After a letter posted to X on Sunday announced that President Joe Biden would not seek the Democrat nomination, Vice President Kamala Harris stands as the party’s presumptive nominee — without receiving a single primary vote or delegate this election cycle.
Before his withdrawal from the race and endorsement of Harris, the president had earned 3,896 pledged delegates, nearly double the amount required to clinch the nomination. Yet many lawmakers and political pundits have been calling for Biden to drop out of the race for weeks in the wake of his disastrous debate performance in June.
The Federalist reached out to all of the left-leaning lawmakers — 36 Democrats and one independent — who publicly called for Biden’s withdrawal and asked how they would ensure that their constituents’ voices were heard leading up to the Democratic National Convention.
Only two offices responded, while the other 35 failed to comment.
“I respect President Biden’s decision and believe it is the right thing to do for our country,” Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., said in a statement. “Sharla and I thank him for his lifetime of public service and dedication to our great nation.”
The Senator’s staff clarified to The Federalist that he supports an open primary to select the nominee.
Rep. Ed Case, D-Hawaii, directed The Federalist to a previous statement.
“I’ve had the time and discussions with my constituents, colleagues and others I needed before deciding on the Democratic nominee for President. I endorse Vice President Harris,” said Case.
Neither lawmaker commented directly on The Federalist’s questioning regarding how Democrat voters who chose Biden in the primaries will be represented on the ballot in November.
Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, was the first lawmaker to call for Biden to halt his reelection campaign. The congressman posted a statement on X, July 2.
Doggett was the first of many to call for Biden to back down, starting a wave of elected officials blatantly disregarding the choices of Americans throughout primary season.
After Biden’s withdrawal, many Democrats lined up to wholeheartedly endorse Harris, who was notably unpopular during the 2020 Democrat primaries. Former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State and 2016 Democrat presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi all have endorsed Harris.
Harris has reportedly secured the endorsement of almost 2,000 Democratic delegates, enough support to secure the nomination at the pre-convention virtual roll call vote, according to the BBC.
The removal of Biden has left 14 million people, in essence, disenfranchised, and the lawmakers who pushed for his removal have not revealed how they will fix it.
“In simpler terms, Democratic primary voters who cast a ballot for Biden are now being told by a handful of D.C. elites that their votes were simply perfunctory,” Federalist elections correspondent Brianna Lyman pointed out in an article earlier this week.
