News of President Joe Biden’s decision to not seek reelection spread swiftly Sunday among Pennsylvania politicians and party leaders, drawing praise and adulation from Democrats and partisan attacks from Republicans.
Biden announced that he is dropping out of the race against former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, but will serve the remaining six months of his term. He endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to take his spot as the Democratic presidential candidate in an election that suddenly has been upended.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro followed Biden’s lead.
“The contrast in this race could not be clearer and the road to victory in November runs right through Pennsylvania – where this collective work began,” Shapiro posted on X. “I will do everything I can to help elect @KamalaHarris as the 47th President of the United States.”
Shapiro has been the subject of intense speculation as a possible replacement nominee for president or Harris’ running mate if she clinches the Democratic nomination.
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, thanked Biden for making the difficult choice to step down. She beat Shapiro by becoming the first elected official in Western Pennsylvania to take to social media and back Harris after Biden’s announcement.
“We have no time to waste — what’s at stake for communities like mine isn’t abstract,” Lee, one of the more progressive members of Congress, posted on X. “We need to unify and move forward to defeat Trump and fascism in November. That’s why I endorse and encourage unity behind Vice President Kamala Harris.”
Lee had previously said that Harris would be the “obvious choice” if Biden stepped down.
During Lee’s primary, she ran as a fierce Biden ally, lauding the president for helping to secure major investment in her district.
Staying loyal
Even after Biden’s disastrous debate performance on June 27, Pittsburgh-area Democrats remained steadfastly loyal during the chaos of the last few weeks. No high-ranking liberal politician from the area had called on him to step aside.
Such allegiance is hardly surprising. Biden has deep ties to Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh.
A son of Scranton, Biden has counted on the support of labor, most notably the Pittsburgh-based United Steelworkers. The union, with 1.2 million members and retirees, has been one of Biden’s longest-serving and most forceful allies. In April, the president visited the Steelworkers headquarters, where he assailed Trump before a friendly crowd.
The AFL-CIO thanked Biden on Sunday and praised Harris for the work she’s done alongside the president.
U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Aspinwall, thanked Biden for his decades of “faithful service” to America. Deluzio, a Navy veteran, called Biden the most pro-union president in his lifetime and praised his record of protecting veterans and fighting for their rights.
In the week following Biden’s pivotal debate performance, Deluzio defended him.
Deluzio represents the 17th Congressional District, which covers Beaver County, communities in the Allegheny Valley, Mt. Lebanon, and all of western and northern Allegheny County suburbs.
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Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, a Democrat and longtime Biden ally, endorsed Harris while praising the president as a valuable partner for the city and vital to its future.
Gainey extolled Biden for helping to rebuild the Fern Hollow Bridge after it collapsed in January 2022 and designating Pittsburgh as a federal workforce hub.
“I thank him for once again showing leadership by stepping aside for the good of our country and our party,” Gainey said in a statement. “This election is one of the most important in our lifetimes, and I look forward to working to help elect our nominee and Democrats up and down the ballot.”
Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato, a Democrat from Lawrenceville, said Biden should be remembered for always exhibiting warmth and care for Americans.
“I want to thank him for his commitment to lead, listen, and to sacrifice for the betterment of our country and its people,” she said.
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Republican Dave McCormick, who is running against Pennsylvania Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, attacked his opponent while criticizing Biden.
“As a veteran and an American, I believe our troops deserve a commander-in-chief who is fully capable of doing the job — and Casey’s refusal to stand up for them throughout President Biden’s obvious decline is despicable,” McCormick, who lives part-time in Pittsburgh, posted on X.
Casey, also a Scranton native and longtime friend of Biden’s, thanked the president for his service and said he has had an “exemplary career.”
“He deserves our gratitude for his historic achievements, including rebuilding our economy after the pandemic and delivering the largest infrastructure investments in modern history,” Casey said in a statement.
Ward’s hot take
Biden’s announcement came as no surprise to Pennsylvania Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward, R-Hempfield, who said she was hearing talk of a possible Biden departure as she left the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Friday.
While Biden has sunk in the polls since the debate, “Kamala Harris is not doing any better,” Ward said.
Harris has failed to find a solution to the crisis on the southern border, Ward said. The Biden administration gave her the task of addressing the cause of migration from Latin America to the United States.
Ward also went after Democrats on a grand scale, accusing the party’s leadership of acting undemocratically after claiming that Trump is a threat to democracy, Ward said.
“The Democratic Party’s process is anything but democracy,” Ward said. “They took the votes away from millions of voters” who supported Biden in the primary.
Ward criticized Democrats for supporting Biden’s bid for another four-year term despite widespread questions and concerns about his health.
Eyes on Shapiro
Shapiro posted accolades for Biden on X, calling him a “patriot” and “one of the most consequential presidents in modern history.”
“President Biden has gotten an incredible amount done to move our country forward, defend our democracy, and protect real freedom,” Shapiro wrote.
Shapiro has been prominently mentioned as a possible vice presidential candidate.
Recent polls have shown Harris slightly outperforming Biden in a hypothetical matchup with Trump. A Public Policy Polling survey taken July 17-18 shows Harris two points better than Biden among Pennsylvania voters, but still behind Trump 45%-43%.
The same survey shows that by adding Shapiro to a Harris ticket, Pennsylvania voters would support the Democratic duo over Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, 47%-46%.
If the governor were to be nominated by the Democrats and win in November, Ward would be next in line behind Lt. Gov. Austin Davis as Pennsylvania’s chief executive.
Ward warned that if Shapiro is chosen, he will come under a type of scrutiny he has never before faced in a political race — not when he ran for governor, Pennsylvania attorney general or commissioner in Montgomery County.
Another Democratic governor rumored as a possible contender for the presidential nomination dismissed the idea. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer does not intend to challenge Harris for the nomination, reported Bloomberg on Sunday.
Whoever the Democrats put at the top of their presidential ticket, they will be “carrying forth the same policies of the previous administration,” said Bill Bretz, chairman of the Westmoreland County Republican Committee.
Nominating Harris to go head-to-head with Trump — or anyone else — will be “just putting a new face on the same package,” said Bretz.
Biden would have faced an uphill battle in Westmoreland County, which gave Trump easy victories in his two presidential campaigns – 64% in 2016 and more than 63% in 2020.
Excitement ‘through the roof’
Local Republicans said Biden’s withdrawal should not distract from what they consider to be a poor record on inflation, immigration and a lack of fitness.
Sam DeMarco, chair of the Republican Committee of Allegheny County and a county councilman at-large, said Biden dropping out should not shift the dynamic of the race.
DeMarco said he is confident Trump will prevail against any Democrat.
“President Biden’s decision to withdraw from the 2024 contest is unlikely to offer the reset that his party seeks,” DeMarco said. “The policies that gave us inflation, open borders and a diminished standing in the world remain the Democratic agenda whomever the nominee.”
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Allegheny County Democratic Committee Chairman Sam Hens-Greco said Biden should be commended for his successes, including shepherding massive infrastructure spending through Congress with narrow majorities.
Hens-Greco said he spoke with several local Democratic committee members immediately following the news, and they are invigorated by the announcement.
He said they recognized Biden’s debate performance made it challenging to rally voters, but now they are ready to work.
“From what I have heard in the last half hour, the excitement meter is going through the roof,” Hens-Greco said.
Hens-Greco said he expects many Allegheny County democrats and the local delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago to heed Biden’s endorsement and support Harris for the nomination.
A ‘formidable’ candidate
Michelle McFall, chairwoman of the Westmoreland County Democratic Committee, praised Biden for his “moral compass” in deciding to withdraw.
With the convention opening in less than a month on Aug. 19 and the presidential election on Nov. 5, McFall said she does not believe it is too late for another candidate to mount a nationwide campaign.
“Regardless of who is at the top of the ticket, the voters will never forget who we are running against and what we are running against,” McFall said, referring to Trump.
Just like Biden, McFall said she will support Harris as a candidate who will unify the party.
State Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Squirrel Hill, is a convention delegate. He said Biden is leaving behind an excellent legacy and expressed pride in the president for making a hard decision.
Frankel said in a text to TribLive that he, too, is endorsing Harris.
“I find her to be an extremely accomplished and formidable politician,” Frankel said, noting that he has met her a couple of times and has gotten to know her husband, Doug Emhoff, well during his advocacy for victims of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting.
Two other Democratic delegates from Allegheny County — state Reps. Arvind Venkat, D-McCandless, and Jessica Benham, D-South Side — also endorsed Harris on Sunday evening.
Westmoreland County Commissioner Ted Kopas, the lone Democrat holding a countywide office, said he is still processing the news that Biden has withdrawn.
In making his decision, the president showed “the same leadership he has shown throughout his term as president,” Kopas said.
Kopas, a delegate to the convention, was clear about his preference for the presidential nominee.
“The only viable alternative is Vice President Harris,” Kopas said.