Reaction from North Carolina political figures was swift and mostly partisan Sunday afternoon to the news that President Joe Biden was dropping out of the race and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 Presidential Election.
Roy Cooper, whose name is being floated as a potential candidate to be Harris’ running mate, called Biden "among our nation’s finest presidents."
— Roy Cooper (@RoyCooperNC) July 21, 2024
Cooper also endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to become the Democratic nominee. Harris was the attorney general of California at the same time that Cooper was the attorney general of North Carolina.
Kamala Harris should be the next President. I’ve known @VP going back to our days as AGs, and she has what it takes to defeat Donald Trump and lead our country thoughtfully and with integrity. I look forward to campaigning for her as we work to win NC up and down the ticket.
— Roy Cooper (@RoyCooperNC) July 21, 2024
Republican Congressman and North Carolina Attorney General candidate Dan Bishop offered a flurry of posts and reposts on X (formerly known as Twitter), but his first reaction was to reiterate a stance from many in his party’s leadership that Biden should step down from the presidency immediately.
How can he remain president? Yet another sign of devotion to “our democracy”? https://t.co/xMSPU74tUn
— Dan Bishop (@danbishopnc) July 21, 2024
North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis echoed Bishop’s sentiment that Biden should resign.
If President Biden can’t handle the rigors of a campaign, then he can’t handle the rigors of the hardest job in the world for another six months. And America can’t handle the disastrous Biden-Harris agenda for another four years. #ncpol
— Thom Tillis (@ThomTillis) July 21, 2024
Don Davis is the Democrat seeking reelection in North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District —the only race expected to be close for Congress in the Tar Heel State. He "wholeheartedly" supported Biden's decision to drop out.
I wholeheartedly support President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from the presidential race. My sincere prayers are with him and his family as I continue to focus on fighting for eastern North Carolina.
— Don Davis (@DonDavisNC) July 21, 2024
Davis’ Republican challenger, Laurie Buckhout, called Biden "one of the worst presidents in our nation’s history."
Joe Biden will go down as one of the worst presidents in our nation’s history.
— Laurie Buckhout (@lauriebuckhout) July 21, 2024
Joe sent our country into a tailspin, creating crisis after crisis, enabled by the Democrats in Congress.
Voters will not forget the last 3 years of turmoil—record-high border crossings, sky-high…
Not all Democrats were expressing immediate support for Harris, or Biden’s decision. EQV Analytics is a "North Carolina-focused campaign consulting firm serving Democratic candidates with advanced campaign analytics." Although he did not sign it, William Busa, the founder of EQV Analytics, appeared to write on X that he is considering changing his voter registration over the decision.
For the 1st time in 50+ years I'm thinking of switching from Dem to Unaffiliated. I love Dem principles & firmly reject gopers', but Dem leaders are fools who excel at blowing every opportunity handed to them. Now they've p*ssed away the most successful presidency since FDR's.
— EQV Analytics 🇺🇦😷🔬 (@AnalyticsEqv) July 21, 2024
As of Sunday evening, only one of North Carolina’s two major party candidates for governor had posted a reaction to the news. Democrat Josh Stein called Biden a "true patriot."
President Biden has put the American people first throughout his historic career — as senator, vice president, and president.
— Josh Stein (@JoshStein_) July 21, 2024
His vast record of accomplishments include the Violence Against Women Act, historic expansion of health care access, record-breaking job growth across…
His opponent, Republican Mark Robinson, had not yet posted a statement as of Sunday evening.
