In-person absentee voting has begun for the Aug. 13 Primary Election even as the nominee for president of the United States on the Democratic ticket has been cast into question.
Voters may cast their ballots at Rice Lake City Hall, 30 E. Eau Claire St., until Aug. 9 for Primary Election contests, which include GOP races for the 67th Assembly District and U.S. Senate, among others.
Less than a month away from the Democratic National Convention, President Joe Biden announced Sunday that he was withdrawing his bid for reelection to the nation’s highest office.
Biden had secured enough delegates that he was certain to receive the nomination at the Democratic National Convention, slated for August in Chicago, to take on GOP nominee and former President Donald Trump on the Nov. 5 ballot.
Biden’s announcement via social media came on the heels of a growing number of Democrats calling for the 81-year-old to step down after his disastrous performance in a June 27 CNN-hosted debate against Trump.
Questions remain as to who will be named Biden’s successor at the top of the Democratic ticket, although Biden, who intends to serve out the remainder of his term, endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris and a growing number of top-tier Democrats followed in line in the days following his announcement.
“I am honored to have the president’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination,” Harris said in a statement on Sunday. “Over the past year, I have traveled across the country, talking with Americans about the clear choice in this momentous election. And that is what I will continue to do in the days and weeks ahead. I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party — and unite our nation — to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda.”
Several Democrats in Wisconsin and throughout the nation have begun to throw their support behind Harris.
“Vice President Kamala Harris is a tenacious leader who has vigorously defended our democracy, fought to protect the freedoms we hold dear, and worked tirelessly to do the right thing and deliver for us,” Gov. Tony Evers said on Monday. “I’m excited today to endorse Vice President Harris as our nominee for president of the United States. She can beat Donald Trump, and I’m going to do everything I can between now and Nov. 5 to help make sure she does.”
U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, who likely will face a tough reelection battle in November against likely Republican nominee Eric Hovde, said she proudly endorsed Harris.
“Today is a new beginning for our party and our country — and I'm excited to keep working together to lower costs for Wisconsin families, grow our Made in America economy, and restore our fundamental rights and freedoms,” Baldwin said.
The eight delegates to the Democratic National Convention from Milwaukee said they support Harris as the presidential nominee and have full confidence in her.
However, questions remain as to how Harris’ nomination will be handled at the convention and how Biden’s campaign funds might be transferred. If chosen as the nominee, Harris also will have to pick a running mate.
Wisconsin Public Radio reported on Monday that a Marquette Law School pollster said to beat Trump, Democrats will have to rally around Harris, and she will need to win over independents, disaffected Republicans and the “double-haters” — those who dislike both Trump and Biden.
A recent poll revealed that 17% of voters disliked Biden and Trump equally, a higher number than the last time the two faced off in 2020, when 11% of voters were “double-haters.”
The four-day Democratic National Convention kicks off in Chicago on Aug. 19.
Wisconsin Public Radio contributed to this report.
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