California Gov. Gavin Newsom endorses Kamala Harris for president after Joe Biden drops out
The Democrat has emerged as the most likely candidate to take on Donald Trump.
By Nicole Nixon
Jul 21, 2024 07:26 PM
Gov. Gavin Newsom thanked President Joe Biden who declared on that on Sunday he was going to quit running for president and also supported vice president Kamala Harris to take up the role of Democrats in a bid to defeat the former president Donald Trump in November.
“With our democracy at stake and our future on the line, no one is better to prosecute the case against Donald Trump’s dark vision and guide our country in a healthier direction than America’s Vice President,” Newsom wrote in a blog post about X at the end of his Sunday morning. Newsom also described Harris to be “Tough. Fearless. Tenacious.”
The support of a co-worker Californian was only hours after he admitted Biden’s choice withdraw from the race.
“President Biden has been an extraordinary, history-making president — a leader who has fought hard for working people and delivered astonishing results for all Americans,” Newsom posted on Sunday morning. “He will go down in history as one of the most impactful and selfless presidents.”
Newsom had previously stated that he would support Harris in the event that she decided to run for president or be the candidate. He confirmed that pledge earlier in the month by declaring that “of course” he would be supportive of Harris.
Biden who is under ever-growing pressure from the party he represents to resign the position, made his announcement just after eleven a.m. Sunday. He then swiftly announced his support for Harris as the presidential candidate of the party.
A minimum of three hundred Democratic elected officials have publically requested the president to withdraw during the weeks and days following his first debate with Republican candidate Trump in which Trump repeatedly veered off and seemed to lose focus.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President,” Biden stated in a statement issued on Sunday. “And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.”
Biden has said he’ll “speak to the Nation later this week in more detail” regarding his decision.
As Biden has been struggling these last couple of months, Newsom emerged as a possible candidate among Democrats to succeed Biden should he withdraw. In announcing his endorsement of Harris, Newsom signaled he will not be challenging her at his appearance in the Democratic National Convention in late August.
Newsom has repeatedly stated that his disinterest in the presidency, and has was more interested in keeping Democrats focussed on defeating Trump He has also firmly backed Biden following the first debate, when concerns about Trump’s mental state exploded out.
“We will not abandon our cause because of one thing. What kind of celebration is that sound like?” the politician wrote in an email to raise money in the morning following the debate.
The calls for Biden to resign grew stronger in the months following the debate Newsom continued to be a prominent defense for President Biden. He travelled to states in swing to promote Biden’s cause and also defended Biden on the news.
With Biden not in the race, Harris is best positioned to become the party’s frontrunner however certain Democrats like Speaker emeritus Nancy Pelosi have reportedly expressed the support of an open convention to select an alternative.
On Sunday afternoon, a number of Democratic elected officials gathered in support of Harris as the presumed nominee.
In recent days, Newsom has sought to redirect criticisms towards Biden as well as the possibility of another Trump term, by comparing the presidential race to one that is a battle between “light and darkness.”
“The contrast is profound,” he stated earlier in the month. “It’s an issue of morality, integrity and character. Compare that to the gloom which is Donald Trump.”
Newsom said “no state has more to lose” than California if Trump is reelected, citing the federal government’s ability to block California’s strongest-in-the-nation vehicle emissions standards and further restrict abortion and other reproductive rights.
“Millions and millions of women (will) be denied basic freedoms and access,” he stated. “That’s the current world we live under Donald Trump. …”This is a crucial time to every one of us Californians along with everyone else in the United States.” Americans.”
The original story was published on July 21, 2024 at 11:31 am.
Nicole Nixon covers California politics for The Sacramento Bee. Prior to that, she worked for nearly 10 years covering local radio broadcasts in Sacramento and her home town from Salt Lake City.