San Francisco Bay Area politicos react to Biden's historic campaign exit

SAN FRANCISCO -- Shockwaves were sent across the Democratic Party Sunday when President Joe Biden announced he would withdraw his candidacy for a second term in office, then promptly endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for the nomination.

Many Bay Area Democrats would like to see Harris become the party nominee, saying that would pit a former prosecutor against a convicted felon.

One of the most prominent is retired San Francisco mayor Willie Brown. Brown has known Harris for decades, even admitting they dated back in the 1990s. He believes there's no better candidate to replace Joe Biden.

"A lot of pride and that's not just for me but for lots and lots of people. One example: If she gets elected to the presidency, this will be the first time a graduate of one of the historical Black colleges or universities has made it to president, to the White House. You don't understand how important that is and how much pride it is," Brown said.

Tony Russomanno, a delegate to the Democratic Convention,  said that, like many others in his party, he has felt the exhaustion and concern over the past several weeks watching the Biden campaign unravel.

"I don't blame Biden for any of this and I don't think anyone blames Biden," he told CBS News Bay Area.

"The shakeup right now instantly has taken old age out of the equation," Russomano continued. "It's no longer about an old and feeble candidate who can't complete a sentence, who mixes up countries and words who should never have been on that stage in the debate. And that's all off the table."

Harris has never lost a political race -- from San Francisco district attorney to California attorney general to U.S. senator to vice president.

Brown said Harris is more than qualified to become the next president.

"Anytime I go to the track, if there's a horse that's won every time he's been in the race -- I'm betting on that horse," Brown said.

"She's a prosecutor, a former prosecutor -- helluva prosecutor -- who's running against a guy who's a felon 34 times," said Bay Area attorney Joe Cotchett.

Cotchett also supports Harris. He's a long-time friend and supporter of Biden and he's known the president for almost 50 years.

"He's not a quitter, he's a guy that's standing up and saying 'Look, for the best of the country, I'll step aside if that's what the country wants,'" Cotchett said. "I think it was the classiest move I've seen in a very dedicated human being."

Cotchett understands why Biden dropped out. He talked to Biden twice in recent months.

"The last time I talked to him, it was a slower talk if you know what I mean but that's what happens when all of us get old,"  Cotchett said.

Outside Harris' former Bay Area grade school -- Thousand Oaks Elementary in Berkeley -- a number of Democrats said Harris would give their party a better shot at retaining the White House.

"We are rooting for Kamala in terms of the opportunity to have the first female president," said Berkeley voter Anush Elangovan.

"We should let her have a chance because there's never been a female president in America," said Elangovan's 6-year-old daughter Joyce.

"It will give some incentive to the general population but, especially, to the women of the country to come out in favor of her over Trump," said Berkeley Democrat Steven Lucas.

Some people, like Democratic Party donor Mark Buell, say Harris is the best shot for Democrats to hold on to the White House in November.

"I can't say that anyone else is in any better shape," Buell said. "And I think the delegates, then we'll see how far they go but I think she's very competitive."

Buell has a personal tie to Harris, having aided in her California Senate campaign and he supports her as the Democratic pick.

"We're in for a very interesting ride," he said. "But as I say, it's very exciting."

The change has also brought some excitement to Republicans who don't see Harris as a significant threat to Trump any more than Biden.

But the sudden change in the top of the ticket is still surprising, said John Dennis, chairman of the San Francisco Republican Party.

"The president of the United States is not seeking re-election when he's eligible to do so and that is a bit shocking," he said. "I think the Trump campaign is fairly confident right now."

Former mayor Brown suggested one move Biden could make that, Brown thought, would increase Harris' chances to win.

"I would hope that [Biden] would understand that her chances go up if he would, at this moment, say 'Not only am I no longer the candidate, I'm no longer the president. She is,'" Brown said.

"Joe will not resign. He will finish his presidency in a very dignified and honorable way," Cotchett said.