Top Democrats in Hawaii praise Biden’s decision to withdraw from race

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After the president’s endorsement, some are already backing Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s nominee. But the party and the country are in uncharted territory.

Top leaders of Hawaii’s Democratic Party on Sunday praised President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from the 2024 election. Two members of the state’s congressional delegation have already endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris.

“Working with the President, Vice President Harris has played a critical role in the progress we have made and has demonstrated her readiness to lead our party forward,” Sen. Mazie Hirono said in a press release, adding, “I am proud to call Vice President Harris a friend and colleague, and I look forward to doing everything in my power to get her elected to the White House so we can build on the progress of the past four years.”

Rep. Jill Tokuda has also thrown her support behind Harris, who Biden endorsed on Sunday. But Harris’ nomination is far from a done deal, and the president’s announcement has plunged the nation into uncertain times that are changing by the hour.

Sen. Brian Schatz and Rep. Ed Case made no mention of the vice president in their public remarks following Biden’s announcement.

Joe Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday. (Wikipedia/White House/US Senate/2020)

“The path ahead is difficult, and I will take some limited time to discuss with my constituents and colleagues the best path forward for a Democratic nominee,” said Case, who on Thursday became the first prominent Hawaii Democrat to call on Biden to step aside. “Today is first and foremost about President Biden and his legacy of service to the country.”

While Sunday’s announcement didn’t come as a complete surprise, it was reported on Friday that Gov. Josh Green would host a fundraiser for Biden hosted by TV personality David Letterman in Martha’s Vineyard.

“President Biden and his family made this decision, which I have said all along was his and theirs. I have no doubt it was a difficult decision, and I thank him again for his selfless leadership,” Green said in a written statement Sunday.

Green also thanked Biden for his help following the deadly wildfires on Maui last August.

The governor and four Hawaii congressional delegates are among the local party’s nine superdelegates to the Democratic National Convention, along with 22 other delegates, which will be held in Chicago from August 19 to 22.

Biden will drop out of the race, freeing up the nearly 4,000 national delegates Biden won in the primaries and caucuses to vote on a new candidate. How that will work is unclear. If a majority of the party does not back Harris, there is the possibility of an open convention or even a mini-primary of sorts.

In addition to Harris, other possible nominees include Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

If Harris leads, those other officials, as well as North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, could also be chosen as her running mates, news reports said.

What comes next

A candidate needs 1,976 delegates to secure the nomination from the 3,937 available pledged delegates. In addition to the governor and congressional delegation, Hawaii’s superdelegates include the chair and vice chair of the Democratic Party of Hawaii and a national committeeman and woman.

Locally, there were already doubts about Biden’s electoral viability. In March, he won 66% of the vote in the Hawaii Democratic Party’s party-run presidential primary, but 29% voted “not committed.”

Bart Dame, the local party’s national committee member and one of its nine super delegates, said there are two likely scenarios for the next step in the nomination.

The first is what Dame calls “the orchestrated path,” the path favored by the party’s national power brokers. They want to proceed with a virtual roll call that had been scheduled to nominate Biden before the convention, but which will now likely nominate Harris.

No date has been set yet, but the virtual call must be made by August 7 to be eligible to vote in Ohio. Ohio is a delegate-heavy state that has recently voted with the Republican Party’s presidential candidates.

The call for names eliminates the possibility of a public convention or deliberative meeting at which other candidates would be considered.

“That would simply be votes cast over the phone and through coercion and queued up without people having much chance to discuss or deliberate,” Dame said.

Another option would be to hold a mini-primary, where Democrats, the public and the media can hear the candidates and ask them questions.

“And that would allow for a fair, open, transparent and competitive primary, but short-lived,” he explained. “It would perhaps include televised town hall meetings with multiple candidates, answering questions from journalists and allowing the public and the delegates to take an interest in the different candidates and decide for themselves who they want to support.”

A limited number of candidates would then be placed on the ballot at the convention, including candidates for vice president. While superdelegates are not allowed to vote in the first round of voting, which is for pledged delegates only, Dame said that’s his understanding of the DNC rules: Now that Biden has withdrawn, they are no longer legally pledged to the president.

That means all delegates, including superdelegates, would be eligible to vote on the first ballot. Dame said he expected Hawaii’s delegates who committed to Biden would likely follow his lead and back Harris, but he cautioned that the process is complicated, politically charged and in flux.

A bold Trump

Biden’s historic decision follows an unprecedented series of events in the past month that have already upended the 2024 race. Trump, the former Republican president, united his party at the Republican National Convention, which concluded Thursday in Milwaukee. His running mate is Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio.

Just over a week ago, Trump survived an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania, which only emboldened his core supporters. A Florida judge dismissed a case against him over secret documents, and the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that presidents have broad immunity for official acts in office, strengthening his position.

Even though Trump, who is 78, is a twice-impeached president who lost to Biden in 2020, and a convicted felon awaiting sentencing, he appears more popular and powerful than ever.

Biden, by contrast, has received mixed reactions in interviews and a press conference after the debate debacle and is currently at home in Delaware recovering from his second bout of Covid. Nationally, dozens of Democrats in Congress have called for him to leave the race, fundraising plans have been shelved and he continues to trail Trump in most polls.

But for now, the focus is on praising Biden and his efforts.

“For more than 50 years, Joe Biden has been a selfless patriot and dedicated public servant who has given his all to the country he loves,” Schatz said in a statement. “As senator, vice president, and now president, he has spent most of his life working to make people’s lives better and the world safer. Today, he has once again put the country before himself and made the best choice for the American people at this unique and pivotal moment. For that, and for his lifetime of service, we should all be deeply grateful.”

Not surprisingly, the Hawaii Republican Party takes a different view.

“Under President Biden’s leadership, our nation has faced significant challenges and hardships, making it clear that a change in leadership is necessary for the betterment of all Americans,” the party said in a statement. “The Hawaii Republican Party believes the country needs change, strength, and a renewed sense of purpose. The Democratic Party has failed the people with their divisive tactics and ineffective policies, and it is time for a new direction for our nation.”

The statement added: “As we look to the future, the Hawaii Republican Party stands united in our support for the re-election of President Donald Trump as our leader. We urge all voters to support Republican candidates on the ballot as we believe they are the best choice to lead our state and our country to prosperity.”

Civil Beat was unable to reach Derek Turbin, chairman of the Democratic Party of Hawaii. Biden is expected to address the nation later this week.

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