By the end of last week, Joe Biden’s departure from the 2024 presidential campaign seemed a question of when, not if. But when the president finally announced his exit on Sunday afternoon, the preceding sense of inevitability didn’t lessen the shock of a political leader putting party and country above his own ambitions.
In an era of intense political cynicism, Biden’s withdrawal is an extraordinarily selfless act. As Barack Obama wrote in a tribute to the man he selected as his running mate in 2008, "we’ve also been reminded — again — that he's a patriot of the highest order.”
By putting his full political weight behind Harris, Biden ensured that no Democrat would seriously challenge her bid for the party’s nomination.
Biden’s second announcement on Sunday, less than a half hour after the first, was equally momentous. By endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to succeed him as president, Biden has unified Democrats and put the party on solid footing to hold the White House in November. A Biden endorsement of his vice president always seemed like a foregone conclusion, but by putting his full political weight behind Harris, Biden ensured that no Democrat would seriously challenge her bid for the party’s nomination.
Not surprisingly, by Sunday evening, the wind at Harris’ back had reached hurricane strength. All the Democratic officials whose names have been bandied around as potential challengers to Harris — including Govs. Gretchen Whitmer, Gavin Newson and Josh Shapiro — endorsed her bid for president. So, too, have former President Bill Clinton and 2016 nominee Hillary Clinton. As of Monday morning 178 members of the House and Senate Democratic caucuses had jumped on the Harris bandwagon. Key unions, abortion rights organizations and other outside groups quickly threw their support behind Harris. And Democrats appear poised to have one of the single best fundraising days in American history — raising $60 million in less than 24 hours
At this point, Harris is likely to win the party’s nomination in Chicago by acclamation. But here’s the question that most concerns Democrats — can she beat Donald Trump?
Critics will point out that Harris’s 2020 bid for the White House was a disaster — and they’re right. Her campaign was not just poorly managed, but it was difficult to discern a basic rationale for her candidacy. She came across as overly cautious, lacking a core set of beliefs. She struggled with staffing issues — a problem that persisted into her early days as vice president. That Harris is a polished and effective campaigner has never been in doubt. But it’s her management skills that have long been in question.
But other presidents, including Biden himself, have succeeded after earlier failed campaigns. And the past three weeks have arguably lessened the concerns about Harris. Since Biden’s disastrous debate performance, pretty much every Democrat on the planet expressed either a public or private opinion about who should lead the party against Trump in November — with one notable exception, Kamala Harris. There have been zero leaks from Harris’ team or her political allies. She allowed no political daylight between her and Biden as she criss-crossed the country on behalf of the presidential ticket. And when the president dropped out, the vice president and her whip operation sprung into action, quickly lining up endorsements and support.
In a matter of hours, Harris and Democrats had completely flipped the script on the 2024 campaign.
It’s amazing what a difference one day can make.
Of course, the strategic problems that torpedoed Harris’ campaign four years ago could return between now and November. But one advantage for Harris is that the campaign’s trajectory and messaging have long been established. The Biden campaign sought to make 2024 a referendum on Trump. The Harris campaign will do the same. Her most important responsibility will be to make the case why another Trump term in office will be a disaster for America — and the best option for voters is to stay the course with Democrats. That she can do, and likely more effectively than the man she is replacing.
At the end of one of the most extraordinary 24-hour periods in American political history, it’s amazing what a difference one day can make. On Sunday morning, Democrats were in disarray, hopelessly divided and convinced that the 2024 election was already a lost cause. A day later, they are united and seemingly more determined than ever to end Trumpism once and for all. If they are successful, Joe Biden’s legacy will be set — as the man who stepped up to eject Donald Trump from the White House, and four years later as the man who stepped down to ensure Trump remained out of office.
