LIVINGSTON COUNTY — It's been only days since President Joe Biden exited the race for re-election, yet Vice President Kamala Harris seems to have the nomination sewn up.
Biden delegates in Michigan "overwhelmingly" voted to endorse Harris during a virtual meeting Tuesday, July 23, according to the Michigan Democratic Party . The state has about 140 delegates to send to the convention, slated for Aug. 19-22 in Chicago.
A USA TODAY count of delegates shows the 59-year old Harris has already secured endorsements in excess of the 1,976 delegates needed to become the party's nominee in the first round of voting. There are 3,936 delegates in total.
Local party leaders in Livingston County have their own thoughts.
Judy Daubenmier, a delegate to the DNC and chair of the Livingston County Democratic Party, backs Harris, she wrote in a statement.
"President Biden’s decision to end his re-election effort is sad," Daubenmier wrote. "I am sure he believes he made the right decision for the country.
"His decision brings an end to a public service career that includes a record of accomplishment as president that is unmatched since FDR in its progressive initiatives: lowering prescription drug costs, expanding healthcare to millions, passing gun safety legislation for the first time in three decades, passing the most aggressive climate legislation in history, investing record amounts in infrastructure, forgiving student loan debt, and much more.
"He did that while successfully beating back a once-in-a-century pandemic, rescuing the nation from a great recession, and leading a recovery that has created 15.7 million jobs."
She calls Harris "the right person to inherit and carry on the legacy."
"I look forward to voting to make her our nominee at the convention and working hard to elect her in November," Daubenmier wrote. "I call on all Democrats to join me in doing the same. The face at the top of the ticket may have changed, but the job is the same — beat Donald Trump and save democracy."
But on the other side, Rob Rodriguez-Pelizzari, chair of the Livingston County Republican Party, finds Biden's exit "nothing more than a cheap political maneuver," he wrote in an email to The Daily.
"Less than six months ago, more than 14 million Democrats nationwide voted in the presidential primary election to choose their candidate," Rodriguez-Pelizzari wrote.
He pointed out more than 770,000 state residents voted in the Democratic presidential primary, and more than 625,000 voted for Biden.
"(On Sunday), those Democrats completely lost their voice due to a power play at the highest levels of the Democratic Party," Rodriguez-Pelizzari wrote. "Why did this happen? Is Joe Biden unfit to run? If so, why aren’t we invoking the 25th Amendment?
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"The sad thing is that, less than a month from now, it will be the National Democratic Party who will decide their candidate, not the voters. That’s not democracy! It is unheard of for a sitting president to drop out of the race in the eleventh hour, and it’s even more unusual for a select few to override the voters.
"If I were a Democrat right now, I’d be furious."
— Contact reporter Jennifer Eberbach at jeberbach@livingstondaily.com.
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Livingston County party leaders react to President Biden dropping out of 2024 race
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