PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN’S stunning decision to drop out of the presidential race Sunday has put the Bay Area’s own Kamala Harris at the forefront of the country’s most critical race this November.
Silicon Valley leaders on both sides of the aisle saw it coming. Biden had faced intensifying pressure in the last few weeks to step out of the race amid concerns about his age and cognitive ability, including from top South Bay Democrats like Rep. Zoe Lofgren. Biden initially vowed to continue and said he’s the best candidate to beat Republican nominee Donald Trump, but by Sunday the president had conceded.
“While it has been my intention to seek reelection, 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 wrote in a letter.
Biden endorsed Vice President Harris, a Democrat who got her start in Northern California politics, criminal justice and law enforcement.
Bill James, chairman of the Santa Clara County Democratic Party, said that California Democrats are excited at the prospect of Harris being chosen as the nominee — and that Biden removing himself is a sign of “strong leadership and self sacrifice.”
“I think a lot of people who supported president Biden will respect it as having been his decision to step back,” James told San José Spotlight.
He added that Biden leaving late into the game when primary votes have been cast and delegates selected is unprecedented.
“I think (Harris) is the most likely outcome,” James said. “Given the rules and the reality and the limited time available, it would be hard for the delegates to get organized around supporting a candidate other than the vice president.”
Activating young voters
San Jose Councilmember and longtime Democrat David Cohen said Harris has what it takes to activate a young generation of voters this November — including his own college-aged daughter who’s a member of the LGBTQ+ community. She’s been worried about what a Trump presidency would mean for her and her classmates.
“She’s asking, ‘What does it means for me and all the students around me? The people around me just can’t vote for the old guy,’” Cohen told San José Spotlight on Sunday. “The college turnout for Kamala will be very large. The voter demographics aren’t who we always talk to.”
Harris served as California’s junior U.S. senator for less than one term before being tapped as Biden’s running mate in 2020, a decision lauded by Bay Area political leaders. She previously served as San Francisco district attorney and California attorney general before being elected to the U.S. Senate.
Harris made history by becoming the first woman, the first Black American and the first South Asian American to be elected to vice president.
“She’s the best representation of what America is, racially speaking, that most Americans are mixed with some of everything.” Rev. Jeff Moore, San Jose/Silicon Valley NAACP
“The Democratic Party is at a crossroads and will lose their viability, particularly in Black communities, if they do not support Kamala,” the Rev. Jeff Moore, president of Silicon Valley’s local NAACP chapter, told San José Spotlight. “All the money her and Biden has raised can only be spent on that ticket.”
If Harris does win the party’s nomination, Moore said she’ll excite those in the Black and Asian communities to vote.
“She’s the best representation of what America is, racially speaking, that most Americans are mixed with some of everything,” Moore said.
Lofgren, the latest and perhaps most prominent Bay Area legislator who called for Biden to drop out, on Sunday said she’s grateful for his decision. She called Harris an “exciting” choice for president, but said the Democratic Party’s nominee must come from the ground up.
“I think Kamala Harris would be a good, capable and exciting nominee, but there will need to be a quick assessment and process to reach that conclusion,” the congresswoman told San José Spotlight. “The delegates to the Democratic Convention, selected by voters, will choose the nominee, not elected officials.”
‘The stakes are too high’
While the two candidates running for Congressional District 16 had little to say last week on whether Biden should stop his reelection campaign, both Assemblymember Evan Low and former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo weighed in on Sunday.
“The measure of any leader is their willingness to put country above self,” Liccardo said. “I’m deeply grateful to President Biden for his steadfast and historic commitment to our nation.”
Low said he’s proud to endorse Harris for president.
“The VP’s a former prosecutor running against a felon in Donald Trump,” he told San José Spotlight. “The VP will protect a woman’s right to choose while Trump will continue to take away reproductive freedoms. The contrast for voters can’t be more clear. The stakes are too high. Kamala Harris is the right choice for this moment.”
San Jose Councilmember Omar Torres quickly endorsed Harris for president as speculation swirled in Silicon Valley Democratic circles that some might favor Gov. Gavin Newson if he jumps into the race.
“Vice President Harris has been a fighter for women’s reproductive rights, action on climate change, LGBTQ+ rights, and cancelling student debt,” Torres told San José Spotlight. “I am looking forward to supporting Vice President Harris and voting for the Harris ticket in November.”
Santa Clara County Supervisor Sylvia Arenas said she’s confident Harris is the right person to lead the country.
“Our country deserves a strong woman with a proven track record of fighting for our children and families, advocating for racial justice and standing up against attacks on our reproductive rights,” Arenas told San José Spotlight.
Republicans: ‘She failed miserably’
Silicon Valley Republican leaders on Sunday would not speculate how Harris might fare against Trump, who was leading Biden last week in polls in seven swing states.
Shane Patrick Connolly, chair of the Santa Clara County Republican Party, said Republicans are unified and energized coming off the national convention last week in Milwaukee.
“VP Kamala Harris was given one big job — the border crisis — and she failed miserably to fix it because they are ideologically beholden to open-border extremists,” Connolly told San José Spotlight. “She represents the same failed policies that precipitated new wars, high inflation and a record-breaking influx of largely unvetted migrants from countries around the globe. Her presidency would be a continuation of all of the bad Biden policies and more.”
In a short statement, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan did not weigh in on Harris’ candidacy but said great leaders know when to pass the torch.
“Thank you, Mr. President, for putting the country first,” Mahan posted on social media.
Contact Joyce Chu at joyce@sanjosespotlight.com or follow her at @joyce_speaks on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This story originally appeared in San Jose Spotlight.