(DailyAnswer.org) – Three aides of President Joe Biden familiar with conversations about his plans have told reporters he expressed doubts that Vice President Kamala Harris could defeat former President Donald Trump. The comments came soon before his decision to step down from his reelection campaign on July 21. Biden officially endorsed Harris 30 minutes after he announced his decision to bow out of the race.
Though Harris has secured enough support from delegates to qualify as the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, several prominent Democrats either hesitated to endorse the vice president or neglected to mention her altogether. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi initially hesitated when Biden endorsed Harris, before endorsing her the following day. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries also stopped short of officially endorsing Harris, before declaring their support for her nomination at a news conference on July 23.
Former President Barack Obama did not endorse or mention the vice president in his statement following Biden’s decision to step down. Obama stressed that Biden would not have taken the decision to step down lightly, acknowledged that he put up a tough fight amid pressure from Democrats, and added he would have only bowed out of the race for the good of the country. He praised the 81-year-old president’s political legacy and expressed hope that the Democrats would nominate an “outstanding” candidate in an open contest.
Though Republicans acknowledged that Harris could pose more of a challenge to Trump than Biden, whose poor performance in a televised debate prompted calls for him to step down, the party made clear that it was not worried about Harris. One GOP operative told reporters that other options, such as Arizona Senator Mark Kelly or Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, would pose a bigger threat to Trump. Kelly and Shapiro both have a track record of winning in swing states, but Republicans are reportedly seizing the opportunity to link Harris to the unpopular policies of the Biden administration.
According to reports, Obama, Pelosi, Schumer and Jeffries hesitated to back Harris to avoid accusations that they were steering the party from behind the scenes. Democrats are also reportedly cautious of being seen to be attacking democracy, due to Biden having received 14 million votes in the Democratic primary. Harris failed to win any primary delegates in the 2016 election.
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