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Warren, Pressley, and Campbell all put their support behind Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday evening.
Leading Democrats from Massachusetts are thanking President Joe Biden after he announced Sunday he will drop out of the presidential race, with some turning their sights to Vice President Kamala Harris as his presumptive replacement.
The state’s Democratic Party praised the decision in a statement and said Biden possessed “breathtaking humility.”
“By making the selfless choice to step aside, he has set the Democratic Party on a course for the future in which all of us, everywhere, are motivated not by preservation of the status quo, but by those bold, decisive, but necessary actions by which we change society for the better,” they wrote.
Shortly after Biden made his announcement, he endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for the Democratic nomination ahead of their convention next month. Some Massachusetts leaders have followed his lead, while others have stayed silent on the news so far.
Warren, Pressley support Kamala Harris’ bid for the presidency
Senator Elizabeth Warren released a statement where she praised Biden and echoed his endorsement for Harris.
“He accomplished more in the past four years — to bring back jobs, stand up to big corporations, and build an economy that works for all of us — than we have been able to get done in the last forty,” Warren wrote about Biden on X. “He deserves full credit for beating Donald Trump in 2020, and his selfless decision today gives us our best shot at doing it again in 2024.”
Warren went on to say that Harris can defeat former President Donald Trump in November because she was already “chosen by the voters to succeed Joe Biden if needed.”
Senator Ed Markey added to the endorsements, writing that Harris is “battle-tested and ready to serve.”
Representatives Ayanna Pressley and Lori Trahan and Attorney General Andrea Campbell all also endorsed Harris in the hours following Biden’s announcement. In a statement, Pressley said “what’s at stake in this election has not changed” and Harris can “unit the party.”
“Vice President Harris is a proven strong, empathetic, and moral leader. She has been a clear leading voice on abortion rights, healthcare justice and student debt cancellation,” Pressley said. “We worked together when she was in the Senate on legislation to address the maternal health crisis, support small Black businesses, advance housing justice, and protect voting rights.”
Campbell released two separate statements, one thanking Biden and another supporting Harris, who Campbell said “has been a friend and inspiration to me in my public service career.” She writes that she met Harris when she spoke at her graduation from the University of California Los Angeles Law School.
Campbell, who is the first Black woman to hold her office, said Harris has brought “new representation” into her positions in California and on the national stage.
“Vice President Harris has already been doing the work. In the past three years, she has delivered on maternal health, gun safety reform, and climate resiliency initiatives,” Campbell wrote. “It’s about time we had a female president.”
Jake Auchincloss rallied behind Harris later on Sunday in an interview with WHDH. Auchincloss put out a short statement earlier, writing that Biden has defended democracy “admirably” before calling on the Democrats to win in November.
https://twitter.com/JakeAuch/status/1815091586591851004
He told the television station that Harris “has my support going forward.”
“That’s not exclusive to having an open and transparent process, though,” Auchincloss said. “Kamala Harris will earn and win this nomination because she’s a career prosecutor who is well positioned to take on a convicted felon.”
Healey, Clark, and more praise Biden without endorsing Harris
Governor Maura Healey and Representatives Katherine Clark, and Richard Neal all thanked Biden for his decades of service but did not mention Harris or any other potential candidate as of 5 p.m. Sunday night.
“Few could have risen to the challenge the way Joe Biden has. He has restored our economy, defended our freedoms, and protected democracy at home and abroad,” Healey said in a statement. “President Biden’s decision today not to seek reelection is the ultimate example of putting the country first — something Joe Biden has done over and over again in his unparalleled career.”
Clark touted Biden’s accomplishments in multiple posts on X but did not mention the future of the race.
“Thanks to his tenacity and vision, President Biden got shots in arms, lowered costs for working families, rebuilt our infrastructure, and saved our economy from the brink of collapse,” Clark wrote. “He proved, as he always has, what’s possible when we invest in the American people.”
Harris put out a statement praising Biden’s decision to withdraw and accepting his endorsement. She did not publicly comment on any potential running mates.
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