Key Democrats in Michigan believe VP Kamala Harris will be the nominee

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Lansing — Some key Democrats in Michigan said Sunday they expect their party to quickly unite behind Vice President Kamala Harris as their nominee after President Joe Biden dropped his re-election bid.

Their comments signaled support for Harris, 59, a former U.S. senator from California, in a crucial state seen as essential for Democrats to win this fall.

“President Biden has made a difficult decision for the good of our nation. I am grateful for his courage and legacy of American leadership,” said U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten, D-Grand Rapids, who had called on Biden to step aside.

“Let’s unite as a country behind Vice President Kamala Harris and take the fight against extremism this November.”

Retiring U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint Township, called on Democrats to “come together immediately” around Harris.

Michigan Democratic Party Chairwoman Lavora Barnes said she believes Harris should be the nominee, a spokesperson said. Michigan House Speaker Joe Tate, D-Detroit, also called on Democrats to support Harris in a social media post.

More: President Joe Biden drops out of 2024 race over age concerns, endorses Harris

“This new nomination battle will be over before you know it,” Dave Dulio, a political scientist at Oakland University, tweeted Sunday afternoon on X. “Two hours ago it was an open competition. Not anymore. Now it’s about who gets Harris’ VP spot.”

Delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago from August 19-22 will ultimately decide who their party’s replacement nominee will be for Biden.

Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison said Sunday that the party would initiate “a transparent and orderly process” to replace Biden at the top of the ticket.

“This process will be governed by established party rules and procedures,” Harrison said in a statement. “Our representatives are prepared to take seriously their responsibility to quickly deliver a nominee to the American people.”

Brandon Dillon, former chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party, said the country is in unprecedented times and it’s impossible to know exactly what will happen in the coming weeks. But Dillon said he expects Democrats to rally around the vice president.

“It appears the momentum is to go to Harris and use the operation that has already been done,” Dillon said.

Biden himself endorsed Harris as the new Democratic candidate, minutes after announcing he was withdrawing from the presidential race.

“Democrats — it’s time to come together and defeat Trump,” Biden said on social media. “Let’s do this.”

U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Birmingham) endorsed Harris, saying she has “tremendous” respect for her.

“I was not in the camp that called for (Biden) to resign and I don’t believe he had to suspend his campaign, but I respect that this was his decision,” Stevens said in an interview Sunday.

“I continue to support Joe Biden and his decision to release his deputies to Vice President Harris. I am pleased to elect her as the first female president of the United States.”

Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Ann Arbor) called Harris an “incredible leader who will unite our country and win in November.”

“And now we get to work,” she added.

Tate, the first black speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives, called on his party members to unite behind Harris, the nation’s first black vice president.

“It is now our responsibility as Democrats and Americans to unite behind Vice President Harris and lead our nominee to victory in November,” Tate wrote. “This decision by President Biden is an example to all of us, and we cannot waste his sacrifice on division and posturing.”

U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Detroit, was one of Biden’s biggest supporters as the party’s nominee. He now says he’s backing Harris as well.

“I think she deserves it. She was No. 2 on the ticket, and it would be unfair if she didn’t give it a shot,” Thanedar told The Detroit News. “I think we can win with Kamala Harris at the top of the ticket.”

He added that Democrats have a “strong bench” to choose from for Harris’ running mate, whether it’s Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona or governors Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania or Gavin Newsom of California.

“Whitmer has done a great job in Michigan,” Thanedar said. “She can certainly deliver Michigan for the Democrats. If she wants to do that and is willing to do it, she would be a great vice president or presidential candidate.”

Concerns about Biden’s age have plagued his re-election campaign. But the effort to pressure the incumbent Democratic nominee not to seek another term gained steam after he struggled in his first debate of the 2024 race with Republican Donald Trump on June 27.

“I want to cry right now,” Dingell said after Biden’s announcement. “He’s been a good president.”

Biden’s decision Sunday came 107 days before the Nov. 5 election and 29 days before the Democratic National Convention is scheduled to begin. Adrian Hemond, a Democrat and CEO of the Michigan-based consulting firm Grassroots Midwest, said that when former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., began working to get Biden to withdraw, it was inevitable that it would happen.

The easiest and most sensible option for Democrats is to run Harris in his place, because she can then use the money Biden’s campaign has already raised, Hemond said.

“The money is all in the Biden-Harris campaign account,” Hemond said. “It’s the easiest, most obvious thing to do to put her in there.”

Detroit Democratic consultant Mario Morrow called on his party to stand behind Harris “full force,” “without question, without hesitation.” He warned against holding an open convention in August, calling it “too messy.”

“If you skip Kamala Harris, you lose the black vote and maybe a third of the women’s vote,” Morrow said.

Morrow said Democrats are unlikely to field another woman as Harris’ running mate, saying they need someone who can balance the slate, complement her strengths and weaknesses, and unite the party’s major wings.

“They need to dig deep and investigate this process,” Morrow added. “I think they have their short list at this point.”

Whitmer and Newsom of California are both being mentioned as possible future Democratic presidential candidates.

Whitmer issued a statement Sunday describing Biden as “a tremendous public servant who knows better than anyone what it will take to defeat Donald Trump.”

Whitmer’s initial statement made no reference to Harris or who the future Democratic nominee should be.

“My job in this election remains the same: I will do everything I can to get Democrats elected and stop Donald Trump, a convicted felon whose agenda of raising costs for families, banning abortion nationwide and abusing the power of the White House to settle his own scores is completely wrong for Michigan,” Whitmer wrote.

On Saturday, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said at a campaign rally in Grand Rapids that he was enjoying the internal Democratic controversy over Biden’s fitness for office, instead speculating about a showdown with Whitmer in November.

Trump, 78, at one point on Saturday called Biden, 81, a “weak old man” and lashed out at Democrats for publicly expressing doubts about Biden’s ability to remain the Democratic presidential nominee after the Delaware Democrat’s poor performance in the June 27 debate against Trump.

“They have no idea who their candidate is and neither do we,” Trump said in the Van Andel Arena during his nearly two-hour speech.

Trump also asked the crowd who they would like to see him run against: Harris or Biden, before criticizing Whitmer, who has been frequently mentioned in political circles as a possible replacement presidential candidate.

Campaigning in Kalamazoo on Wednesday, Harris warned the crowd that a Trump-JD Vance ticket — and the prospect of a national abortion ban — would jeopardize the abortion rights that Michigan residents secured in their state constitution in 2022.

U.S. Congressman John James, Republican from Shelby Township, called on Biden on Sunday to “immediately” resign as president.

“If Joe Biden is not fit to run for re-election, he is not fit to govern our country. This is a major national security crisis,” James tweeted.

More: Kamala Harris speaks on abortion rights, Trump shooting during Michigan visit

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Contributor Beth LeBlanc contributed.

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