WASHINGTON, USA — President Joe Biden announced on Sunday, July 21 he will no longer seek reelection in the 2024 presidential race.
Lawmakers across Washington state have made statements concerning the withdrawal.
Washington State Governor Jay Inslee wrote on social media, "As he’s done for five decades, Joe Biden put his country first. In the long scope of history, his work to protect us from the ravages of climate change will be seen as an historic achievement. Biden is going out on top with a long record of accomplishments we can all be proud of."
Washington State Attorney General and Democratic Party candidate for Governor of Washington Bob Ferguson released a statement that thanked Biden for his service as president and announced his support for Kamala Harris as the new Democratic candidate.
His statement partially reads, "We owe President Biden, a good man and patriot, our deepest thanks for defeating Trump in 2020. He has been a strong and principled leader, ushering America through the challenge of pandemic recovery, enacting transformational investments in American manufacturing and infrastructure jobs, and leaving us in a stronger position domestically and on the world stage. He preserved and protected our democracy at a critical moment in our nation’s history and restored civility to the White House."
United States Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell also released statements expressing gratitude for Biden's leadership.
Cantwell's statement was posted to social media:
The statement from Murray reads:
"America owes a deep debt of gratitude to Joe Biden for his historic leadership—a true patriot who loves this country. In 2020, he saved American democracy by beating Donald Trump, and he has led one of the most successful Presidential administrations in history: building our economy back up after a devastating pandemic, delivering on historic legislative triumphs, uniting the world against dictators like Putin, and restoring decency and integrity to the White House. I am so proud to call Joe my President, and I have such a profound respect for his willingness to pass the torch.
We must beat Donald Trump—and I know Kamala Harris can win. I am behind Vice President Harris one-hundred percent—she is exactly the woman we need to prosecute the case against Donald Trump, save American democracy, lead the fight to restore abortion rights, and build an economy that puts working people—not billionaires—first. I will do everything I can to help elect Kamala Harris as our next President.”
Washington State Democratic Party Chair Shasti Conrad also released a statement announcing her support for Kamala Harris as the Democratic candidate.
“Her lived experience as a Black and Asian American woman has inspired millions of people, myself included, to see ourselves occupying the highest positions of power and leadership. We are a big-tent party and Vice President Harris is the only national figure capable of unifying the full diversity of our Party to lead us to victory in November," said Conrad.
United States Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, who serves as a representative for Washington's 7th district, also posted a statement to social media:
Locally, Spokane City Council members Zack Zappone and Jonathan Bingle both posted statements to social media in the hours following Biden's announcement.
The Spokane County Republican Party Vice Chair, Lyle Dach, told KREM 2 News:
"We feel like you're really eliminating the voice of the people from the democrat party because they went through that caucus process and now it's just going to be an endorsement of a nominee from a select few, the elite, the delegates that go to the DNC in August in Chicago. So it's not real true representation of the people is what I'm getting at."
The Washington State Republican Party did not respond to initial requests for comments and has not yet issued a statement.
The Democratic National Convention is scheduled to take place on August 19-22 and democrats will formally nominate a candidate.
This is a developing story. Check back here for updates.