Sonoma County farmers react to Biden’s decision to end reelection campaign

At a local festival showcasing Sonoma County agriculture Sunday afternoon, the news that President Joe Biden had dropped out of the 2024 presidential race spread quickly.

During the Sonoma County Farm Fest at Olympia’s Valley Estate in Petaluma, which was organized by the Sonoma County Farm Bureau and local farmers, the most visible political issue was opposition to Measure J, a county ballot measure that seeks to ban large livestock and poultry farms.

But few could avoid discussing the seismic news that Biden, in his own words — contained in a letter issued Sunday to the American public — had decided “it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down ...” in the race for the Oval Office in November.

Dayna Ghirardelli, executive director of the Sonoma County Farm Bureau, declined to comment on the pure politics of that decision.

“He needs to be taken care of,” Ghirardelli said. “This is better for his health. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in politics we forget about humanity.”

Concerns about Biden’s stamina and mental acuity in relation to his age skyrocketed after the 81-year-old president’s poor showing in the June 27 debate against former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for president.

Concerns about his ability to retain the White House prompted a number of Democratic lawmakers to openly urge Biden to withdraw from the race in order to make room for a younger candidate who could go head to head with Trump.

Until Sunday, Biden had resisted those requests, contending he was ready, willing and capable of defeating Trump in November. His announcement Sunday relieved many local Democrats, and energized some local Republicans who scoffed at his endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement in the race.

Sam Dolcini, longtime Petaluma agriculturalist and a former president of the Marin County Farm Bureau, said he learned of the news while working before Sunday’s event.

“I actually had a friend text me,” he said. “I was feeding cows and there’s no radio in the hay truck.”

Biden’s decision, he said, was “a surprise but not unexpected,“ he added, struggling to describe his reaction.

Dolcini said Biden’s decision comes dangerously close to the election, leaving very little, if any, room for voters to weigh in on who they would like to see as an alternative candidate.

“You would have thought you would have given the voters the chance to decide on their own,” Dolcini said. “Maybe something dramatic happened with his health in the last two or three weeks that we haven’t known about.”

Had Biden decided to “stand down” sooner, Dolcini said, “we would have seen many other different names in the primary as opposed to re-seating the sitting president, which is the correct thing to do in politics.”

Paul Martin, a retired Petaluma dairy rancher, said he empathizes with Biden, who is a year younger than himself. He said he’s glad that for Biden’s “personal safety,” his bid for reelection has been called off.

“I think it would have killed him,” Martin said.

Martin said the Democratic party has no time to consider other options besides Harris.

“Do I think it’s a done deal that it’s going to be Harris. I don’t think that the Democratic party has the chance to do otherwise, because of time,” he said. “They need to gear up and get going. They can’t spend two weeks with a knock-down drag-out to see who is going to be their candidate.”

Martin said he’s extremely “apprehensive” about the increasing polarization and division in the country. That division is likely to worsen regardless of who wins or loses in November.

”We don’t have the leaders and the choices that I think our country is entitled to,“ he said. ”If we can get through the next four years, whoever wins, maybe we can get on the road to healing this country. But it’s going to be a very tough four years regardless.“

You can reach Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at 707-521-5213 or martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @pressreno.