Excitement. Energy. Gratefulness. Uncertainty.
Those were commonly expressed words by Lancaster County Democrats on Sunday after hearing President Joe Biden’s announcement that he will not run for reelection this year, a decision that came after weeks of growing concern among national Democrats after Biden’s poor performance in last month’s debate against former President Donald Trump.
Lancaster city councilmember Janet Diaz, one of five delegates to the upcoming Democratic National Convention, said in a statement, “We are deeply grateful for his leadership and for advancing a boldly progressive agenda.”
Another local convention delegate, state Rep. Izzy Smith-Wade-El, said Biden’s decision is “going to bring a lot of excitement, energy and uncertainty. The job for all of us is how are we going to continue to thrive in that environment?”
“I look forward to getting out there and hustling for whoever is at the top of the ticket,” he added.
Tom O’Brien, the chair of the Lancaster County Democratic Committee, said, “The president has a great respect for democracy, for our party. I’m going to respect his decision. The party will regroup.”
O’Brien, who also will be a delegate at Democrats’ convention in Chicago, said the party’s vice presidential nominee could be the most interesting decision to watch in the coming weeks. He pointed to several Democrats that national media outlets have already listed as potential candidates, including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.
A new nominee
Smith-Wade-El said Vice President Kamala Harris “could be a very powerful voice, energizing the Black women who are the heart of the party.”
He wouldn’t outright say who he’d like to see as Harris’s running mate this year but his description for an ideal vice presidential nominee was identical to Shapiro — someone who holds strong favorability in one of the key swing states and has a history of gathering support from unions.
Smith-Wade-El also noted his interest in Pennsylvania having its first Black governor. If a Harris-Shapiro ticket won the White House this year, Pennsylvania’s first Black Lieutenant Gov. Austin Davis would fulfill the remainder of Shapiro’s first term.
In a phone call with a reporter Sunday, Diaz said there’s likely be “division” and “controversy” as the party chooses a new nominee.
“While this moment may feel uncertain, we know two things for sure: there will be a new Democratic nominee to counter extreme vision for America, and that nominee will need all of our support in this unprecedented moment in modern politics,” she said.
No matter who that next candidate will be, Lancaster city Mayor Danene Sorace, another convention delegate, said the party is doing everything in its power to win the White House come Election Day.
Sorace said Biden stepping aside was a sacrifice he made for the betterment of the country. “I think that’s the ultimate testimony to what leadership is.”
Jim Atkinson, the Democratic candidate challenging U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker this fall, was optimistic: “I believe Kamala Harris will beat Trump in November,” he said.
State’s top Democrats
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, running for reelection this year in a race critical to Democrats’ hopes of retaining their majority, said: “President Biden has always dedicated himself to improving the lives of Americans. He deserves our gratitude for his historic achievements, including rebuilding our economy after the pandemic and delivering the largest infrastructure investment in modern history. He had had an exemplary career in public service. He is a patriot who has always put our country first.”
Gov. Josh Shapiro, often mentioned as a possible future candidate for president, said: “President Biden is a patriot who has served our country honorably in the Senate, as Vice President, and as one of the most consequential presidents in modern history. … I am proud to work by his side and am grateful for his leadership and his unwavering commitment to delivering for Pennsylvania — the Commonwealth that raised him.”
Partisan jabs
U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker, a Republican who has represented the county in Congress since 2017, said the Democratic Party “is in shambles.”
In a statement issued Sunday afternoon, Smucker said, “No matter who the nominee will be, they will have to answer to the American people for the failed policies of the Biden-Harris administration. Rampant inflation causing families to struggle with the high cost of living, a wide open southern border, and a diminished global standing is what three and a half years of the Biden-Harris administration have brought our nation.”
State Rep. Mike Sturla, the longest serving lawmaker in the Pennsylvania House and a Democrat representing Lancater city and Manheim Township, said the Democrats’ candidate “will have a greater understanding of foreign policy, infrastructure needs for the country, closing corporate tax loop holes, working class values, the environment, education, women's rights, human rights, and the existential threat that [Trump] and his proposed policies (including Project 2025) pose to American democracy.”
Sturla added, “I would call on (Trump), as a convicted felon, and person that faces criminal charges in multiple states, to step down from the race.”
Dave McCormick, the Republican nominee against Casey this year, blasted his opponent for not challenging Biden’s fitness for office.
“Joe Biden is not capable of serving as Commander-in-Chief,” McCormick said. “Bob Casey is very close to Biden — he’s known this — but in typical Casey fashion, he’s been weak in his refusal to admit to Pennsylvanians that Biden is simply not up to the job. Keeping his head down when times get tough, that's who Bob Casey is. As a veteran and an American, I believe our troops deserve a Commander-in-Chief who is fully capable of doing the job — and Casey’s refusal to stand up for them throughout President Biden’s obvious decline is despicable.”
Republican County Commissioner Josh Parsons posted on X, “For years far left Democrat party elites & their partners in the establishment media have lied to you about Biden’s fitness to be President. Now they have turned on a dime & forced him out because he is not useful anymore. Next they, not Democrat voters, will choose their candidate. Never again listen to one word from them about ‘protecting democracy.’”
