Democrats tell of relief as Joe Biden drops out of presidential race

After weeks of uncertainty, many Democratic voters have expressed relief at the news that Joe Biden is dropping his re-election bid and are beginning to think about who might replace him in a dramatically altered election landscape.

Jerod Keene, a 40-year-old athletic trainer from swing-state Arizona, had planned to vote for Mr Biden in November but was thankful for the president’s decision, calling it “inevitable”.

Mr Keene said he is excited about the next candidate, hoping it will be Vice President Kamala Harris, who was endorsed by Mr Biden on Sunday.

“Kamala Harris is the easiest pick based on the fact that she’s vice president and it would be tough for the party to try to go a different direction on that,” said Mr Keene, who lives in Tucson. “And I think she seems ready.”

The Democratic Party has been deeply divided since Mr Biden’s poor debate performance on June 27, which left many questioning his ability to defeat Donald Trump in November and secure another term.

Party leaders had increasingly called for Mr Biden to step aside, but his reluctance to bow out left voters uncertain about who would face Mr Trump in November.

Recent AP-NORC polling revealed that nearly two-thirds of Democrats felt Mr Biden should withdraw from the presidential race, while a majority believed Ms Harris would perform well in the top slot.

Mr Keene’s relief was echoed by voters nationwide in interviews with the Associated Press. In key swing states such as Wisconsin, Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Nevada, many expressed optimism about the party’s next nominee — whether it be Ms Harris or someone else.

In Pittsburgh, Fred Johnston said he has been terrified of another Trump presidency and had long worried that Mr Biden could not beat the Republican again. After seeing Mr Biden’s wobbly debate performance, he was eager for the president to drop out and hand his candidacy to Ms Harris.

“Kamala is someone we can vote for, and that’s what we need,” Mr Johnston said.

He also thinks she can win Pennsylvania: “I have no logical basis for this, but it’s good to have hope. I haven’t had hope for a while.”

In Las Vegas, Lucy Ouano, 68, said she was proud of Mr Biden’s decision to drop out of the race and his move to quickly endorse Ms Harris.

“He’s ending on a great note,” she said. “Trump should be worried. He’s now running against someone strong.”

Ms Ouano, who emigrated in 1960 to the US from Thailand as a young child with her parents, said she could not have imagined this outcome a few weeks ago when she attended a Harris rally in Las Vegas meant to ease concerns about Mr Biden’s re-election campaign.

At the time, she told the AP that while she planned on voting for Mr Biden, she wanted Ms Harris at the top of the ticket.

“She’s going to get the Asians drummed up, and she’s going to get the women drummed up,” Ms Oaano said Sunday after learning about Mr Biden’s decision.

Arthur L Downard Jr, a 72-year-old resident of Portland, Oregon, viewed Mr Biden’s presidency favourably but said he was “very pleased” that he had stepped aside. The Democratic voter, who cast his ballot for Mr Biden in 2020, said his opinion of the president changed after what he called a “disastrous” debate.

“He’s been a great president and he’s gotten a lot done for our country. But he’s too old, he’s not articulate,” he said. “He’s not a good messenger for the Democratic Party.”

Some voters, like Nebraska resident Lacey LeGrand, had reluctantly planned to vote for Mr Biden simply because he was not Mr Trump.

“I’m definitely not supporting Trump,” LeGrand said. “So I think by default I was going to end up supporting Biden. I wasn’t very happy about it.”

Ms LeGrand, a registered Democrat in Nebraska’s Omaha swing district, a potentially decisive electoral vote that Mr Biden and Mr Obama won previously, believes Ms Harris “has a shot” at defeating Mr Trump, though she added: “I wouldn’t say it’s a great shot.”

But not everyone was happy about Sunday’s news. Georgia voter Dorothy Redhead, 76, was “disappointed” that Mr Biden dropped out of the race but said she is “just having to accept” the decision as one between the president and God.

Jarvia Haynes, an estate agent in New Orleans, said she had “mixed feelings” about Mr Biden’s decision.

“I don’t think President Biden should have dropped out,” she said. “On the other hand, maybe it’s for the best.”

Ms Haynes, 72, quickly focused on who should lead the Democratic ticket, saying she is “very positive about Vice President Kamala Harris being able to handle the job”.

She added that she hopes Ms Harris would choose Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer to be her running mate.

“I think two women would change the whole dynamic of the race,” said Ms Haynes, who with Harris is a fellow member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, the first intercollegiate historically African American sorority. The group has more than 360,000 members in graduate and undergraduate chapters in 12 countries and could be a formidable political force of its own.

Barbara Orr, a psychotherapist in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, said she thought Mr Biden was capable of running for president, beating Mr Trump and serving as president. But she viewed his decision to end his candidacy as a sign that he is not guided by ego and recognised that, because of his debate performance, voters assume that cannot do the job.

Ms Orr, 65, said she is not “super impressed” with Ms Harris, “but she might rise to the occasion. That’s happened before in history”.

She acknowledged that Ms Harris has not had the chance to prove her mettle as a candidate against Mr Trump.

Ms Orr, a self-described progressive who favoured Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren for president in 2020, said she would probably prefer Ms Whitmer to replace Mr Biden on the Democratic ticket.

“I love what she stands for,” she said.

Joe DeFrain was out kayaking when a text informed him that Mr Biden had dropped out. While the Michigan resident said he was not stunned to learn of the development, one thing did surprise him.

“I was waiting to see if all the boaters out there were going to be screaming with joy, because a lot of them are Trump fans. And I didn’t hear anything,” Mr DeFrain said.

He said he will be watching to see what happens before and during the Democratic National Convention.

“It’s going to be something we have never seen in our lifetime,” said Mr DeFrain, who has voted for Democrats in recent elections. “It should be entertaining.”