South Carolina reacts to Biden's departure

(The Center Square) — Response to President Joe Biden's late-in-the-campaign season decision not to seek reelection in November was swift and, as expected, falls along party lines.

The Palmetto State was critical to Biden's rise to power in 2020 after U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-South Carolina, endorsed the long-time U.S. senator and former vice president during the Democratic primary,

"The Democrats tried to kick President Trump off the ballot in multiple states, then they turned the judicial system into a pawn of political warfare, and now they're making Joe Biden tap out in hopes it will fix their problems," SCGOP Chairman Drew McKissick said in a statement.

"I recommend they simply admit the truth: the American people don't support their ideas or their record," McKissick added. "No change of players can fix that for them, and Donald J. Trump will be the 47th President of the United States of America."

South Carolina Democratic Party Chair Christale Spain thanked Biden for his service and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, who will seek the nomination at the Democratic National Convention, which is scheduled for Aug. 19-22 in Chicago.

"We appreciate President Biden's decades of service to the nation," Spain, who chairs the South Carolina delegation to the convention, said in a statement. "South Carolina's Democratic Delegates join President Biden in endorsing Vice President Harris as our nominee.

"We must move forward in unity for the sake of democracy; by selecting President Biden in February, South Carolina Democrats also selected the Vice President for her ability to lead," Spain added. "Vice President Harris has been fully vetted, and she has earned our unwavering support. It will be an honor to vote for her as our party's nominee next month."

State Rep. Todd Rutherford, D-Columbia, called for Democrats to unify against Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump.

"President Biden is putting our country first, as he has throughout his career," Rutherford said in a post to X, formerly Twitter. "Now let's come together to keep Donald Trump out of the White House."

But former U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint, R-South Carolina, had a different take, wryly posting on X, "Biden will be devastated when his staff breaks the news to him."