How voters in Michigan reacted to Biden’s withdrawal from the race
Biden resigns: What’s next for America?
President Joe Biden said he was ending his re-election bid due to intense pressure from Democratic leadership.
President Joe Biden’s announcement on Sunday that he will not run for another term in the White House is giving Democrats across the country new impetus to find a candidate the party believes can defeat former President Donald Trump.
No matter who the Democrats ultimately nominate at the party convention next month, whether Vice President Kamala Harris or another prominent Democrat, victory in Michigan is of utmost importance for their chances of becoming president.
In Michigan, some voters greeted Biden’s announcement with obvious relief, expressing concerns about his age after his shaky debate performance in late June. But others were ready to support Biden if he seeks another term.
Speaking at the Eastern Market in Detroit, Debbie Sperry said the ages of Biden (81) and Trump (78) were unattractive.
“It’s OK,” Sperry said of Biden’s withdrawal from the race. “He’s old, Trump is old, we need to find young blood.”
Sperry said a candidate “under 50” would be ideal.
Biden, 81, was already the oldest president ever elected after defeating Trump in 2020. If Trump is elected in the fall, he would begin his second term a year older than Biden was in 2020.
Another four years in office seemed like a daunting task for Biden, said Mary Leone, who praised the decision.
“I’m glad he dropped out,” said Leone, of Grosse Ile. “I don’t think he would have lasted four years, either at his age or in his health. He’s doing it for the good of the Democratic Party and for his legacy.”
Other Democratic voters continued to support Biden. Claudia Gostine, who lives in the Detroit metropolitan area, acknowledged that a decision had to be made about whether Biden would run for president or drop out, but said she was “heartbroken” about how it came to this.
“He has dedicated so much of his life and that of his family to the country,” said Gostine, 69. “I honestly believe he is the only one who has his finger on the pulse of the international players we compete against.”
Shortly after announcing he would not run for re-election, Biden announced he would support Harris for the Democratic nomination. Gostine said she was concerned about how another candidate would fare against Trump in November and wanted to see the Democratic Party unite behind one candidate.
“Kamala is fighting sexism and racism and (Biden) fought ageism, but that leaves us with fascism,” Gostine said.
Theresa Landrum of southwest Detroit said she was devastated primarily because she was disappointed with the Democratic Party.
“They should have rallied behind Biden. Biden is the best candidate right now. I don’t think we should be looking for another candidate. The best candidate who could weather the storm right now is California Governor Gavin Newsom.”
Detroit resident James Martin said he was surprised by Biden’s announcement that he was dropping out of the race.
“I had to sit down,” said Martin, 68. “I just thought he was going to keep going and stay strong even though all the people were calling for him to drop out of the race.”
However, after taking a minute to process the news, he said he was glad Biden was dropping out and that he was supporting Harris.
“I would have supported him anyway, but I didn’t think he would win,” Martin said.
Eastsider Aaron Mayes called Sunday’s announcement “completely unprecedented… This is crazy.”
Mayes added that he was concerned that it was too late to introduce new candidates.
“This could put Democrats in a tight spot because he’s getting out so late and doesn’t have a reasonable Plan B,” said Mayes, a health analyst. “I know they tried Whitmer locally. That’s the only one I know of. They weren’t prepared for it.”
Several people who spent Sunday afternoon in downtown Birmingham’s Shain Park said they were not surprised by the president’s decision to drop out of the race. Some said it was best for the Democratic Party, but another said he wished Biden had stayed in the race and thought he was the best candidate to beat Trump. Several said they were praying for Biden, his health and the future of the country, which is heading into turbulent and uncharted territory.
One wishes Biden had supported Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer instead of Harris.
Englicia Reid of Ypsilanti said, “Given his age and health issues, it was a good decision for President Biden to resign.”
Reid, who describes herself as independent, expressed hope that the country could survive “this whole ordeal.”
“We must continue to live together after the election. … I hope that we can come together as Americans, that we can agree to disagree and respect each other’s right to their own opinions.”
Jay Jones of New Haven said the situation with Democrats seems “a little unethical.” He said Democrats had faith in Biden in 2020, “but now they have no faith in him.”
Harris, who has said she intends to win the party’s nomination, is entering the race just weeks before the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next month. It is not immediately clear whether another Democratic candidate would seek the party’s nomination, but there has been speculation that a slew of prominent Democrats could throw their hats in the ring – including Whitmer, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and others.
Sue West of Rockford, western Michigan, said she would at least consider voting for Harris, but was mostly relieved that Biden was withdrawing from the race.
“I’m not a supporter of any of the candidates we had yesterday, so I’m glad about that,” said West, 58. “I’d like to find someone I actually want to vote for.”
George Davis, 57, of Southgate, said Biden made the decision with the future of American politics in mind. Davis added that he supports Kamala Harris.
“She is ready for the next step in the governance of our country and she symbolizes the politicians of Generation X who are ready to stand up for the preservation of the fabric of our country.”
Dayna Busbee of Southfield said she was not surprised Biden dropped out of the race but disappointed he waited so long to make his decision. Busbee said she was confident Biden could stay in office, but “I respect his decision.”
She said she would vote for Harris if she were the nominee, but questioned whether some voters who do not want a woman as president might end up voting for Trump.
During a business visit to Detroit on Sunday, Patrick Winston and Dijoi Harden happened to see on Instagram that Biden had dropped out of the presidential race.
Winston, 33, of Texas, was devastated by the news.
“My first thought was, ‘Damn … this sucks for him and the people who believed he would keep going,'” Winston said. “Hopefully he could have kept going and gotten another four years.”
Dijoi Harden said he would rather see someone else – not Trump or Biden – as president.
“I would rather just have something new,” said Dijoi Harden, 27, of North Carolina.
Louis Campbell of Eastern Market also agreed with Sperry’s age concerns, saying, “They both have to go.” Sperry, Campbell and his wife, Erin Campbell, all said they believe Whitmer should be the party’s nominee.
Whitmer has previously been touted as a potential presidential candidate and reiterated her support for Biden in the weeks following her debate appearance. A spokesman for Whitmer’s political action committee did not respond to questions from the Free Press about whether Whitmer was considering seeking the Democratic Party’s nomination for president or vice president.
More: Joe Biden drops out of 2024 race, endorses Kamala Harris: Live updates
Michigan Democrats’ reaction to Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 presidential election
Free Press staff writers James Hill and Clara Hendrickson and special editor Darren Nichols contributed.
Contact Arpan Lobo: [email protected].
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