Pennsylvania politicians reacted Sunday to Biden’s decision to end his bid for a second term

President Joe Biden speaks at the United Steelworkers Headquarters in downtown Pittsburgh on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. (Steve Mellon/Pittsburgh Union Progress)

Reaction across the political spectrum to President Joe Biden’s Sunday announcement he was bowing out of his reelection bid was swift, with Democrats praising his decision as selfless and courageous and Republicans largely criticizing him, with some calling for him to resign the presidency altogether.

“President Biden is a patriot who has served our country honorably in the Senate, as Vice President, and as one of the most consequential presidents in modern history,” Gov. Josh Shapiro wrote in a social media post . “President Biden has gotten an incredible amount done to move our country forward, defend our democracy, and protect real freedom. I am proud to work by his side and am grateful for his leadership and his unwavering commitment to delivering for Pennsylvania — the Commonwealth that raised him.” He later posted a statement endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for president.

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, a longtime friend of Biden — both are Scranton natives — had continued to back the president despite criticism from GOP opponent Dave McCormick. He lauded Biden’s decision on Sunday.

“President Biden has always dedicated himself to improving the lives of Americans.” Casey said in a statement emailed to the Capital-Star. “He deserves our gratitude for his historic achievements, including rebuilding our economy after the pandemic and delivering the largest infrastructure investment in modern history. He has had an exemplary career in public service. He is a patriot who has always put our country first.”

McCormick said in a statement Sunday that Biden was “not capable of serving as Commander-in-Chief.

“Bob Casey is very close to Biden — he’s known this — but in typical Casey fashion, he’s been weak in his refusal to admit to Pennsylvanians that Biden is simply not up to the job,” McCormick added.

A spokesperson for Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt said a change in the Democratic presidential nominee would not cause complications for the election in Pennsylvania.

“Under the Pennsylvania Election Code, the presidential and vice presidential nominees selected at the Democratic National Convention will appear on the general election ballot as the Democratic candidates for president and vice president,” spokesperson Amy Gulli said in a statement. “Because the 2024 Democratic National Convention has not yet taken place, no nominees have been selected at this time.”

Pennsylvania Democratic Party Chairman Sharif Street and other Democratic Party chairs from battleground states wrote an open letter to Democrats published earlier on Sunday encouraging them to continue to support Biden. As of 4 p.m. Sunday, Street had not commented on the news of Biden’s decision to not seek reelection. Street did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday.

State House Speaker Joanna McClinton (D-Philadelphia) said Sunday she was “grateful” for Biden’s leadership. “President Biden has dedicated his life to public service and has set an example for countless others who have followed in his path,” she said in a statement. “The policies he and Vice President Harris have advanced over the last three years are making a difference in the lives of every Pennsylvanian.”

State Rep. Tim Briggs (D-Montgomery) said Sunday he anticipates that Harris will be the Democratic nominee and that the new ticket will be energizing for the party’s base.

“President Biden is showing a real commitment to the Democratic party and recognition of what’s at stake with a Trump presidency,” Briggs said. “I think President Biden would have been successful but that a new course improves our chances in November.”

Like others, Briggs said making the decision quickly will be key. “We spent three weeks wringing our hands about the best path forward. The sooner we know that path, the sooner we can get to work supporting our candidate,” Briggs said.

Winning Pennsylvania will remain a crucial challenge for the successful candidate. “I don’t think Pennsylvania is ever going to be chalked up for one side or the other,” Briggs said. “We’ve had elections where people have taken Pennsylvania for granted and it hasn’t worked out well.”

“Gov. Shapiro on the ticket would not only be our best chance to win Pennsylvania, but also battleground states across the country,” Briggs added.

U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-2nd District) called Biden a “patriot” on social media . “He selflessly put personal ambition aside to do what he thinks is best for our country,” Boyle wrote. “Today, and every day, both in dark passages and bright days, I am always proud to be one of Joe Biden’s biggest supporters”

U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-17th District) said in a statement that Biden “has offered this country decades of faithful service. As President, he has made this country safer, stronger, and more prosperous and his election to the Presidency was critical to the enduring promise of American democracy. He is the most pro-union President of my lifetime, and he signed the most consequential legislation for veterans of my generation.”

State Rep. Rob Mercuri (R-Allegheny) is  Deluzio’s GOP challenger.

“The last four years have been a leadership failure. If Joe Biden can no longer lead, it’s time to resign. The American people deserve leadership that puts partisanship aside & moves our country forward,” Mercuri wrote on social media .

“Joe Biden’s selfless choice put the interests of the nation and our democracy first — one more historic decision in a hugely consequential presidency,” state Rep. Dan Frankel (D-Allegheny) said in a statement.

Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley, a Democrat, went a step further: “President Harris has a nice ring to it,” he wrote on Sunday afternoon.

State Rep. Mike Schlossberg (D-Lehigh) also endorsed Harris, writing on social media “Bet your ass I’m going into my wallet for the next President of the United States, @KamalaHarris. I hope you do the same.”

Republicans from across the Commonwealth were largely critical of Biden, with several echoing U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson’s comments that if Biden “is not fit to run for President, he is not fit to serve as President. He must resign the office immediately.”

“Democrats like to self-style themselves as ‘defenders of democracy,’ yet party elites came together in the shadows to force Joe Biden to drop out and endorse Kamala Harris,” state Treasurer Stacy Garrity said in a post. “In that process, they invalidated millions of honest primary voters who chose the idea of Joe Biden as their nominee.”

State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (D-Philadelphia) who is running for state auditor general, expressed his support for Harris on Sunday: “In January we will drop the ‘vice and simply call her Madam Presdient,” he said in a social media post.

Kenyatta, a Biden campaign surrogate, said of the president “I’ve been fortunate to know the man, not just the politician. In a profession often marked by ego, excess, and expediency, he has never let these erode his true gift—a pure decency and unflappable kindness.”

State Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-Lehigh) is running against U.S. Rep. Susan Wild (D-7th District) for the congressional seat in the purple Lehigh Valley.

“Donald Trump and Republicans highlighted the failures of Democrats like Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and Susan Wild this week at the RNC Convention, and Kamala Harris or whoever Democratic insiders install as their nominee will continue to have run away from their failed record that is hurting everyday Americans,” Mackenzie wrote on social media .

Wild,  the highest profile Democratic elected official in Pennsylvania to question Biden’s electability following his poor debate performance, sent out a statement a few hours after Biden’s announcement. Wild said she was proud to have worked alongside Biden to pass “the biggest infrastructure package in modern history, lower health care costs for seniors and working families, and defend democracy both at home and abroad.”

“Joe Biden has been one of the most effective presidents of our time, and his patriotism and selflessness are an example for us all,” Wild wrote, adding she’s supporting Harris for president.

U.S. Reps. Summer Lee (D-12th District) and Mary Gay Scanlon (D-5th District) also sent out statements  endorsing Harris.

“We thank President Biden for doing what he believes is best for our country and making the difficult decision to step down,” Lee said. “We have no time to waste — what’s at stake for communities like mine isn’t abstract. We need to unify and move forward to defeat Trump and fascism in November. That’s why I endorse and encourage unity behind Vice President Kamala Harris.”

Former Congressman Bob Brady, who serves as the Philadelphia Democratic Party Chairman, posted to social media announcing his support for Harris, adding that Shapiro “would be an excellent running mate and Vice President.”

Montgomery County Commissioner Neil Makhija, who is a delegate to the Democratic National Convention, announced his support for Harris shortly after the news broke on Sunday afternoon.

A pair of Democratic congressional challengers also lauded Biden after his announcement.

“President Biden has spent his life in public service to our country and is one of the best presidents our nation has ever known,” Ashley Ehasz, Democratic candidate for Pennsylvania’s 1st Congressional District wrote .

“President Biden is putting our country first and making the right decision. I am enthusiastic about the prospect of new leadership in Washington,” Janelle Stelson, Democratic candidate for Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District wrote .

Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, a Democrat, called Biden “a valuable partner” to the city in a statement Sunday.

“From helping rebuild Fern Hollow Bridge to our designation as a workforce hub … his support has been vital for the future of our city. I thank him for once again showing leadership by stepping aside for the good of our country and our party,” Gainey said.

Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward (R-Westmoreland) suggested Democratic leaders were not as concerned about the president’s health as that of his reelection campaign.

Ward said that Harris is subject to the same criticism as Biden for her handling of immigration issues as the administration’s border czar. If she becomes the nominee, it would change little for the Trump-Vance campaign.

“I don’t think it matters a hill of beans for President Trump, I think he’s going to still win and walk away with it,” Ward said.

U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-8th District) who represents the district in northeast Pennsylvania that includes Biden’s boyhood home of Scranton, thanked the president in a statement on Sunday.

“ He took the top job in a badly turbulent time, during a worldwide pandemic and its aftermath, and at a time when political compromise was especially difficult to achieve,” Cartwright said. ” I’ll always remember fondly the chance to work with a son of Northeastern Pennsylvania in the Oval Office, and I’ll always wish him and his family all the best.”

Cartwright’s opponent Republican Rob Bresnahan took the opportunity to appeal directly to voters in PA-08.

“To the many hardworking, blue-collar people of Northeastern Pennsylvania who are tired of a Democrat Party that only cares about its far-left, extremist base for an America that Bill Clinton, JFK, and Franklin Roosevelt wouldn’t recognize, I invite you to join us,” Bresnahan said in a statement. “You have my word that I will always vote for what is best for Northeastern Pennsylvania.”

U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser (R-9th District), who is the Pennsylvania campaign co-chair for GOP presidential nominee former President Donald Trump, wrote “Democrat leaders deceived the American people for well over a year by hiding the realities of Biden’s mental decline and failed policies.”

A chance to reset

Berwood Yost, director of the Center for Opinion Research at Franklin & Marshall College, said on Sunday that he had been doubtful that Biden would drop out immediately after his poor debate performance. But with the growing chorus of Democrats calling for him to do so in the last week, it became clear that Biden would have to concede.

“This a chance for the Democrats to reset the race,” Yost said, adding that it will be important for party leaders to act decisively. “I think Democrats are going to have to find a way to quickly unify and not have a huge convention fight. Then they could salvage this.”

Yost noted that even before the debate last month, the race was moving away from Biden, whose poll numbers were dropping. Following the debate, Biden spent on advertising, did interviews and gave several public addresses without improving in polls.

Pressure mounted as concern grew among high-profile Democrats that a poor campaign performance from Biden would affect down-ticket races and the party’s ability to maintain control of the U.S. Senate and possibly flip the House of Representatives.

“The decision and the change is a risk but it’s probably a risk they needed to take,” Yost said.

Anticipating objections from Republicans who say replacing the Democratic candidate after voters have cast primary ballots is anti-democratic, Yost noted that Biden is stepping back voluntarily.

And although it’s unprecedented in modern memory for a sitting president to withdraw from consideration so late in the process, presidential nominees have historically been chosen by convention delegates, as is expected to be the case this year.

Before primary elections were reformed in 1972 to be binding upon delegates, nominees were selected by party bosses, Yost said.

“Parties are voluntary associations and the rules for how they select their candidates are whatever they say they need to be,” Yost said.

Update: This article was updated at 9:45 p.m. July 21, 2024 with comment from Rep. Cartwright.

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