PG A.M.: What comes next for Democrats with Biden now out?

Vice President Kamala Harris moved with lightning speed Sunday to lock up support from Georgia delegates, establishment leaders and party officials after President Joe Biden finally succumbed to mounting pressure to quit the 2024 presidential campaign.

Harris lit up the phone lines, calling congressional leaders and party officials to seal their support. When she reached Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia, he was unequivocal.

“I’m all in,” Warnock told her. “And I’m ready to help in any way that I can.”

As voters wake to a new political landscape Monday, Harris seems to have a lock on the party’s nomination. None of the people who would be formidable rivals have announced plans to run against her, and some publicly endorsed her.

But plenty of challenges persist. While Harris is the unquestioned front-runner, some Democratic movers-and-shakers are hoping for alternatives.

There are also significant legal hurdles ahead to shift the Biden-Harris campaign committee’s war chest to Harris. And she’ll face the full fury of a GOP attack apparatus that has until now focused most of its fire on Biden.

There’s no telling how Harris will make a case for herself as the presidential nominee after years of playing a secondary role to Biden — or how rank-and-file Democratic voters, and eventually the nation, will respond.

***

Credit: AJC

Credit: AJC

POLL WATCHING. Georgia voters give former President Donald Trump a slight edge over Vice President Kamala Harris in a head-to-head matchup, according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll released this morning. Trump leads Harris 51% to 46%, just outside the margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.

One percent of voters surveyed said they’d opt for other presidential candidates, while an additional 2% said they were undecided.

The survey of 1,000 likely voters was conducted by the University of Georgia’s School of Public and International Affairs between July 9 and 18 — a volatile time in the presidential contest. It came as some senior Democrats intensified their push to drive the 81-year-old Biden from the race and also encompassed parts of the Republican National Convention and the July 13 assassination attempt on Trump at a Pennsylvania rally.

Polling numbers could shift now that Biden has stepped aside — and some leading Democrats, including former President Bill Clinton, former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and influential South Carolina U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn have already endorsed Harris.

Trey Hood, the UGA political scientist who oversaw the survey, noted that when he polled the Trump versus Harris question it was a hypothetical. Sunday’s news, he said, “certainly resets things.”

***

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

SURPRISE. Just how caught off guard were Georgia Democrats by President Joe Biden’s stunning decision to step aside?

Earlier Sunday, U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, the chair of the state party, joined a letter with six of her congressional counterparts in other battleground states to reaffirm support for Biden.

Then there was the Biden campaign’s celebratory office opening in Henry County, one that wrapped up just minutes before Biden ended his campaign and threw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris.

An insider told us that while Biden’s decision caught the party by surprise, there was “massive relief” he made the decision to withdraw. Fundraising was already difficult in Georgia but “became almost impossible” after his disastrous debate performance.

In the hours after the announcement, party officials say donations are ticking upward and there are already discussions from the campaign and its allies of ensuring Georgia is in play.

***

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

THE VP’S VP? Some Georgia Democrats are already staking early positions on who could be Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate in November.

Harris hasn’t yet secured the party’s nomination, but some Georgia Democrats treated Harris’ bid as a foregone conclusion. And they looked ahead to the race to be Harris’ No. 2.

State Rep. Scott Holcomb, D-Atlanta, gave an early endorsement to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, saying he’s “ready and would be compelling.”

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

State Rep. Billy Mitchell, D-Stone Mountain, said he believes Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is the early front-runner. Others mentioned North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore as potential favorites.

Then there was a dark-horse making the rounds among some senior Georgia Democrats — Admiral William McRaven, who retired from the U.S. Navy in 2014 after leading the U.S. Joint Special Operations Command. McRaven is also the former commander of the Navy SEALs who penned his book, “Make Your Bed,” after his commencement address to the University of Texas on the same topic went viral.

***

Credit: Steve Schaefer/AJC

FIT TO SERVE? For weeks, Republicans in Georgia and beyond have said that President Joe Biden was unfit to serve another term in office and suggested he abandon his race.

Now that Biden has done just that, many of those same Republicans lined up Sunday to criticize his decision and the Democratic leaders they claimed hid Biden’s diminished health from primary voters.

“Democrat party bosses lied to 14 million voters that President Biden was fit to serve another term,” U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, R-St. Simons Island, said in a statement. Carter went on to criticize Vice President Kamala Harris, saying she failed to secure the nation against illegal immigration and crime as the appointed “border czar.”

“This is the least democratic nomination process in American history,” Carter continued. “Washington Democrats will be held accountable for steamrolling and misleading the American people come November.”

Some Georgia Republicans said Biden’s decision not to run for reelection was not enough.

“Joe Biden must resign from office immediately. If he is not fit to run, he is not fit to serve,” state GOP Chair Josh McKoon said in a statement.

That echoed a statement from top party boss House Speaker Mike Johnson, who said immediately after Biden’s announcement, “If Joe Biden is not fit to run for president, he is not fit to serve as president. He must resign the office immediately.”

Biden’s announcement did not say he believes he is unfit to run again, but that he plans to focus his full attention on wrapping up his single term as president.

***

BLACK WOMEN MOBILIZE FOR HARRIS. Immediately after Vice President Kamala Harris confirmed she will pursue the presidential nomination, a coalition of Black sororities and advocacy groups mobilized to back her campaign.

“Win With Black Women” is an umbrella organization focused on engaging Black women in the political process, and it has spurned groups in various states that meet regularly to hear from elected officials and strategists.

Sunday night’s hastily called meeting drew an astounding 25,000 women to a video conference call, and that doesn’t count other streams and recordings to catch the overflow who received error messages as organizers tried to keep up with demand.

Speakers like political strategist Donna Brazile and Ohio Congresswoman Joyce Beatty reiterated their support for Harris and encouraged the Black women on the call to stand behind her and encourage friends and family to do the same.

Many also simply absorbed the weight of the moment, with a Black woman closer to becoming president than at any time in American history.

If elected, Harris would also become the first American of South Asian descent to serve as president. Her mother emigrated from India at age 19.

***

Credit: Ziyu Julian Zhu/AJC

LISTEN UP. We’ll unpack President Joe Biden’s historic announcement on today’s installment of “Politically Georgia,” live from Savannah. We’ll be joined by Savannah Mayor Van Johnson, who shares how he and other Democratic Party delegates are reacting to the news that Biden is no longer seeking reelection. State Rep. Shelly Hutchinson, another DNC delegate, shares a Black female perspective on the news.

The AJC’s Mark Niesse will then explain the process for Vice President Kamala Harris or another nominee to get their name on the ballot in Georgia.

Listen live at 10 a.m. on WABE 90.1 or follow “Politically Georgia” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Friday was the team’s final episode from the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee and featured Republican Party of Georgia Chairman Josh McKoon.

***

Credit: AJC

LIVE FROM SAVANNAH. The “Politically Georgia” tour is making a stop on the Georgia coast. The team will be in Savannah tonight for a live taping featuring U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock. The Democrat is a Savannah native.

We are currently at capacity for RSVPs for the event, which begins at 5:30 p.m. But if you want to attend, add your name to the waitlist for last-minute openings.

***

TODAY IN WASHINGTON:

President Joe Biden still has no public events on his schedule after testing positive for COVID-19 and announcing he will no longer seek reelection.
Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks at the White House during a celebration of NCAA national championship teams.
The U.S. House returns for evening votes.
The House Oversight Committee holds a hearing on the Secret Service’s performance in light of the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
The Senate is back on Tuesday.

***

Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

GLOBETROTTER. Fresh off a trade mission to South Korea last month, Gov. Brian Kemp travels to Italy this week to promote Georgia’s trade partnership with the European country.

The state is home to several Italian manufacturers, such as firearms maker Beretta and tiremaker Pirelli, and Georgia companies did $3.4 billion worth of trade with Italy in 2023. The trip will be the first Georgia trade mission to Italy since 2017.

***

Credit: Stephen B. Morton for the AJC

TOURISM MORATORIUM. We’ve told you previously how tourism, and specifically trolley, horse-drawn carriage and walking tours, has become a political football in Savannah. Now, the city’s Tourism Advisory Committee has temporarily paused approvals of new tour operators in the historic city.

The Savannah Morning News’ Evan Lasseter reports the quasi-government entity has agreed not to approve new operators through the end of the year.

The move targets walking tours, which have drawn complaints from residents about noise and the blocking of sidewalks. More than 100 walking tours currently operate downtown.

For more on the Savannah tour tug-of-war, read this story from Insider Adam Van Brimmer published in May.

***

AS ALWAYS, Politically Georgia readers are some of our favorite tipsters. Send your best scoop, gossip and insider info to greg.bluestein@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com and adam.vanbrimmer@ajc.com.

About the Authors