With Biden out of the race, local Democrats embrace Harris
Vice President Kamala Harris has quickly gained support after President Joe Biden dropped his bid for reelection July 21. Local Democrats have also embraced her candidacy.
Patrick Houlihan was on his daily walk by the White House when he heard the news that President Joe Biden would not seek reelection.
“I had a pretty unique experience when it comes to learning,” Houlihan said. “But generally it was a moment of shock, because there’s a lot of rhetoric, but who really thinks a sitting, incumbent president is going to step out of a reelection bid.”
Houlihan is a Miami University senior and one of five delegates representing Ohio’s 8th Congressional District at the Democratic National Convention this year. Until July 21, he was pledged to vote for Biden.
Calls for Biden to end his bid for reelection began after a disastrous debate performance June 27. Media outlets and democratic politicians alike argued that Biden was too old and lacked the energy to successfully beat Republican candidate Donald Trump in November, but Biden outwardly resisted those calls for weeks.
In a statement posted to X, formerly Twitter, on July 21, however, Biden officially announced that he was ending his campaign. Within an hour, he endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to take his place as the democratic nominee.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024
Houlihan is one of two Miami students serving as Ohio delegates this year. Kate Louagie, a rising sophomore and first-time delegate, said she was initially confused after Biden’s debate performance. Trump “does weird things all the time,” Louagie said, and if Biden’s performance was more than a bad night then government officials shouldn’t have been taken by surprise.
The Ohio delegates had an emergency meeting on July 22 and overwhelmingly opted to support Harris, Louagie said.
“Now, this is definitely a convention that’s historic,” Louagie said. “It’s not going to be like any other convention in the past I don’t know how many years.”
This year will be Deloris Rome Hudson’s sixth DNC serving as a delegate, her first in 1996 for Bill Clinton. She said she takes her role seriously each year because of the policy consequences the top of the ticket could lead to.
As Hudson has seen rhetoric from Butler County native JD Vance, Trump’s pick for vice president, and Trump himself, targeting Harris, she said she recognizes elements of sexism and racism in their comments. Vance has previously referred to Harris and other women in politics as “childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives.”
Hudson herself is a Black woman, while Harris is multiracial. When Hudson served as president for a local teachers union, she said she experienced questions herself about whether she was qualified for the position because of her identity.
“She has to be very thick-skinned to take all the things she’s taken just to get where she is,” Hudson said. “When things are dumped on her, I think she’ll be able to handle it, because she’s had to handle it before — these name callings and whatever.”
Some Democratic leaders had worried about down-ballot consequences if Biden stayed at the top of the ticket this November. Swing state Democrats in vulnerable seats, including Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, were among those calling for Biden to step aside in the past month.
Vanessa Cummings, an Oxford Democrat running to represent District 47 in the Ohio House of Representatives, said her primary concern heading into November has been voter turnout. She said it “was a possibility” that having Biden as the party’s presidential candidate could have hurt down-ballot candidates. With Harris as the likely nominee, Cummings could see that dynamic shifting.
“I believe that the excitement that people have will likely generate to the polls,” Cummings said. “And I’m hopeful that people understand they have to vote all the way down the ballot and understand all the offices need to be voted on.”
Since announcing that she would seek the democratic nomination, Harris has set donation and volunteering records and secured the support of a majority of DNC delegates. Hudson, who volunteers with Butler County Democrats, said the excitement is similar to what she felt during former president Barack Obama’s first campaign.
“They’re calling asking for yard signs; they’re calling to volunteer,” Hudson said. “It’s just woke up a bunch of people that they’re ready to do whatever they can to help her get elected, and that’s a good feeling … It’s gotten people who weren’t excited before excited.”
Harris officially secured the endorsements of a majority of delegates on July 22, and no major alternatives have appeared as of July 24. The party is expected to hold a virtual roll call vote between Aug. 1 and 7 ahead of the Chicago DNC Aug. 19-22. Harris had not announced a running mate as of July 24.
