1 Biden drops out of presidential race, endorses VP Kamala Harris 2 Betting markets heavily favor Harris as new Dem nominee, endorsement list grows 3 Dem Party apparatus moves to support Harris 4 Trump leads Harris by 6 nationally: poll 5 Joe Manchin considers run 7/22/1934 Notorious criminal John Dillinger gunned down
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1 Biden drops out of presidential race, endorses VP Kamala Harris
President Biden said Sunday he was ending his presidential run after failing to quell a Democratic rebellion against his candidacy fueled by a catastrophic June debate performance, capping a five-decade political career and marking one of the most monumental political collapses in American history. “It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your president,” Biden wrote in a one-page letter on social media. “And while it has been my intention to seek re-election, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as president for the remainder of my term.” Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him at the top of the ticket, and several prominent Democrats backed her candidacy. The president said he would speak to the nation later this week in more detail about his decision.
Article Source: WSJ
2 Betting markets heavily favor Harris as new Dem nominee, endorsement list grows
All 50 state Democratic party chairs endorse Harris
State Democratic party chairs on Sunday threw their weight behind Vice President Kamala Harris to be the party's new presidential nominee to run against Republican nominee and former president, Donald Trump.
The $96M issue
The vice president has the advantage of being able to tap the $96 million already raised for the Biden/Harris campaign. Prominent Democrats including Bill and Hillary Clinton, as well as major donors, came out in support of her.
Article Source: Reuters, WaPo, Bloomberg
3 Dem Party apparatus moves to support Harris
Powerful leaders of the Democratic establishment quickly embraced Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday after President Biden’s shocking exit from the race, hoping that a seamless succession could end a month of damaging chaos and transform a contest widely believed to be tipping toward Republicans. By Sunday evening, Ms. Harris appeared to have a glide path to the nomination: No other top Democrats announced plans to challenge her, though some stopped short of an endorsement, including the party’s top congressional leaders and former President Barack Obama. With breathtaking speed, she took control of Mr. Biden’s enormous political operation and contacted Democratic leaders in Congress and state houses to ask for their support. The Biden campaign formally renamed itself “Harris for President,” giving her immediate access to an account that had $96 million in cash at the end of June. On an internal call, the Biden campaign’s leaders told staff members that they would now work for Ms. Harris.
Big Media
Article Source: NYT
4 Trump leads Harris by 6 nationally: poll
A series of prominent Democrats were tested in a head-to-head ballot against Donald Trump: * Vice President Kamala Harris: 49% Trump, 43% Harris, 8% undecided * Senator Bernie Sanders: 48% Trump, 42% Sanders, 10% undecided * California Governor Gavin Newsom: 48% Trump, 40% Newsom, 12% undecided * Former Vice President Al Gore: 47% Trump, 42% Gore, 11% undecided * Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: 48% Trump, 41% Clinton, 11% undecided * Senator Elizabeth Warren: 49% Trump, 39% Warren, 13% undecided * Secretary of State Pete Buttigieg: 49% Trump, 39% Buttigieg, 12% undecided * Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro: 46% Trump, 38% Shapiro, 16% undecided * Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer: 48% Trump, 38% Whitmer, 15% undecided
Article Source: Emerson College
5 Joe Manchin considers run
Ed note: I’m skeptical that any Dem can beat post-assassination attempt Trump, but a moderate Dem from a working-class state like Joe Manchin (WV) or PA Gov Josh Shapiro would seem to a the best shot. Unclear if the more liberal wing of the Dems would back a candidate like that.
Sen. Joe Manchin III (I-W.Va.) is considering re-registering as a Democrat to compete for the party’s presidential nomination in the wake of President Biden’s announcement Sunday that he will exit the campaign, according to a Manchin adviser.
Manchin was the first elected official to signal an openness to challenging Vice President Harris in the wake of Biden’s announcement after the president endorsed Harris, as did some members of the Democratic establishment. Manchin, who will turn 77 next month, left the Democratic Party in May to register as an independent. The then-Democrat from a red state, who irked some of his fellow Democrats by cutting deals with Republicans, announced in the fall that he would not seek reelection to his Senate seat at the end of his term, hampering Democratic hopes of holding on to their Senate majority in 2024.
In another interview on Sunday morning, this time with CNN’s “State of the Union,” Manchin said he favored an “open process” to determine a replacement for Biden, who at that point had not yet made his announcement. Manchin said an open process, rather than handpicking a successor, would be the best way to showcase to voters the deep bench of talent in the Democratic Party. He mentioned two Democratic governors, Kentucky’s Andy Beshear and Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro, as strong potential candidates, but did not mention Harris. Both governors, Manchin said, “are operating with legislatures either evenly split or completely opposite their party affiliation. They haven’t divided their state. They haven’t made you pick a side and demonize the other side. They’ve brought people together.” Manchin said Trump’s running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), may appeal to voters in Manchin’s home state who feel left behind by the Democratic Party. “I think he has enough of a flavor there and everything,” Manchin said. “I grew up in another era of Appalachia, but I can see it. I’ve watched my state change like no other state for 80 years.”
Article Source: WaPo
7/22/1934 Notorious criminal John Dillinger gunned down
