California’s nearly 500 delegates to the Democratic National Convention next month will play a key role in choosing a replacement nominee now that President Joe Biden has ended his reelection campaign.
As they processed the thunderbolt announcement today, some of them quickly fell in line with his wishes: End the drama and close ranks behind Vice President Kamala Harris.
“I feel this huge sense of relief, because it means the fighting is going to stop,” said Mike Thaller, chairperson of the California Democratic Party senior caucus, who was watching PBS’ “This Old House” when a friend called him with the news.
Following weeks of concerns about his cognitive health and public pressure to drop out, fueled by a disastrous televised debate performance in late June, Biden published a letter in which he acknowledged, “I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.”
Like millions of Americans, the Californians who are set to travel to Chicago in mid-August to select the Democratic Party’s nominee for president were in shock in the immediate aftermath of the revelation. But they told CalMatters that they are also excited about participating in a historic moment and hopeful that, after weeks of turmoil, Biden’s momentous decision — which included endorsing Harris as his replacement — could turn around Democratic prospects of stopping another term for former President Donald Trump.
“I don’t think it’s time to mess around,” said Brian Calderón Tabatabai, the mayor of West Covina who is also running for a state Assembly seat, recovering quickly from being “in a haze” after hearing the news on his way to brunch. “Right now is the time to show we as the Democratic Party have our things together, and this isn’t the chaos a lot of folks are making it seem.”
Sasha Renée Pérez, the mayor of Alhambra who is running for state Senate, said she hoped that Harris would help motivate voters who hadn’t been paying attention to the election before now, boosting fundraising and turnout in swing districts as Democrats also fight to regain control of the House in November.
“She comes from our home state. She’s a Black woman, an Indian woman. We’ve just never had anyone like her be our candidate,” Pérez said. “We have to get this show on the road and get her elected.”
Taking Biden’s signal, Democrats across the country — leaders of key caucuses in Congress, party activists, even former President Bill Clinton and 2016 nominee Hillary Clinton — quickly closed ranks behind Harris, dampening the prospects of an open convention in which delegates might choose from among a field of candidates after a flash primary.
California’s Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has been widely mentioned as a potential future presidential prospect, was slower to fall in line. Newsom released a statement praising Biden as an “extraordinary, history-making president,” but did not immediately endorse Harris, whom he had said in recent weeks that he would not run against. His spokespeople did not respond for hours to questions about how he would like to see the party select a replacement nominee, though this afternoon, he eventually posted online that “no one is better to prosecute the case against Donald Trump’s dark vision and guide our country in a healthier direction” than Harris.
Also notably absent among the voices initially endorsing Harris was former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who reportedly played an outsized role in persuading Biden to drop out and told fellow California Democrats that there should be an open process to select a replacement. On Monday, Pelosi threw her support behind Harris in a statement, calling her “brilliantly astute – and I have full confidence that she will lead us to victory in November.”
“She comes from our home state. She’s a Black woman, an Indian woman. We’ve just never had anyone like her be our candidate,” Pérez said. “We have to get this show on the road and get her elected.”
Taking Biden’s signal, Democrats across the country — leaders of key caucuses in Congress, party activists, even former President Bill Clinton and 2016 nominee Hillary Clinton — quickly closed ranks behind Harris, dampening the prospects of an open convention in which delegates might choose from among a field of candidates after a flash primary.
California’s Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has been widely mentioned as a potential future presidential prospect, was slower to fall in line. Newsom released a statement praising Biden as an “extraordinary, history-making president,” but did not immediately endorse Harris, whom he had said in recent weeks that he would not run against. His spokespeople did not respond for hours to questions about how he would like to see the party select a replacement nominee, though this afternoon, he eventually posted online that “no one is better to prosecute the case against Donald Trump’s dark vision and guide our country in a healthier direction” than Harris.
Also notably absent among the voices initially endorsing Harris was former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who reportedly played an outsized role in persuading Biden to drop out and told fellow California Democrats that there should be an open process to select a replacement. On Monday, Pelosi threw her support behind Harris in a statement, calling her “brilliantly astute – and I have full confidence that she will lead us to victory in November.”