Local Democratic delegate ‘excited’ to support Harris as presidential candidate

BLOUNTVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL) — Sullivan County Democratic Party Chari Terry Marek was one of dozens of Tennessee Democratic delegates who joined a previously scheduled call yesterday, hours after President Joe Biden announced he would not accept or seek his party’s nomination for president.

Very quickly, Marek told News Channel 11, the state delegates rallied around Vice President Kamala Harris, who they unanimously agreed to support as the party’s new candidate.

“There were no other names,” Marek said. “Kamala is the choice. There was some discussion about timing, and if we should wait to have this motion immediately. And it was pretty unanimously agreed that. No, we cannot wait.”

“It was exciting, actually,” Marek said of the decision.

Though he said Harris is a well-qualified candidate, choosing the party’s nominee is more about policy than personality.

“The Democratic Party voted on and agreed upon a platform last week,” Marek said. “We just want the best candidate to spearhead that platform. And it was evident and agreed upon immediately that Kamala Harris, our current vice president, is that person.”

Biden’s decision has left more than just Democrats coming to terms with a new reality. East Tennessee State University history professor Daryl A. Carter told News Channel 11 that Biden’s decision was nothing short of a historic event.

“It was a big moment, there’s no doubt about it,” Carter said. “We haven’t seen anything like this since 1968 when President Lyndon Johnson announced early in the year, March that he would not be seeking another term and would not accept the nomination of the Democratic Party for another term.”

Carter, who specializes in American political history post-1945, drew more than just the one parallel to the late 1960s.

“Well, much like 1968, the country is in upheaval,” Carter said. “There are fierce questions over equity inequality. There are questions over war and peace. There are questions over partisan and ideological agenda, some frameworks ambitions for this country.”

Carter said those parallels should spur people to engage in politics while treating those they oppose with dignity and respect.

As a Democrat, Marek said he is looking forward to participating in the formal nomination process for Harris and is thankful that Biden was receptive to his party’s calls to step aside.

“Our leader listened to what the party was saying, took the courageous step to stand aside so that a younger more qualified individual could fulfill the party platform,” Marek said. “That is something that parties should be doing. That is something that is the model for a party.”

When asked how historians might discuss the president’s decision 50 years from now, Carter said they would make note of Biden’s decision to cave to pressure to step aside, while pointing out that he made a “selfless” choice.

“To have a person who’s at the pinnacle of their power as president of the United States say, ‘You know, what the reality is, is that I don’t have the support anymore and that in the interests of the country, I’m going to move forward and step out of the way,’ that is a brave thing to do,” Carter said.

Democrats will formally nominate a candidate for president during the Democratic National Convention, which begins Aug. 19.

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