Following weeks of questions over whether he would seek reelection, elected officials throughout Washington have offered praise for President Joe Biden after he announced late Sunday morning that he was ending his campaign.
The decision by Biden caps a tumultuous three weeks of questions around his ability to fulfill the duties of the presidency for four more years, repeated calls for him to step aside, reports of fundraising challenges and poor polling numbers following a late June presidential debate that was widely panned.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. 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 said in a letter published Sunday.
On Sunday, Biden backed Vice President Kamala Harris for president.
“Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump,” Biden said.
Sunday evening, Gov. Jay Inslee wrote that Biden’s decision “reflects the character, courage and love of country that have defined his career.”
“His support for Kamala Harris offers an historic path forward for Democrats and our nation,” Inslee wrote on X.
Shortly after Biden’s announcement, Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Bob Ferguson said that Biden has “been a strong and principled leader, ushering America through the challenge of pandemic recovery, enacting transformational investments in American manufacturing and infrastructure jobs, and leaving us in a stronger position domestically and on the world stage.”
Ferguson also endorsed Harris’ candidacy for President and noted that both of them served as attorneys general of their respective states.
“She is smart, hardworking and tough. She’ll never back down to powerful interests — and she genuinely cares about people,” Ferguson said. “She is a prosecutor who has put away criminals. She’s exactly the fighter we need to take on a convicted felon in November and win, and I am proud to offer her my endorsement and support.”
State Senator and Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Mark Mullet said Sunday that Biden is an “extremely effective President” who chose to step aside “for the good of our Democracy.”
“His capacity for humility and selflessness is all but extinct in politicians today, but solely needed,” Mullet said.
Sen. Patty Murray, the president pro tempore of the Senate, said in a statement Sunday that “America owes a deep debt of gratitude to Joe Biden for his historic leadership — a true patriot who loves this country.”
In the statement, Murray said she supports Harris’ campaign “one hundred percent.”
“She is exactly the woman we need to prosecute the case against Donald Trump, save American democracy, lead the fight to restore abortion rights and build an economy that puts working people — not billionaires — first,” Murray said. “I will do everything I can to help elect Kamala Harris as our next President.”
Sen. Maria Cantwell, who faces reelection in November, said in a statement Sunday that “the Democratic Party needs a standard bearer who can deliver our economic message — continuing the historic accomplishment of building more economic opportunities for working-class people and a focus on lowering costs.”
“President Biden led our nation to accomplish these historic victories. Just like our party's victories on Social Security, Medicare, and family leave, Biden's policies on infrastructure, manufacturing, and lowering drug costs will be tremendous legacies,” Cantwell said.
Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Skamania — who also faces reelection in a competitive district this November — said in a statement Sunday that her “prayers are with the President and his family.”
“I’m sure this was not an easy decision for him to make, and I believe he made it with the national interest in mind,” Gluesenkamp Perez said. “My job is to represent everyone in Southwest Washington, and most of them do not have confidence in the President’s fitness to serve. They deserve to have their confidence restored.”
Earlier this month, Gluesenkamp Perez told KATU News in Portland that “Biden is going to lose to Trump” in the general election, citing the “damage” done by the June presidential debate.
As Biden struggled to quell Democratic skepticism about his stamina and ability to fulfill the duties of the presidency, Gluesenkamp Perez said she doubted his “judgment about his health, his fitness to do the job and whether he is the one making important decisions about our country.”
In the statement, Gluesenkamp Perez said the “crisis of confidence must come to an end," making her the first Democratic lawmaker to call for Biden's resignation, according to Mediate.
Like Cantwell, Gluesenkamp Perez did not reference Harris in her statement.
In social media posts Sunday, both of Gluesenkamp Perez’s challengers — Joe Kent and Leslie Lewallen — said issues with the Democratic party go far beyond questions on the President’s age.
“It doesn’t matter who the Democratic nominee is — extreme Democrats like Gluesenkamp Perez are responsible for four years of a wide-open Southern border, skyrocketing inflation and out-of-control prices,” Lewallen said in a Facebook post.
In a post, Kent said voters should “Stay focused on the Democrat's disastrous policies” and that “the talking head they prop up in their rigged convention doesn’t matter.”
A spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, meanwhile, said that if “Biden can't handle a debate or a rally, he can’t stand up to Putin or have access to the nuclear codes.”
