Biden's decision to withdraw has Democrats across the country feeling relieved and looking ahead to the future.
HARPER WOODS, Mich.: After weeks of uncertainty over who would lead the Democratic primary in November, many voters expressed relief when they learned President Joe Biden would drop his re-election bid and began thinking about who would replace him in a dramatically changed electoral landscape.
Jerrod Keane, a 40-year-old athletic trainer from key Arizona, plans to vote for Biden in November but he is grateful for the president's decision, calling it “inevitable.” Keane said he is excited about the next candidate and hopes it will be Vice President Kamala Harris, whom Biden endorsed on Sunday.
“Kamala Harris is the easiest choice, given the fact that she’s vice president, and it’s going to be hard for the party to try to go in any other direction,” said Keane, who lives in Tucson. “And I think she looks ready.”
Democrats have been deeply divided since Biden's disastrous June 27 debate, leading many to question his ability to defeat Republican Donald Trump in November and win another term. Party leaders have increasingly called for Biden to resign, but his refusal to do so has left voters across the country unsure who will face Trump in November.
A recent AP-NORC poll found that nearly two-thirds of Democrats surveyed feel Biden should drop out of the presidential race, while a majority believe Harris would do well in the top job.
Keene’s relief that the saga around Biden’s decision is over was echoed by voters across the country in interviews with The Associated Press. In key election-deciding states like Wisconsin, Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Nevada, many expressed optimism about the party’s next nominee, whether it be Harris or someone else.
In Pittsburgh, Fred Johnston said he fears another Trump run for president and has long been concerned that Biden will not be able to beat Trump again. After seeing Biden's erratic debate performance, he wants Biden to step down and hand the presidency to Harris.
“Kamala is someone we can vote for, and that’s what we want,” Johnston said.
He also thinks she can win Pennsylvania. “I don’t have any logical evidence for that, but it’s good to have hope. I haven’t had hope in a while.”
In Las Vegas, Lucy Uano, 68, said she was proud of both Biden's decision to drop out of the race and his quick decision to endorse Harris.
“He’s done well,” Ouano said. “Trump should be worried. He’s going to have to compete with someone stronger.”
Uano, who immigrated to the United States from Thailand in 1960 as a child with her parents, said she could not have imagined such an outcome a few weeks ago when she attended Harris' rally in Las Vegas, which was held to assuage concerns about Biden's reelection campaign.
At the time, she told the AP that while she planned to vote for Biden, she wanted Harris to be at the top of the ballot.
“She’s going to wake up Asians, and she’s going to wake up women,” Ohano said Sunday after learning of Biden’s decision.
Similarly, Arthur L. Downard Jr., a 72-year-old Portland, Oregon resident, viewed Biden's presidency positively, but said he was “very pleased” that Biden was stepping down. A Democratic voter who voted for Biden in 2020 said his opinion of Biden changed after what he called a “terrible” debate.
“He’s a great president and he’s done a lot for our country, but he’s too old. He’s not very articulate,” he said. “He’s not a good messenger for Democrats.”
Some voters, like Nebraska native Lacey LeGrand, plan to reluctantly vote for Biden simply because he’s not Trump.
“I definitely don’t support Trump,” LeGrand said. “So I think I will eventually support Biden. I’m not very happy about it.”
LeGrand, a registered Democrat in Nebraska's contested district, a crucial vote that both Biden and Obama have won in the past, believes Harris has a “good chance” of beating Trump, although she added, “I wouldn't say it's a good chance.”
However, not all voters were happy about Sunday's news. Dorothy Redhead, a 76-year-old Georgia voter, was “disappointed” that Biden dropped out of the race, but said she “just has to accept” Biden's decision as a decision between the president and God.
Jarvia Haynes, a New Orleans real estate agent, said she has “mixed feelings” about Biden’s decision to drop out of the race.
“I don’t think President Biden should step down,” she said. “On the contrary, maybe it’s for the best.”
Haynes, 72, of Harvey, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans, was quick to point out who should lead the Democratic primary, saying she was “very confident that Vice President Kamala Harris can do the job.”
She added that she hopes Harris will choose Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as her running mate.
“I think those two women are going to change the dynamics of the race,” Haynes said. She joined Harris as a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., the first African-American fraternity in the university’s history. The group has more than 360,000 graduate and undergraduate members in 12 countries and can be a formidable political force in its own right.
Barbara Orr, a psychotherapist in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, said she thinks Biden has the potential to run for president, defeat Trump and remain president. However, she sees Biden's decision to end his run as a sign that he is not driven by ego and acknowledges that voters have deemed him incapable of the job because of his debate performance.
Orr, 65, said she wasn't “overly impressed” with Harris. “But she could have done better. That's happened before in history.”
She also admitted that Harris has not had the chance to prove her potential as a candidate against Trump.
Orr, who calls herself a progressive and has endorsed Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders or Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren for president in 2020, said she would prefer Whitmer to replace Biden on the Democratic ballot.
“I love what she represents,” Or said.
Joe DeFrench was kayaking when he got a text telling him Biden had dropped out. While the Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan, resident said he wasn't shocked by the news, there was one thing that surprised him.
“I’m waiting to see if all the rowers are going to scream with joy because a lot of them are big Trump fans and I haven’t heard anything,” DeFren said after dinner at They Say restaurant in Harper Woods, a suburb of Detroit.
Biden visited They Say earlier this year, which manager George Lidbetter called “the best moment ever.”
Ledbetters' first reaction to the news could be summed up in one word: “Why?”
“He’s a good president. I like Biden,” Ledbetter said. But he added, “You have to do what you have to do.”
Ledbetter said he would support Harris despite disappointment
“I would do the same thing. I think she can do it. First female president. That would be great. African-American president. That would be great again,” Ledbetter, who is black, said.
For his part, DeFrench said he would be watching to see what happens before and during the Democratic National Convention.
“This is something we’ve never seen before in our lifetime,” said DeFren, who voted Democratic in the last election. “It’s going to be fun.”
