On the heels of President Joe Biden's decision to bow out from the presidential race, Democrats in West Tennessee are sharing their thoughts on the historic announcement.
In a statement on Sunday afternoon, Biden declared he would no longer be seeking re-election, endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement.
"I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term," Biden wrote.
His decision to step out of the race comes mere weeks before the Democratic National Convention (DNC), scheduled to begin on Aug. 19.
The last time a president announced he would not be running for re-election was Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968.
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Tennessee Democrats back Harris
In the 24 hours following Biden's endorsement, Harris earned enough delegates to secure the Democratic nomination and raised more than $80 million in campaign funds.
Tennessee delegates were among the first in the nation to endorse Harris.
As the Nov. 5 election rapidly approaches, Madison Area Democratic Women (MADW) President Liz Mayo says that regardless of who is chosen, the organization will respect the decision and mobilize its efforts behind them.
MAD Women is a local organization and member of the Tennessee Federation of Democratic Women, seeking to empower young women and striving to get Democratic candidates elected.
"We respect and admire Joe Biden and we appreciate his service to our country, we're very grateful that he has made a decision that goes above and beyond ego or power to do something that we think will be ultimately good for the country," Mayo said.
"His endorsement of Kamala is very exciting for us, not just as a women's organization, but because we think that she will make a good nominee."
In the short time since Biden's announcement, MADW experienced an influx of support and donations as local Democrats rallied together.
"I do think that Kamala has got a lot of energy behind her in the last 24 hours," Mayo said. "I think that there's a lot of energy for her, and again, I would just say that I think the Democratic party is probably more united than ever right now."
Data from the U.S. Elections Project shows that voter turnout in Tennessee has routinely been among the lowest in the nation.
"That's what we continually find is that people are not informed generally about our elections," Larry Greer, Chairman of the Madison County Democratic Party, said.
"Somehow, maybe through our school system, but we've got to do a better job at educating people on how our system is set up to work."
Both Greer and Mayo echoed sentiments that promoting voter engagement has always been a priority for their respective organizations and that efforts will only be amplified on the journey to the November election..
For Democrat organizations, local and national alike, Greer says time is of the essence.
"We have four weeks before our convention and only four or five months before the election, so there is no time to rest," he said.
Sarah Best is a reporter for The Jackson Sun. To support local journalism, subscribe to the Daily Briefing here
This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: 'More united than ever': TN Democrats weigh in on Biden's historical drop from election
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