(The Center Square) – In the less than 24 hours since President Joe Biden announced he is dropping out of the 2024 presidential race, numerous Michigan leaders have raced to express their thoughts.
As of Monday morning, many Michigan Democrats have not wholly endorsed Biden’s pick of Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement for as the nominee.
Both U.S. Sens. Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow; U.S. Reps. Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor; Dan Kildee, D-Flint; Hillary Scholten, D-Grand Rapids; Haley Stevens, D-Birmingham and Shri Thanedar, D-Detroit have all announced support for Harris. Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes also gave her endorsement.
Notably, though, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has not given her endorsement. While she has previously said she would like to finish her gubernatorial term in 2026, she has been floated as a replacement for Biden for months. She took to X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday to express her support for Biden’s decision.
“President Biden is a great public servant who knows better than anyone what it takes to defeat Donald Trump. His remarkable work to lower prescription drug costs, fix the damn roads, bring supply chains home, address climate change, and ensure America’s global leadership over decades will go down in history,” Whitmer posted.
Other Michigan Democrats also focused on the current president’s accomplishments, over his health. U.S. senate candidate Elissa Slotkin also took to X to express her sentiments.
“Joe Biden has always put country first, and with today’s announcement he’s doing so again. Over the next four months, everyone who cares about our fragile democracy — Democrats, Independents and Republicans alike — must work together to defend it by electing a Democratic president this November,” she wrote.
Michigan Republicans such as Pete Hoekstra, chairman of the Michigan GOP, emphasized both the sitting president’s health and policies when responding to his decision.
“President Trump is winning Michigan in November not because of Joe Biden, but because of the mess Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and the radical left’s policies have made,” Hoekstra wrote on X. “Michiganders need a President who will fix inflation and lower the cost of living, protect our manufacturing jobs, and secure our Southern Border. That’s Donald Trump.”
Conservatives are not alone in their concerns. While Harris remains the most mainstream pick for the party, some progressive leaders have emphasized their concerns, especially within the Muslim American community. Palestinian U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, and Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud have both decried the Biden administration for its response in Gaza.
“Dems have an opportunity to be bold this convention,” Hammoud said on X. “To nominate a candidate who can usher historic policy domestically AND abandon the genocidal course charted in Gaza and beyond. America needs a candidate who can inspire voters to come out to the ballot box this November.”
