Moments after President Joe Biden announced he would suspend his reelection bid Sunday afternoon, some Utah Democrats expressed disappointment about his decision — but were split about whether they should file in behind Vice President Kamala Harris.
In a letter released Sunday, Biden announced he would “stand down” and “focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.” He offered his “full support and endorsement” for his vice president, Harris, to be the party’s nominee.
The Democratic Party will now have to decide how it selects its nominee — either by a virtual vote prior to next month’s national convention, or an open vote among delegates in Chicago.
In Utah, Democratic party leaders and elected officials are undecided on how they wish the party to proceed. A statement released by Utah Democratic Party Chair Diane Lewis focused on thanking Biden for being “one of the most transformational presidents in the history of our country” and outlined his policy accomplishments. But Lewis — a superdelegate at next month’s convention — did not offer an endorsement of Harris, nor did she express a preference as to how the party should proceed.
“It is critical that Democrats remain united against Donald Trump, and that we keep his MAGA agenda from undoing all of President Biden’s accomplishments,” Lewis concluded. “We remain dedicated to getting Democrats elected across our cities, our state, and our country.”
If the nominating process is postponed until next month’s convention, Lewis and other superdelegates will not vote until after the first round of voting is finished — meaning she may not have the chance to vote, should a candidate reach a majority in the opening round.
Utah Democrats won’t yet endorse a candidate to replace Biden
Thom DeSirant, the executive director of the Utah Democratic Party, said the state party plans to withhold from an endorsement at this time. “We understand that this is a difficult time,” he said. “We respect President Biden’s endorsement, although I think that we want to respect the elected delegates’ position. It’s those people who get to make this vote.”
Biden’s announcement, DeSirant added, was “a difficult event for us to swallow.”
“Right now, a lot of us are a little bit in shock,” he said.
Rep. Angela Romero, the Utah State House of Representatives Minority Leader, echoed the sentiment. “I think President Biden has done an amazing job for our country, and I’m a little disappointed to see him not be our nominee,” she said.
However, Romero — president of the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators — offered her endorsement of Harris. “I support his decision 100% to endorse our vice president to be our party nominee,” she said.
Scott Howell, the former Utah Senate minority leader and a Biden-Harris surrogate in Utah, called on Biden to drop out in early July “if he’s not up to the rigors of the job.”
On Sunday, Howell said Biden “put America ahead of himself.”
“I have always had complete confidence, trust and faith in Joe Biden,” he said. “I can tell you that this day is not the worst day for President Biden. The tragic accident that took his wife’s life and the pain of losing his son to cancer will always be the most challenging time in his life.”