As recently as Thursday, top Savannah-area Democrats took to Johnson Square to stump for the Biden-Harris 2024 ticket. By Sunday afternoon, Savannah Mayor Van Johnson, State Representative Anne Allen Westbrook, and Chatham County District 6 Commissioner Aaron "Adot" Whitely were reacting to the news that President Joseph Biden would step away from his campaign for a second term in the White House and had endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for the top of the ticket.
On Saturday, Johnson was re-elected as one of seven delegates to represent Georgia at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Aug. 19-22. Although some in attendance were discussing the "what-ifs," said Johnson, "But I will tell you that the energy there was electric, and they were energized."
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Johnson called Biden a "transformational leader," and expressed compassion for the "gut-wrenching" decision to step away at the urging of congressional leadership and party operatives. "You know, I'm a little disappointed in how all of this has turned out. On the other hand, he has nothing to be ashamed of. I mean, he has literally changed the game, insofar as presidential politics is concerned."
Like Biden, Johnson is fully supportive of Harris. "I'm planning to stick with what works... so I think that Vice President Harris is the natural successor. You pick your vice president with the knowledge that he or she can step in and serve as president. I think in this case, I'm sure she'll be prepared and she'd be ready to step up. The President has every confidence in her. I do. too."
He is acutely aware of the weight Georgia, as a swing state, carries in this election. "All roads to the White House go through Georgia ― and Savannah."
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Westbrook (GA-163) was working around her Ardsley Park home when her phone started "blowing up" and she learned that Biden announced he was ending his re-election campaign and endorsing Harris. Although it was both a shock and expected at the same time, Westbrook quickly began preparing an official statement (posted below) and took a few moments to talk via phone about the outlook toward Nov. 5.
"I could definitely see a lot of pressure mounting for this," she said. "I just want to be clear, I very much retained every full confidence in the President... but politics is politics... the media has obviously been relentless. Really. I mean, you could hardly remember that we had an assassination attempt a week ago.
"Whether it's fair or not, the pressure was there, and it was mounting."
Although she felt some sadness about Biden's stepping down, Westbrook believes Harris is "absolutely the right choice" in light of the circumstances and that Georgians are excited about her chances. "She's been an integral part of his team from the beginning. I think she's been a fantastic surrogate on abortion, reproductive freedom, in particular, for the administration, and we know that voters are watching that closely. Women are watching that closely. You know, every time that's on a ballot, we see how much people care about that issue."
Harris offers a competing vision for the country, and she will be running against a known quantity should she get the nomination, said Westbrook. "President Trump has a record, and so we don't have to wonder what he would do. We know what he did in his first term. The selection of JD Vance is also illustrative, I guess you could say. Project 2025 is pretty much the blueprint for the Trump-Vance administration. So, I think Georgians are going to care about stopping that, because I think, Georgians really don't see themselves, or don't want to see themselves, in that vision of loyalists staffing government, the Justice Department under the thumb of the president. Christian patriarchy infecting every facet of American life, whether it's education, whether it's health care, whether it's civil rights."
County Commissioner Whitely echoed Westbrook's sentiments in a statement he issued Sunday afternoon. His message spoke of the economic strides made under the Biden administration and called for Democrats and Americans to unite behind Harris. "This is a pivotal moment in our history. We cannot lose sight of the fact that there is a real threat to our nation's existence as we know it with Project 2025. "
Whitely's full message is provided below:
Amy Paige Condon is a content coach and editor for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach her at ACondon@gannett.com.
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