Late Sunday morning, U.S President Joe Biden announced that he would not be running for a second term.
“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 wrote in his letter announcing the decision.
In response to Biden’s withdrawal, former Arkansas Gov. and U.S President Bill Clinton thanked Biden for his service.
"President Biden has capped his extraordinary career of service with a Presidency that has lifted America out of an unprecedented pandemic, created millions of new jobs, rebuilt a battered economy, strengthened our democracy, and restored our standing in the world. By any measure, he has advanced our founders' charge to build a more perfect union and his own stated goal of restoring the soul of our nation,” Clinton said in a statement on Twitter.
Current Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders said Biden should go one step further and also resign, according to her Twitter account.
After announcing his withdrawal, Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to be the nominee for the Democrats. Harris announced she will seek the nomination. Clinton, along with a few current Democratic governors and members of Congress have endorsed Harris, according to NPR News.
Since Biden’s campaign finances were raised for both him and Harris, the money from his campaign can be legally transferred to the Harris Campaign, according to Politico.
Despite members of the Democratic Party endorsing Harris, there are a few leaders of the party who want to hold a competitive primary, according to Politico. Party leaders calling for an open primary include former U.S Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and former U.S President Barack Obama.
On Twitter, U.S Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, said he doesn’t believe changing candidates will make a difference.
“Democrats can take Joe Biden out of the White House, but they can’t take their radical policies out of the Democratic Party. Whoever runs for the Democrats will have the same failed ideas that have hurt the country under Joe Biden,” he said.
During the 2020 primaries, Biden won the Democratic Primary in Arkansas with Sen. Bernie Sanders finishing in second place, according to the New York Times. By the time the Arkansas primaries took place, then Sen. Kamala Harris had already ended her campaign.
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