President Biden drops out of presidential race, endorses Harris
Kelsey Reichmann and Ryan Knappenbergber
WASHINGTON (CN) — President Joe Biden announced on Sunday that he would drop out of the presidential election, ceding to weeks of hand-wringing over the 81-year-old’s fitness for office.
"It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your president," Biden wrote in a letter posted to X. "And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term"
Biden said he would address the nation later this week.
Democrats pushed Biden to end his candidacy after a disastrous June debate where Biden struggled to spar with his predecessor and current opponent, Donald Trump. With soft-spoken and meandering responses to the moderators’ questions, Biden ignited concerns about his fitness for office.
Sen. Jon Tester was among Democrats asking for Biden to step aside.
"Montanans have put their trust in me to do what is right and it is a responsibility I take seriously. I have worked with President Biden when it has made Montana stronger, and I’ve never been afraid to stand up to him when he is wrong. And while I appreciate his commitment to public service and our country, I believe President Biden should not seek re-election to another term.”
Since Biden voluntarily stepped down, Democrats are now headed for an open convention in Chicago beginning Aug. 19, where a majority of delegates must agree on his replacement. Under convention rules, candidates must submit a written nomination request to the convention secretary by 6 p.m. the day before presidential nominations. Candidates must have the support of at least 300 delegates.
The candidates' supporters will have 20 minutes to pitch their nominee to delegates before voting begins. States will be called in alphabetical order and the delegates will select their favored candidate. Delegates will continue roll call votes until a nominee is chosen. The candidate officially becomes the Democratic party’s nominee after their acceptance speech.
Biden can throw his weight behind a successor but his pledged delegates are not obligated to vote for that nominee.
Biden had described his performance as one bad night due to illness and exhaustion from an international trip, but Democrats saw the culmination of voters’ concerns over his age. If he had been elected, Biden would have been the oldest president in U.S. history.
In the weeks following the debate, Biden’s mental focus was under sharp scrutiny, making every subsequent public event a test for the president to dispel concerns among Democratic allies and the public.
One such test came in the form of the three-day North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in Washington this month, which was widely considered vital for him to stave off concerns and reassure allies both at home and abroad.
Biden made it through the summit itself primarily unscathed — besides mistakenly introducing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as Russian President Vladimir Putin — until hosting a lengthy news conference on July 11, where in response to the first question he referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump.”
Congressional Democrats and donors reported concerns that Biden could not beat Trump in November and worried his loss would impact down-ballot races. Polling showed that the majority of Democratic voters wanted Biden to step down, preferring another candidate.
Biden remained resolute in his place at the top of the ticket. He brushed off continued calls to step down, becoming indignant when his efforts failed to quell concerns. Since he was the only person qualified for the nomination, party leaders left the choice up to the president.
While Biden is not the first presidential incumbent to drop out of the race prior to the election, the timing and circumstances of his decision are unlike those made by former presidents Lyndon B. Johnson, Harry Truman and Calvin Coolidge.
Truman and Johnson, both facing pressure from their parties after subpar performances in the New Hampshire primary in 1952 and 1968, announced their decisions to drop out just weeks later. In those years, the primary was held on March 11 and March 12, respectively.
Truman announced he would end his bid on March 29, 1952, while Johnson announced his decision on March 31, 1968. The timing left nearly 300 days in both instances until their respective elections.
Coolidge assumed office following the sudden death of President Warren G. Harding from a heart attack in 1923. Coolidge reportedly did not enjoy being president, suffering from the loss of his 16-year-old son in 1924, and told reporters he would not seek reelection 580 days before the 1928 election.
None of the three presidents faced questions about their mental acuity or ability to handle the job like Biden did, and his decision leaves Democrats with only a few months to build up a new candidate before the November election.
While modern nominating conventions have become somewhat performative, that wasn't always the case. The 1968 Democratic Convention marked a shift in the importance of primary elections, giving voters a say in the party’s nominee.
Opposition to the Vietnam War led to demonstrations and then riots outside of the Chicago convention. Although anti-war candidates won the party’s primary elections, Vice President Hubert Humphrey — who joined the race too late to even run in the primaries — won the nomination at the convention because delegates typically reflected party leaders' preferences, instead of voters' desires.
Humphrey’s late entry was in part due to Johnson’s surprise Oval Office announcement that he would not seek the party’s nomination.
The rules were changed in 1972, requiring delegates to fairly reflect the state’s preferred candidate.
Challenges to primary winners’ nominations have since been futile. In 1976, Ronald Reagan tried to usurp Republican primary winner Gerald Ford. He was unsuccessful. Ted Kennedy similarly challenged Jimmy Carter’s nomination the next year but also failed.