration early in his term.Voters: Are you happy now?The one constant since Trump announced in November of 2022 has been voters pleading, begging for a different matchup.The desire is clear in both polls and conversations with regular voters. In late 2023, an AP-NORC poll found that 58% would be unhappy with Trump as the GOP nominee and 56% with Biden. Democrats were more likely to be dissatisfied with Biden then Republicans with Trump.The problem for the replace-Biden movement is no single candidate captured the imagination of Democratic voters. Running essentially unopposed, Biden cleaned up in the Democratic primary. It wasn't until the June 27 debate that Democratic powerbrokers began to listen to voters' unease.Now there's a different election. But the question remains — will voters be happy about a fresher face? Or will they treat Harris like they did Biden, either because they see her as tightly connected to him or because their unhappiness wasn't just about the re-run of the 2020 race, but other factors in American life?A new battle over a diverse electorate?The main contours of the presidential race were set with Trump's announcement in November of 2022. Now, if Democrats choose Harris, those battle lines come into much sharper focus. Harris, as the nation's first Black woman vice president, and first of South Asian descent, has the potential to generate an overperformance among women, particularly women of color, while Trump will try to do the same among white men.But Trump isn't putting all his eggs in a single demographic basket. After performing better than expected with Latinos in 2020 his campaign has been trying to boost his numbers with that ethnicity even more and also targeting Black voters. Meanwhile, Biden's hold on older white voters — who are more likely to cast ballots — kept him competitive.Will Harris be able to blunt Trump's potential gains among more diverse parts of the electorate? Will she be able to replicate her boss' strength in Rust Belt states where white voters are disproportionately powerful? Can she put in play states like Georgia and North Carolina that have a higher share of Black voters?Any changes between Harris' coalition and Biden's are likely to be small, but this election is likely to be close and turn on tiny shifts in the electorate.Will Harris be able to make a second first impression?Harris has long been an electoral mystery. She has the resume of a top-of-the-line electoral juggernaut — female career prosecutor of racially mixed descent, quick and charismatic. But she's underperformed in the races she ran in California. Though she won her statewide contests, she usually didn't get as many votes as other Democrats running statewide.The nadir came in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary. Harris ended up dropping out before voting began to preserve her viability after doing so poorly in the initial stretch of the race.Harris' checkered electoral history may have been a factor on Democratic disquiet about Biden, because they didn't trust his heir apparent to beat Trump. They now may have no choice but to believe in her and have been encouraged by her sharper, clearer attacks on the Republican nominee recently.

President Joe Biden’s abrupt decision to bow out of the presidential race and endorse Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic candidate against former President Donald Trump caused a political earthquake on Sunday. It also changes the contours of a presidential race — which most voters said they did not want to see — that has seemed rigidly set for more than a year.

Here are some takeaways from the historic day.

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Democrats who had been in disarray are falling in line

Since Biden's disastrous debate in June, the Democratic party has been in disarray. Drip by drip, high-level party officials reversed course and started to send signals that the president needed to step aside.

Before Sunday, seeing Biden step aside did not necessarily mean making room for Harris. The vice president's approval ratings were as grim as Biden's, and there's widespread skepticism on the left about her electability after her disappointing performance in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary.

But on Sunday, Democrats started lining up behind Harris. Dozens of members of Congress and senators endorsed her. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro — himself a dream nominee for many Democrats who have hoped Biden would step aside — also came out in favor of Harris, as did California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Two big names — former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former President Barack Obama — notably withheld endorsements. But with less than two months before early voting begins in the presidential election, Democrats may be deciding they don't have time for further turmoil.

It's also a reminder of the stark difference between the Democratic and Republican parties. Trump took over the Republican Party on the strength of his personality and loyal following of party voters. Harris has been assiduously working the phones to key Democratic members of Congress to assemble a durable coalition. Democrats are still trying to balance multiple power centers.

The GOP only has one power center now.

Will the election be about Trump, or Harris, or someone else?

Normally, a president's reelection campaign is a referendum on the incumbent. For months, Biden tried to make it about Trump.

When pushed in interviews about his own poor debate performance, Biden tried to counter it by highlighting Donald Trump’s deceptions. He made the perceived threat of another Trump presidency his big pitch to donors, saying that the Republican would end U.S. democracy. But after the debate, the framing quickly turned to Biden, and whether he had the capacity to serve another four years.

Now Democrats hope Harris, at 59, can cast a spotlight on Trump, who is just three years younger than Biden.

The GOP made no secret that it preferred to run against Biden, but it's pivoting to attack Harris in similar ways. Republicans are already criticizing Harris for defending Biden's ability to do his job over the past several years. They're tying her to the least popular aspects of Biden's presidency, like border policy and immigration. During last week's GOP convention, speaker after speaker called Harris the “border czar” — which has never been her title, but was shorthand for how Biden tasked her with handling immigration early in his term.

Voters: Are you happy now?

The one constant since Trump announced in November of 2022 has been voters pleading, begging for a different matchup.

The desire is clear in both polls and conversations with regular voters. In late 2023, an AP-NORC poll found that 58% would be unhappy with Trump as the GOP nominee and 56% with Biden. Democrats were more likely to be dissatisfied with Biden then Republicans with Trump.

The problem for the replace-Biden movement is no single candidate captured the imagination of Democratic voters. Running essentially unopposed, Biden cleaned up in the Democratic primary. It wasn't until the June 27 debate that Democratic powerbrokers began to listen to voters' unease.

Now there's a different election. But the question remains — will voters be happy about a fresher face? Or will they treat Harris like they did Biden, either because they see her as tightly connected to him or because their unhappiness wasn't just about the re-run of the 2020 race, but other factors in American life?

A new battle over a diverse electorate?

The main contours of the presidential race were set with Trump's announcement in November of 2022. Now, if Democrats choose Harris, those battle lines come into much sharper focus. Harris, as the nation's first Black woman vice president, and first of South Asian descent, has the potential to generate an overperformance among women, particularly women of color, while Trump will try to do the same among white men.

But Trump isn't putting all his eggs in a single demographic basket. After performing better than expected with Latinos in 2020 his campaign has been trying to boost his numbers with that ethnicity even more and also targeting Black voters. Meanwhile, Biden's hold on older white voters — who are more likely to cast ballots — kept him competitive.

Will Harris be able to blunt Trump's potential gains among more diverse parts of the electorate? Will she be able to replicate her boss' strength in Rust Belt states where white voters are disproportionately powerful? Can she put in play states like Georgia and North Carolina that have a higher share of Black voters?

Any changes between Harris' coalition and Biden's are likely to be small, but this election is likely to be close and turn on tiny shifts in the electorate.

Will Harris be able to make a second first impression?

Harris has long been an electoral mystery. She has the resume of a top-of-the-line electoral juggernaut — female career prosecutor of racially mixed descent, quick and charismatic. But she's underperformed in the races she ran in California. Though she won her statewide contests, she usually didn't get as many votes as other Democrats running statewide.

The nadir came in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary. Harris ended up dropping out before voting began to preserve her viability after doing so poorly in the initial stretch of the race.

Harris' checkered electoral history may have been a factor on Democratic disquiet about Biden, because they didn't trust his heir apparent to beat Trump. They now may have no choice but to believe in her and have been encouraged by her sharper, clearer attacks on the Republican nominee recently.