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[Mona, 7/21/2024, Politico, “15 Experts Predict What Biden’s Dropout Means for the 2024 Election”, https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/07/21/biden-dropout-expert-predictions-00170164, accessed 7/21/2024, LR]

President Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 contest ratifies the wisdom of Abba Eban’s observation that “Men and nations do act wisely when they have exhausted all the other possibilities.”

[Zack, 7/21/24, Vox, “This is bigger than Joe Biden,” https://www.vox.com/politics/361999/joe-biden-drops-out-kamala-harris-2024-trump-democracy-hope, 07/21/2024, LHG]

By dropping out of the 2024 race, President Joe Biden did what we all want our politicians to do: He put his country over his career. Knowing that his party had lost faith in his capacity to beat Donald Trump and that a second Trump term would threaten democracy itself, he chose to do the right thing and step aside.

[Eugene, 7-21-2024, Politico, “Playbook: Biden hands baton to Harris,” https://www.politico.com/newsletters/playbook/2024/07/21/special-edition-biden-hands-baton-to-harris-00170151?nname=playbook&nid=0000014f-1646-d88f-a1cf-5f46b7bd0000&nrid=00000156-866e-dfaf-affe-bf7f6dff0000&nlid=630318, accessed 7-21-2024, CM]

“A DNC spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions about whether that means they will proceed with a virtual roll call before the convention, or do it on the convention floor in Chicago — as is customary — the week of Aug. 19.”

[Crooked Media, 7-22-24, “What A Day: Kamala & Order”, , accessed 7-22-24, AFB]

LEGAL SHENANIGANS

[Melissa Quinn, CBS politics reporter, 7-21-24, CBS News, “Kamala Harris says she intends to "earn and win" Democratic presidential nomination,” https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kamala-harris-statement-joe-biden-drops-out-2024-democratic-nomination/, accessed: 7-21-24, ES]Harris has the support of many well-known Democrats

"Democrats — it's time to come together and beat Trump," he said on social media. "Let's do this."

[Sahil Kapur, NBC Senior National Political Reporter, 7-21-24, NBC News, “Kamala Harris is officially running for president. Will any Democrats challenge her?,” https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/kamala-harris-running-president-democratic-challengers-vp-biden-rcna162939, accessed: 7-21-24, ES]

In a way, Biden’s momentous decision Sunday moves up a long-anticipated 2028 Democratic primary campaign that was expected to feature a broad cast of rising stars in the party. But the sudden start and a shortened four-month timeline mean Harris starts out with a massive advantage — a campaign apparatus and millions in funds she can inherit, as well as rapid endorsements from broad swaths of the party eager to quickly settle on a nominee.

[Amie Parnes, ‘The Hill’ senior staff writer, 7-21-24, “Democratic donors move to support Harris,” https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4785099-donors-back-kamala-harris-biden-withdraws/, 7-21-24, EP]

One longtime Democratic bundler who has supported Harris for years said Sunday was “a very good day.”

[Amie Parnes, ‘The Hill’ senior staff writer, 7-21-24, “Democratic donors move to support Harris,” https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4785099-donors-back-kamala-harris-biden-withdraws/, 7-21-24, EP]

Democratic donors are throwing their support behind Vice President Harris as the nominee, following President Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race.

[Al, 7/21/2024, The Hill, “Democrats begin to rally around Harris as nominee”, https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4784975-democrats-rally-back-harris-replace/, accessed 7/21/2024, LR]

Democratic lawmakers and officials on Sunday rallied to back Vice President Harris to replace President Biden atop the party’s presidential ticket, boosting her in the hours after Biden announced he would not run for another four years in office.

[Amie Parnes, ‘The Hill’ senior staff writer, 7-21-24, “Democrats breathe sighs of relief over Biden exit,” https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4784726-biden-withdrawal-relief-democrats, 7-21-24, EP]

“F—ing finally,” said one Democratic strategist frustrated over how long the battle went on in recent weeks as Democrat after Democrat in Congress called for Biden to step down after a disastrous debate performance underscored deep concerns about the 81-year-old president’s age and fitness for office.

[Angela Rye, July 21, 2024, Politico, ‘15 Experts Predict What Biden’s Dropout Means for the 2024 Election’, , Accessed July 21, 2024, CT]

The first order of business for the Democratic Party is uniting behind the candidacy of Kamala Harris and her running mate, who must be announced soon. People need to see the ticket they will be voting for not just the dictatorship they are voting against. The next four months leading up to the election could be some of the most challenging the Party has ever seen, and that is in the face of the Republican Party being fully united behind their messiah, Donald Trump, and his running mate, JD Vance.

Chuck Rocha, July 21, 2024, Politico, ‘15 Experts Predict What Biden’s Dropout Means for the 2024 Election’, , Accessed July 21, 2024, CT

What you’re going to see over the next four months is a consolidation of the entire Democratic Party behind Kamala Harris. You will see a seamless effort of all those resources that were going to be spent on behalf of Joe Biden being spent on behalf of Harris. The most important of these is the super PAC that’s affiliated with Biden’s reelection, Future Forward, which as of today reported over $200 million in the bank. You’re also going to see unprecedented fundraising from Democrats, seeing historic amounts of money being raised online.

[Aaron, 7-21-2024, The Washington Post, “The next big 2024 questions, post-Biden,” https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/07/21/campaign-moment/, accessed 7-21-2024, CM]

This is, of course, the big one. Harris is the strong favorite — both because she’s next in line and because that’s the¶ expedient move, both politically and practically.

[Al, 7-21-2024, The Hill, “Democrats begin to rally around Harris as nominee,” https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4784975-democrats-rally-back-harris-replace/, accessed 7-21-2024, CM]

Democratic lawmakers and officials on Sunday rallied to back Vice President Harris to replace President Biden atop the party’s presidential ticket, boosting her in the hours after Biden announced he would not run for another four years in office.

[Emily Brooks, ‘The Hill’ staff writer, Caroline Vakil, ‘The Hill’ staff writer, Julia Manchester, ‘The Hill’ staff writer, 7-21-24, “Republicans see opportunity in Harris presidential run after Biden exit,” https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4785145-republicans-opportunity-harris-biden, 7-21-24, EP]

As much as they bash Harris, though, Republicans face new risks with Biden’s exit.

[Christian Paz, Vox senior politics reporter, 7-21-24, Vox, “Does Kamala Harris give Democrats a better chance to win?,” https://www.vox.com/2024-elections/361750/biden-drop-out-harris-endorse-polls-against-trump-democrats-dnc, accessed: 7-21-24, ES]

Over the past weeks, amid speculation about Biden's future on the ticket, two debates have played out. The first big question is whether Harris will be President Joe Biden’s replacement, or if another Democratic politician, like Govs. Gretchen Whitmer (MI), Josh Shapiro (PA), or Gavin Newsom (CA) would do better. The other question circulating among pundits, pollsters, journalists, strategists, and regular folks is whether Harris would be a stronger presidential contender than Biden.

[Mark, 7/21/2024, NBC news, “How Kamala Harris fares against Trump in the 2024 polls”, https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/kamala-harris-trump-2024-polls-biden-rcna162934, accessed 7/21/2024, LR]

Where Harris runs stronger — and weaker — than Biden

[Peter & Cleve R. Jr., 7-21-24, Washington Post, “Kamala Harris has a career of comebacks. She has 107 days to do it again,’ WASHINGTON POST, accessed July 21, 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/07/21/kamala-harris-political-career/, accessed 7-21-14]

Throughout her history-making and often rocky ascent to the summit of American public life, Kamala D. Harris has shown an uncanny ability to revive her political fortunes.

[Christian Paz, Vox senior politics reporter, 7-21-24, Vox, “Does Kamala Harris give Democrats a better chance to win?,” https://www.vox.com/2024-elections/361750/biden-drop-out-harris-endorse-polls-against-trump-democrats-dnc, accessed: 7-21-24, ES]

Her 2016 Senate campaign, meanwhile, showed how she’s able to remain on message and be disciplined — winning support from the Democratic establishment, consistently holding a fundraising advantage, and showing that her Democrat opponent was not a serious candidate. There wasn’t much of a policy difference between Harris and her opponent, former Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley, but she was still able to deliver a landslide win.

[Christian Paz, Vox senior politics reporter, 7-21-24, Vox, “Does Kamala Harris give Democrats a better chance to win?,” https://www.vox.com/2024-elections/361750/biden-drop-out-harris-endorse-polls-against-trump-democrats-dnc, accessed: 7-21-24, ES]

There’s the obvious stuff: Harris is younger, can actually string sentences together, and has already been campaigning against Trump this year. These points were once again demonstrated this week — while Biden was forced to recover from Covid at his home in Delaware during the week of the Republican National Convention, Harris was on the trail with North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper.