Area residents react to Biden's decision to withdraw

CAMBRIDGE - Following President Joe Biden’s decision on Sunday to withdraw from the presidential race, and endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris, a few Jefferson County residents are optimistic about the decision and what this means for the election.

Margaret Gohn, who has been in Cambridge for two years, said she was initially “on the fence about whether Biden should drop out.”

Still, Gohn said she was worried about him getting older, and she is excited about voting for Kamala Harris. She was a supporter of Hillary Clinton in 2016, and would like to see a woman in the White House.

“I feel like it affects me as a woman, like the idea of a woman president,” Gohn said. “I feel like breaking that barrier feels really important.”

Gohn said she is particularly in support of Harris because of her experience in the White House already as Vice President. She thinks it’s possible Harris could defeat Republican Nominee and former president Donald Trump.

“I feel like she has quite a bit of momentum,” Gohn said.

Although Trump defeated Clinton in 2016, Gohn said it should be different this time, now that people have seen what Trump was like as president.

“Anybody with any sense would get out and vote against him,” Gohn said.

LuAnn Clausen, who has lived in Cambridge for over 25 years, said she wasn’t immediately excited about the decision.

“My initial reaction yesterday was that I was sad,” Clausen shared on Monday, explaining that it felt like Biden wanted to stay president. “Because I think he’s been a good president, that’s why I’m sad.”

However, Clausen said by Monday she was “pumped.” Clausen is excited about the idea of Kamala Harris as the first woman president. She said “it’s about time,” and that the country should be ready to have a woman leader.

For Clausen, big issues include immigration and women’s rights. She hopes that Harris would address immigration in a more humane way than she thinks the other side is talking about it. Gohn said important issues for her are global warming, the environment and women having access to abortion, so she likes Harris as a candidate.

Both Gohn and Clausen said they planned to vote for Biden, but it feels better for them to vote for Harris. Clausen said she believes it’s time for a generational shift, and a younger candidate like Harris.

One Waterloo resident also shared that they support Biden’s decision.

“I believe that he made probably the most difficult decision of his lifetime to put his party first,” the resident told The Courier in a message. They did not want to share their identity, but said they believe that Biden made the right decision.

Gohn and Clausen both shared that who Harris picks as her running mate will be important, and both of them said Mark Kelly, the U.S. Senator from Arizona, would be a good option out of the potential candidates that have come up so far. Kelly is a former fighter pilot, astronaut and the husband of former Representative Gabby Giffords.

Biden had announced in a letter on Sunday that he would not be seeking reelection.

“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President,” one part of the letter read. “And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and my country for me to stand down and focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.”

Democratic Party of Jefferson County chair Kelli Rowley

said it’s important to have conversations with neighbors and friends and get people out to the polls.

“There are some people on the fence, so it’s important they vote with their values,” she said. “We will be out knocking on doors, making phone calls and getting the word out to vote. We’re already in a deep canvassing project.”