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IN THIS EDITION

Biden is out. Democrats are rallying around Harris. Here’s what the Hill is up to

Vulnerable Democrats start to get comfortable with Harris

Rank-and-file Dems back Harris for nominee

SPECIAL EDITION

Biden is out. Democrats are rallying around Harris. Here’s what the Hill is up to

President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw as the Democratic nominee and to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris is a seismic development that completely upends the 2024 election.

Biden’s decision, just 106 days before the election, has no direct historical precedent. When Lyndon B. Johnson withdrew in 1968, it was the end of March, not late July. This will be an extraordinary test of the Democratic Party’s ability to rapidly rally around a new standard bearer ahead of the party’s convention in Chicago in just four weeks.

Rank-and-file Hill Democrats weren’t given a heads-up on Biden’s announcement, although they’d heard the president was meeting with family members today and a decision was possible, according to Democratic sources.

“[W]hile 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 focus solely on fulfilling my duties as president for the remainder of my term,” Biden said in a statement.

In a separate post on X, Biden endorsed Harris as the party’s nominee, saying it was “the best decision I’ve made” to choose her as his running mate.

“It’s time to come together and beat [Donald] Trump,” Biden added. “Let’s do this.”

Harris is the overwhelming favorite to succeed Biden as the Democratic nominee. The question is whether Harris is an automatic choice or will be challenged by other ambitious Democrats, and how far will Republicans go to try to block her if they can. DNC Chair Jaime Harrison promised a “transparent and orderly process.”

Harris issued a statement Sunday just after 4 p.m., saying she intends to “earn and win this nomination.” Here’s the full statement.

On Capitol Hill, many Democrats are rapidly coalescing around Harris. We will be on the lookout for a statement from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries lining up behind Harris. Their initial statements did not mention her. And Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) has also endorsed Harris to replace Biden at the top of the ticket.

What’s next: There will be a frantic scramble to figure out who will be the Democratic vice presidential nominee in the next few days. Names being mentioned in this early stage include Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), among others. Kelly endorsed Harris.

It’s also unclear how this will all impact the critical races for Senate and House down the ballot. Vulnerable Democrats were already facing a nightmare with Biden at the top of the ticket. Swapping Biden out for Harris may not improve endangered Democrats’ fortunes, especially in the Senate. More on this below.

Biden’s Sunday exit from the race saves him an incredibly difficult week. More than 30 Hill Democrats said over the past few weeks that Biden should drop out of the race after his disastrous debate performance on June 27, with a tidal wave expected if he didn’t announce his exit today.

Leadership reaction: Schumer and Jeffries have stood behind Biden, but there was increasing pressure on the pair to publicly call on the president to step aside.

Biden spoke with Schumer and Jeffries Sunday.

Here’s Schumer on Biden.

Jeffries said he was “forever grateful” for Biden’s leadership. Here’s his full statement.

Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose allies lined up to push Biden out of the race, said the president is “a patriotic American who has always put our country first.”

Former President Barack Obama released a lengthy statement praising Biden but did not explicitly endorse Harris. Instead, he noted that the party “will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead.”

“But I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges,” Obama added.

GOP view: The immediate reaction from Republicans was that Biden should resign the presidency. They also claimed Democratic leaders undermined the will of their voters by forcing him out as their nominee.

“Having invalidated the votes of more than 14 million Americans who selected Joe Biden to be the Democrat nominee for president, the self-proclaimed ‘party of democracy’ has proven exactly the opposite,” Speaker Mike Johnson said.

GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, NRCC Chair Richard Hudson and Republican Study Committee Chair Kevin Hern echoed Johnson’s sentiments.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, though, did not call on Biden to resign.

— Andrew Desiderio, Jake Sherman, John Bresnahan and Melanie Zanona

VULNERABLES

Vulnerable Democrats start to get comfortable with Harris

Hill Democrats running in toss-up races are slowly getting behind Vice President Kamala Harris as their party’s new standard bearer.

A growing number of Frontline Democrats and vulnerable Senate incumbents endorsed Harris’ presidential bid in the aftermath of President Joe Biden dropping out. While some candidates in top-tier races have stayed silent on the next steps for the party, a crucial contingent of swing-seat Democrats are hopping on the Harris train.

Most notably, Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) — who hails from the must-win state of Wisconsin — endorsed Harris’ candidacy “as a new beginning for our party and our country.”

Frontline Reps. Mike Levin (D-Calif.) and Hillary Scholten (D-Mich.), who both called on Biden to drop out, endorsed Harris on Sunday afternoon.

This is interesting: DSCC Chair Gary Peters praised Biden for his record but added that his decision to step aside “unifies our party and ensures Democrats are in the strongest possible position to defend our Senate majority.”

It sure sounds like Peters is saying that Biden’s decision to withdraw as the Democratic nominee is helpful to his vulnerable incumbents — many of whom are running in states where Trump is likely to win.

Even some battleground state polls had Trump ahead in recent days — though, as we’ve noted, Trump’s popularity often doesn’t extend to the GOP Senate challengers in those states.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), who is up for reelection in November, said he is “looking forward to working with my friend Kamala Harris and a great ticket mate to keep Virginia blue so that we can continue to build on our progress.”

Every race is different, as election insiders constantly caution. As a result, some Democrats in competitive races — like Reps. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) and Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) — simply thanked Biden instead of endorsing Harris.

Another notable sign that at-risk Democrats are getting in line behind Harris is the strong signals of support coming from the New Democrat Coalition. The center-left caucus represents the vast majority of DCCC Frontliners. New Dem Chair Annie Kuster (D-N.H.), in addition to vice chairs Brad Schneider (D-Ill.) and Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.), endorsed Harris.

Democrats we’ve spoken to over the past month were desperate to put the drama and negative Biden headlines behind them. So it’s not a huge shock that many are eager to get behind Harris and focus full throttle on beating former President Donald Trump.

— Max Cohen and Andrew Desiderio

HILL REACTIONS

Rank-and-file Dems back Harris for nominee

Much of Capitol Hill was quick to back Vice President Kamala Harris this afternoon after President Joe Biden announced he wouldn’t run for reelection.

Here’s a run down of what rank-and-file members are saying about Biden’s decision and who is endorsing Harris.

The Left: Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) immediately endorsed Harris shortly after Biden’s announcement, thanking the president for his policies and service.

“Democrats must immediately unite so we can focus on winning in November,” Jayapal said in a statement. “I look forward to casting my vote for Kamala Harris and doing everything I can to ensure she becomes our next President.”

Jayapal’s endorsement will likely have significant influence over some CPC members. Other key progressives, including Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), also endorsed Harris.

The Middle: New Democrat Coalition Chair Annie Kuster (D-N.H.) told us she’ll give Harris her “full-throated endorsement.”

Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), who confronted Biden about his chances of winning in a call with the president earlier this month, put out a statement saying that Biden stepping aside may save the country from a second Trump presidency. Crow, however, did not mention Harris in his statement.

Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.), a New Dem and Congressional Hispanic Caucus member who called on Biden to step aside, threw his support behind Harris.

“I’m proud to follow President Biden’s lead in endorsing Kamala Harris to be our Democratic Presidential nominee,” Levin said.

Key Caucuses: It didn’t take long for Harris to get the support of the key Biden-backing blocs in Congress. Leaders of the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus all endorsed Harris.

CBC Chair Steven Horsford (D-Nev.) and CBCPAC Chair Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) put out a statement saying Harris “will do an excellent job as President of the United States.”

CAPAC Chair Judy Chu (D-Calif.) praised Harris for fighting against anti-Asian hate and standing up for reproductive rights.

CHC Chair Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.) thanked Biden and vowed to “work tirelessly” to help Harris get elected.

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), another CHC member and strong Biden backer, told us in a brief interview today that he wants to see the whole Congress unify around Harris.

“The president has given her his endorsement, and it’s time to move forward, unified and support the vice president,” Garcia told us.

Garcia was a co-chair of Harris’ 2020 primary campaign for president. Harris also swore him in as mayor of Long Beach in 2014.

Senate reaction: Rank-and-file senators are getting behind Harris, too. Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.), a DSCC co-chair, said Harris is “the very best person in this moment to unify the Democratic Party and lead us forward to victory.”

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), who was leading an effort earlier this month to potentially oust Biden from the ticket, also backed Harris.

“While there has to be an orderly process and the decision ultimately rests in the hands of the DNC delegates, I believe Vice President Harris has the experience, energy and resolve to lead our nation,” Warner said.

— Mica Soellner and Andrew Desiderio