We're struggling: An open letter to the next Democratic nominee

SUNDAY, JULY 21, 2024

Dear Democratic presidential nominee,

Can I even call you that? It’s late in an election year and we don’t even know for sure who you are. We can guess, even be hopeful, but in this moment we don’t know.

So what’s next?

We need to know your name. The decision will be political – who is best for the job? – and emotional. Is the pick fair? Is this candidate the one who will win?

We know who President Joe Biden thinks you should be. He told America, on Sunday afternoon, that he was withdrawing from the race . Moments later, he endorsed his vice president , Kamala Harris .

For some Democrats, today probably feels devastating. America knew this day was probably coming. But our anxiety is high .

I know, because I’ve been talking to voters for months. So to you, the next Democratic nominee for president, here is what we need you to know.

We're struggling.

Everything costs more than it did.

We know that soaring inflation wasn't exactly Biden's fault, and it's not exactly your job to fix it. Presidents don’t dictate the country’s economy. But that's what we need to hear – that you care, that you understand how rough it’s been financially for many Americans. If you want to win, you have to talk to us about how our pocketbooks seem to be constantly shrinking. Help us put food on the table. Help us put gas in our cars.

We're tired of fighting.

We know you will have to fight to win. But we've also been fighting for years, with everybody – our neighbors, or co-workers, our friends on social media. The last eight years turned parents and children against each other, families against themselves.

Then everyone was fighting about whether the president should stay in the race or drop out. Now they're going to fight about who you should be – you, the next Democratic nominee. That's likely going to be a vicious fight too.

We need you to stay above the fray. Tell us why you’re the better choice, of course. But please work to unify this nation. We desperately need it.

We're angry.

We're not angry at you, exactly, but we're angry about how all this has played out. Why are we in this position in late July? How did the incumbents set themselves up for what feels like a no-win situation? Why are we even having this conversation?

This will be an ugly scramble, trying to put together a presidential campaign in less than four months. To have any confidence in you, we must see not only leadership but extreme empathy.

Many of us have never lived through the political upheaval of a presidential candidate dropping out of a race. Help us understand the process. Help us believe that this system is the best democracy still has to offer. You need to help us believe, and you need to hear what I’m saying next:

We're losing faith.

People have drifted away from both parties, especially this year. Both guys were too old, too far removed, too unlikable, too unreliable. So many of us didn’t even want to go to the polls, didn’t want to have to choose what’s been described as the lesser of two evils.

To you, the nominee, I’m warning you: a lot of American voters have just checked out.

Now, you, whoever you are, must reengage. You must guide us back to the ideals that made us feel that each vote counts, that our vote counts.

But for us, the voters, don’t count us out just yet.

We're calculating.

We get it: Joe Biden didn't win the 2020 election. The Biden-Harris ticket won. It was a special amalgam of the time and the place and the people that ticket brought forth. If you're reading this – whether your name is Harris or not – you need to remember you will not win it alone. Present us with a running mate who excites us and reassures us, especially now.

“My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President,” Biden wrote Sunday on social media. “And it’s been the best decision I’ve made. 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. Let’s do this.”

What I think we all want to do is have faith in the process, faith in the candidates, faith that our voices matter.

Because don’t forget:

We're scared.

Look at what the last eight days have brought our country. An assassination attempt on one side. A sitting president bowing out on the other.

Joe Biden just wrote what is presumably the most difficult statement of his political career . The drama that got him there looks messy and myopic.

Of course, Democrats have to move urgently now. The problem is the system feels like it’s in complete disarray.

Ms. – or Mr. – nominee: It’s your job to make it less so.

We’re counting on you.

Sincerely,

America

Suzette Hackney is a national columnist. Reach her on X: @suzyscribe .

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: We're struggling: An open letter to the next Democratic nominee