Georgia leaders, lawmakers react to Pres. Biden dropping out of presidential race

ATLANTA — President Joe Biden announced on Sunday that he would not seek reelection and will “stand down” from the 2024 presidential race.

Just a few minutes later, the president endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for the Democratic nomination.

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Now, Georgia leaders and lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle are reacting to the much-debated announcement.

Senator Jon Ossoff called President Biden “extraordinary and historic.” He also passed along his support to Vice President Harris as the “right candidate to defeat Donald Trump.”

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens issued a statement calling the president “an extraordinary American,” “friend” and “leader.”

Chairman of the Georgia Republican Party Josh McKoon posted on X that if the president does not feel he is fit to run, he should not finish out his term as president.

U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has been a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump, described Democrats calling for the president to step down a “soft civil war.”

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Chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Georgia and U.S. Representative Nikema Williams issued a statement thanking Biden for his decades of public service and investments she says has created 30,000 new jobs in Georgia.

“We thank President Joe Biden for his decades of public service. For the past three and a half years, President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have led our country’s recovery from a global pandemic and made investments that have already created 30,000 new jobs in Georgia.
President Biden said Georgia made him president, and he’s right. There is more work to be done. Our eyes are on the prize.
We must defeat the twice-impeached, failed, 34-time convicted felon Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda.
We stand firmly behind Vice President Harris to make it happen.”
— Congresswoman Nikema Williams

U.S. Representative Hank Johnson says he has been “steadfastly loyal” to President Biden and threw his support to Harris.

Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who has been working on Pres. Biden’s campaign, saying she is “filled with a profound sense of sadness and admiration for the man who has served our nation with unwavering dedication and grace.”

Dr. Bernice King, daughter of civil rights pioneer Martin Luther King Jr., says that now is the time for “sincere prayer and strategic action.”

Former two-time Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams posted saying that Democrats must unite around whoever becomes the presidential nominee.

The Cobb County Democratic Party also released a statement on Sunday afternoon.

Good afternoon,
I am sorry to see that President Joe Biden has ended his campaign for the 2024 presidential election. While some have been calling on the president to step down since the June debate, we remained proud supporters of President Biden while he weighed this consequential decision.
His 50 years of public service is a testament to his love for our country and our democracy. I do not believe he made this decision lightly, but instead that this decision is what he thinks is best for our country. President Biden has always put his country first.
But don’t confuse best for easiest. Nothing about this election year promised to be easy, and we still have a long way to go. There are 106 days until the November election, but if there is one thing we know about American politics it's that a lot can still happen.
Regardless of who the Democratic nominee is, the threat to our country and democracy remains the same. That threat is convicted felon Donald Trump and his plans to take away American freedoms. Project 2025 is currently underway and will be fully implemented from the first day if Trump is elected. We are going to work nonstop to make sure that does not happen.
This is still a battle between a Democracy and a Dictatorship, and the Cobb County Democratic Committee is going to need all hands-on deck.
The Cobb County Democratic Committee stands committed to preserving our democracy from the ground up. We will continue to promote our local candidates and tirelessly get out the vote to ensure Cobb County Democratic voters show up at the ballot box in record numbers in November. Together, we can deny the convicted felon, Donald Trump a second presidency and elect Democrats up and down the Georgia ballot.
We are so grateful to President Biden for his support of Cobb County and Georgia Democrats and his work to fix what Trump broke. In his four years in office Biden has overcome hyper-partisanship to pass legislation on infrastructure, climate change, health care, gun control, semiconductor industry, and much more.
Our work is unceasing; it simply goes on! Please visit www.CobbDemocrats.org to sign up to volunteer today!
Many thanks for your continued support and remember to PROTECT OUR DEMOCRACY!
— Essence Johnson, Chair, Cobb County Democratic Committee

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