By Mark Pazniokas and Lisa Hagen / CTMirror.org
Connecticut Democrats rallied around Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s likely nominee for president Sunday after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race, bowing to growing concerns about the 81-year-old candidate’s ability to win and serve a second term in the White House.
With a mix of outright endorsements and praise falling just short of a commitment, the state party’s leaders said Harris’ nomination in Chicago is inevitable, given Biden’s endorsement and the desirability to open their convention with clarity, not chaos.
Murphy endorses Harris, Lamont holds off
Some of the biggest Democratic names in Connecticut, including U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, followed Biden’s cue that his second-in-command has his “full support and endorsement” to become the new nominee.
“I will be enthusiastically supporting my friend, Vice President Harris, to be our nominee for president,” Murphy, a candidate for re-election this year, said on the social media platform X. “She has the perfect combination of experience, accomplishment, and deep love of country to lead our great nation.”
Gov. Ned Lamont praised her, but stopped sort of pledging his vote as a delegate.
“I think that she’s the front runner, and I think if you went through an open convention, she’d be a lot stronger for it,” said Lamont, who was the first governor to endorse Biden, but recently indicated he hoped he would withdraw.
Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz was effusive in praising Harris while standing with Lamont in stopping short of an endorsement.
Harris said in a statement she will seek the Democratic presidential nomination and work to unite the party in the remaining months of the race.
“I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination,” the vice president said. “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.”
Biden’s exit from the presidential race Sunday afternoon capped a dramatic three weeks since his poor debate performance called into question his fitness for office. He tried to resist calls for him to drop out but lost critical support as Republicans united around Donald Trump last week at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
The president’s statement was met with widespread support and praise for his agenda and work over the past three and a half years.
“President Biden has served our country with distinction for decades. We thank him profoundly for his service and leadership through some of the most difficult years of our lifetimes,” said Nancy DiNardo, the state Democratic Party chair. She urged party unity to defeat “a threat like no other from the MAGA ticket.”
Democrats are looking to unify the party amid the uncertainty.
Several said the prospect of snubbing a vice president who made history as the first woman and first Black and South Asian person to be elected on a national ticket would be unconscionable.
“I don’t think there’s another choice that makes political sense. I don’t think there’s another choice that makes strategic sense … The fact that she is the first woman, first Black woman, skipping over her with the assignment would be absolute disrespect” to an important element of the Democratic coalition, said state Sen. Gary Winfield of New Haven, a member of the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus in the General Assembly.
Matt Ritter, the speaker of the state House of Representatives, said, “I’m happy that the president made a decision that he’s comfortable with. I’m endorsing Kamala Harris to be the next president. I don’t really know how you could have anybody else. The whole point of having a vice president is to serve in a situation like this.”
Some top Dems stop short of endorsing Harris
But not everyone in Connecticut was ready to immediately endorse Harris.
“I don’t think it’s a sign of disrespect that you go through the convention,” Lamont said. “My instinct is she’s the front runner, especially with Joe Biden’s endorsement.”
State Attorney General William Tong said he is excited about the prospect of a Democratic ticket composed of former attorneys general. Not only did Harris hold the post, so did three of her possible running mates: Govs. Andy Beshear of Kentucky, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Roy Cooper of North Carolina.
His excitement did not equate to an endorsement.
“I think she is in a very strong position, and I’m excited about her candidacy,” Tong said. “But I think today is President Biden’s day, and I also think it’s important as a delegate that Connecticut speak with one voice, and I haven’t spoken to my colleagues yet.”
While Bill and Hillary Clinton endorsed Harris, former President Barack Obama kept the focus solely on Biden, his former vice presidential running mate.
Obama praised Biden for leading America “away from the four years of chaos, falsehood and division that had characterized Donald Trump’s administration. Through his policies and his example, Joe has reminded us of who we are at our best — a country committed to old-fashioned values like trust and honesty, kindness and hard work; a country that believes in democracy, rule of law, and accountability; a country that insists that everyone, no matter who they are, has a voice and deserves a chance at a better life.
“We will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead,” Obama added. “But I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges.”
No endorsement from Himes, Blumenthal … yet
U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, who represents the 4th District — which includes Westport — was one of three dozen members of Congress to publicly call for Biden to release his delegates and exit the race.
On Sunday, Himes said he believed the congressional leadership was intending to be “more explicit” this week in urging the president to heed their calls. He was not ready to endorse Harris, but he said he saw no realistic alternative.
“My head is still spinning a little bit,” Himes said. But, he added, based on the initial exchange of texts with colleagues, “I’d be pretty astonished if any of the probables — you know, the Whitmers, the various governors, what have you — were to say, ‘I’m gonna take a run at Harris.’ ”
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal also said Sunday he was not ready to make an endorsement, but said Harris “is at the very top of my list.” He noted his friendship with her that developed while she served as a fellow senator as well as the common work they shared as members of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
“I think she would be a presidential candidate who would not only continue the Biden legacy of courageous and strong leadership but also be a leader of insight and integrity for these challenging times,” Blumenthal said. “I’m not sure that I’m going to formally endorse at this point. We should have an orderly and open process ,but I will do an endorsement probably pretty soon, but I’m in her corner right now.”
U.S. Rep. John B. Larson, D-1, declined to make an endorsement, but said, “She’s clearly the favorite.”
The rest of Connecticut’s congressional delegation readily got behind Harris on Sunday, including U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2; U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3, and U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-5.
GOP united behind Trump, faults anti-democratic Dems
After the assassination attempt at Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania on July 13, Republicans presented a unified front at their convention last week, including former political opponents of Trump.
Democrats warned against creating more uncertainty and divisions heading into their own convention. Elected officials in Connecticut will serve as superdelegates at the DNC, but do not get to vote on the presidential nomination on the first ballot.
The rest of the state’s pledged delegates, who are no longer bound to Biden, will get to cast their vote on the nominee in the initial round. If a candidate does not secure a majority, superdelegates will then get to vote until someone gets to a majority.
Connecticut Republicans were ready with statements criticizing the prospect of convention delegates choosing the nominee while reflecting the wishes of primary voters.
“The strong-arming to force President Biden to step down underscores a disturbing lack of democratic process within the Democrat Party,” the GOP’s statement reads. “Instead of allowing a transparent and open primary process, it appears that the Democrat Party is maneuvering behind the scenes to select a candidate that aligns with the agenda of politicians rather than one that reflects the will of the people.
“In short, Democrat leaders and the Democrat Party, for the first time in American history, have sought to depose a sitting United States president in attempt to protect their own power and position — all at the expense of America and Americans.”
House Minority Leader Vincent J. Candelora, R-North Branford, said, “Today is an unprecedented day in our country. President Biden has been forced from the 2024 presidential election by the same insiders and career politicos who propped him up and lied to the electorate about his fitness for office. In the process, millions of voters who relied on those falsehoods have been disenfranchised.“
Something fishy is going on here, why havent we seen Joe Biden since his announcement? Hmmmm. Im sure its all on the up an up, however, you would think he would come to the window and wave or something. Maybe a video. Maybe a phone call with somebody. A little speech. Something. Strange times my friends. I have no doubt Kamala has been appointed, just seems weird that Joe would make such a big announcement on twitter.
He called in to the campaign soon after I wrote the above, putting an end to the conspiracy theory that he had died, however short lived it was.
The democrats knew 4 years ago that Biden would not be in a cognitive position to lead them.. they knew it but
it suited them ! They got to use him as their puppet.
But there’s a payback. And here it is..
no back up plan.. and a bunch of talentless folks who are absolutely not capable of running this country ! Kamala is damned if she does and damned if she doesn’t..
She loses ppl will say “ohhh we knew it”,
She wins they will act like they “knew she could” !
Newsom being the standout complete loser, yet in many’s eyes the front runner ! How ???? How could anybody want him to run our country.. he’s run California into the ground.. and had two recalls through which he prevailed only cos people were too jaded to go out and vote. But he’s a useless moron. He has destroyed that state, and now chooses to send his own Kids to the most expensive private school in the state so they can avoid the crap show he created for the Californian tax payers in the public schools.
Kamala, I hope will not allow herself to be a puppet, though there’s a very strong cabinet behind Biden who did what they liked unopposed. And will want to continue.
That should have been an impeachable moment.
When we vote for a leader we vote for that leader, not the people who, knowingly take advantage of that leader. I understand we hope their cabinet THEY choose will be strong and capable, but this has been a 4 year piss take.
Joe Biden rightly should have stepped down a long time ago, and the party should be happy to stand behind Kamala..
after all she might still be the president between now and November. Very likely..
To not do so, to not stand behind her shows what a sham this all is.
And it’s not like there’s any other stand out talent amongst the current folk who are any better. In fact most are far worse !
It is a very sad state of affairs altogether.