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July 22, 2024 10:09:07 AM |
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July 22, 2024 10:09:07 AM |
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President Joe Biden quit the 2024 campaign on Sunday, throwing his backing behind Vice President Kamala Harris but vowing to remain in office until the end of his current term. The decision has roiled an already swirling Democratic Party as delegates plan for a national convention next month in Chicago, at which it’s not clear whom they’ll nominate to lead them. The news is tumultuous for Republicans’ general election plans, too.
Welcome to this week’s edition of AP Ground Game.
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Hugh Kieve, 10, from Washington, holds a sign in front of the White House, Sunday, July 21, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) |
Harris gets the chance to press reset on the 2024 race against Trump |
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For the past year, the presidential campaign seemed destined to be a monotonous slog featuring two candidates, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, that voters didn’t really want.
But that all changed on a quiet Sunday afternoon just 107 days before the election.
Biden’s decision to drop out of the race and endorse Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor resets the campaign with a swiftness that is unparalleled in modern American politics.
Once a contest between two elderly white men, the election will likely force Trump to contend with the much younger Harris, who was consolidating support among Democrats and would be the first woman of color atop a major party’s ticket.
“It shakes things up entirely,” said Dan Pfeiffer, a former adviser to President Barack Obama. “It turns everything on its head.” Read more.
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Of note:
Trump’s team claimed they were prepared for any eventuality, but Trump himself expressed disappointment that “we have to start all over again” with the campaign. He mused on Truth Social, his social media platform, that maybe Republicans should be “reimbursed for fraud” for all the money they’ve spent running against Biden.
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Democrats hail Biden’s decision to not seek reelection as selfless. Republicans urge him to resign
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Harris could become first Black woman, first person of South Asian descent to be president
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Biden’s legacy: Far-reaching accomplishments that didn’t translate into political support
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Trump quickly pivots focus to Harris |
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Trump’s campaign has spent the last year-and-a-half viciously attacking Biden, ridiculing his policies, mocking his fumbles and relishing a rematch they felt they were winning. But they’ve also been preparing for the possibility that Biden might exit the race, readying a bevy of attacks against Harris that they unleashed soon after Biden endorsed her.
The shakeup less than four months before Election Day lays out new challenges for Trump’s team, which had until recently been focused on contrasting the former president’s vigor and mental acuity with Biden’s. Now, Trump will face a new, yet-to-be-determined opponent at a time when voters have made clear that they are frustrated by their current choices and desperate for new, younger options.
Though Trump aides had wanted Biden to remain in the race, they’ve argued a campaign against Harris — whom they believe is the most likely Democratic nominee — wouldn't be all that different from their race against Biden.
They will try to tie her to what they see as the Biden administration's failures, saying Harris is complicit in everything that occurred under Biden's watch. Read more.
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Of note:
Less than an hour after Biden’s announcement, Trump’s campaign was filling its social media channels with clips of past Harris statements that could turn off some voters, including one of her supporting a ban on plastic straws. Trump’s chief super PAC, Maga Inc., also released a new ad that accused Harris of being complicit in a coverup of Biden’s health and tried to blame her for his policies.
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JD Vance makes solo debut as GOP vice presidential candidate with Monday rallies in Virginia, Ohio
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Trump holds first rally after assassination attempt with his new running mate, Vance, by his side
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Democratic voters express relief over Biden’s departure |
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After weeks of uncertainty about who would be at the top of the Democratic Party’s ticket in November, many voters expressed relief over the news that Biden would drop his reelection bid and began to think about who might replace him in a dramatically different 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 president’s decision, calling it “inevitable.” Keene said he’s excited about the next candidate, hoping it will be Harris, calling her “the easiest pick based on the fact that she’s vice president and it would be tough for the party to try to go a different direction on that.”
Keene’s 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 party’s next nominee — whether it be Harris or someone else. Read more.
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Of note:
Recent AP-NORC polling 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.
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Democrats promise ‘orderly process’ to replace Biden, where Harris is favored but questions remain
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What happens next: Joe Biden wants to pass the baton to Kamala Harris. Here’s how that might work
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Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump and Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, arrive a campaign rally, Saturday, July 20, 2024, in Grand Rapids, Mich. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) |
- Harris delivers remarks at a White House event on Monday celebrating college athletics championship teams.
- Vance holds his first solo campaign rallies on Monday in his hometown of Middletown, Ohio, and Radford, Virginia.
- Trump heads to Charlotte, North Carolina, on Wednesday for a campaign rally.
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At 1:45 p.m. Sunday, Biden’s senior staff was notified that he was stepping away from the 2024 race. At 1:46 p.m., that message was made public. Read more.
Democrats quickly rallied around Harris as their likely presidential nominee, a volatile fast-moving political situation just months before the general election. Read more.
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Opposites attract? With GOP convention over, Milwaukee weighs the benefits of hosting political rivals
Campaign security: Florida man arrested, accused of making threats against Trump, Vance on social media
Assassination aftermath: Political divisions stall proposed gun policies in Pennsylvania, where shooter took aim at Trump
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