Utah Democrats ‘disappointed,’ ‘in shock’ by Biden decision to drop out

Moments after President Joe Biden announced he would suspend his reelection bid Sunday afternoon, some Utah Democrats expressed disappointment about his decision — but were split about whether they should file in behind Vice President Kamala Harris.

In a letter released Sunday, Biden announced he would “stand down” and “focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.” He offered his “full support and endorsement” for his vice president, Harris, to be the party’s nominee.

The Democratic Party will now have to decide how it selects its nominee — either by a virtual vote prior to next month’s national convention, or an open vote among delegates in Chicago.

In Utah, Democratic party leaders and elected officials are undecided on how they wish the party to proceed. A statement released by Utah Democratic Party Chair Diane Lewis focused on thanking Biden for being “one of the most transformational presidents in the history of our country” and outlined his policy accomplishments. But Lewis — a superdelegate at next month’s convention — did not offer an endorsement of Harris, nor did she express a preference as to how the party should proceed.

“It is critical that Democrats remain united against Donald Trump, and that we keep his MAGA agenda from undoing all of President Biden’s accomplishments,” Lewis concluded. “We remain dedicated to getting Democrats elected across our cities, our state, and our country.”

If the nominating process is postponed until next month’s convention, Lewis and other superdelegates will not vote until after the first round of voting is finished — meaning she may not have the chance to vote, should a candidate reach a majority in the opening round.

Utah Democrats won’t yet endorse a candidate to replace Biden

Thom DeSirant, the executive director of the Utah Democratic Party, said the state party plans to withhold from an endorsement at this time. “We understand that this is a difficult time,” he said. “We respect President Biden’s endorsement, although I think that we want to respect the elected delegates’ position. It’s those people who get to make this vote.”

Biden’s announcement, DeSirant added, was “a difficult event for us to swallow.”

“Right now, a lot of us are a little bit in shock,” he said.

Rep. Angela Romero, minority leader of the Utah state House of Representatives, echoed the sentiment. “I think President Biden has done an amazing job for our country, and I’m a little disappointed to see him not be our nominee,” she said.

However, Romero — president of the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators — offered her endorsement of Harris. “I support his decision 100% to endorse our vice president to be our party nominee,” she said.

Utah state Senate Minority Leader Luz Escamilla said she commended “President Joe Biden for his unwavering integrity and commendable leadership in making the difficult decision to step down from the nomination, a move that resonates with the American values of resilience and unity.”

Scott Howell, the former Utah Senate minority leader and a Biden-Harris surrogate in Utah, called on Biden to drop out in early July “if he’s not up to the rigors of the job.”

On Sunday, Howell said Biden “put America ahead of himself.”

“I have always had complete confidence, trust and faith in Joe Biden,” he said. “I can tell you that this day is not the worst day for President Biden. The tragic accident that took his wife’s life and the pain of losing his son to cancer will always be the most challenging time in his life.”

Howell said he and his wife are backing Harris for the nomination.

“Linda and I had the privilege of attending an intimate reception with Vice President Harris in Park City. We were genuinely impressed by her deep understanding of both foreign and domestic issues, clearly qualifying her to be an excellent leader for our country and the world,” he said.

“Her dedication to the Constitution and her commitment to keeping democracy alive and well for all citizens stood out to us,” he continued. “We are proud to support Vice President Harris as the nominee for President of the United States of America.”

Democratic donor Mark Gilbert is backing Harris

Mark Gilbert, a former U.S. ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa and a major Democratic donor, said this is a “sad day.”

“This is a man who spent the last 52 years of his life serving the country,” Gilbert said. “He has been an excellent president. The way the party treated him was really pretty harsh.”

Gilbert has hosted fundraisers at his Park City home for Biden, Harris and First Lady Jill Biden within the last calendar year. He noted he hasn’t spoken to the president today, so he isn’t sure what went into his decision. “But I’m sure he felt, considering the circumstances, it was the right thing for the party, the country going forward,” Gilbert said.

Gilbert expressed his support for Harris. “I think the vice president has earned the president’s trust, and she will make a remarkable nominee for the party,” he said.