From compassion and gratitude to cynicism and the conspiratorial, Texas’s elected officials wasted little time weighing in on President Joe Biden’s historic decision to bow out of the presidential race and throw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris.
Biden had been under increasing pressure to forego reelection since his lackluster debate performance against former President Donald Trump late last month. An increasing number of elected officials from within his own party called for him to step aside. But as recently as this weekend, Biden sounded confident he’d remain on the ticket.
His announcement Sunday now creates a chaotic few months forward for Democrats as they determine whom to coalesce around in their effort to defeat Trump in November.
“I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” Biden said in a statement.
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, promptly called for Biden to step aside before his current term expires in January and lambasted Vice President Kamala Harris for what he called her inaction on the border.
In a separate statement on social media, Biden called for his party to unite around Harris and called his decision to name her his running mate four years ago “the best decision” he made.
“Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this,” the president said.
Texas Republicans zoom in on Harris as ‘Border Czar’
Though it’s unclear who the Democrats will choose to face Trump, Cornyn foreshadowed what will likely be part of the Republican strategy should Harris get the nod.
“If Dems think trading Biden for his failed Border Czar is going to change anything, they're dreaming. Under her ‘leadership’ criminals and terrorists stream across our wide-open border & fentanyl continues to kill thousands of innocent Americans,” Cornyn posted on X. “If she can’t fix the border, how is she going to run the country? Kamala Harris is even more radical, more extreme and less competent than Joe Biden. And if Pres. Biden is not competent to run for reelection, he should step down from the presidency.”
“If Dems think trading Biden for his failed Border Czar is going to change anything, they're dreaming." – U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas
Gov. Greg Abbott also played up the border theme and offered a subtle self-promotion of his state-based border policies, which include the multi-billion Operation Lone Star. That initiative has sent thousands of state police and Texas National Guard troops to the state’s southern border.
“Joe Biden has now endorsed and fully supports his ‘Borders Czar’ Kamala Harris to be the Democrat candidate for president. I think I will need to triple the border wall, razor wire barriers and National Guard on the border,” he posted on social media.
Abbott later proffered, without evidence, a theory that the early debate schedule was a backhanded attempt to force the president out.
“It looks more and more like that very early debate was a set up to force Biden to step aside. Today’s announcement may not have happened without that disastrous debate,” Abbott said in a separate online post.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick piled on that theory, and continued his focus on Trump’s predecessor, former President Barack Obama, who Patrick insisted was pulling Biden’s strings behind the scenes.
“Obama is seeking his 4th term as President. The June debate was a hit job on Biden by his own party; humiliating him was step one to run him out. There was no need for Biden to debate that early, as I said at the time.” Patrick posted on X. “Obama has been running the White House and will continue to run it with Michelle or Kamala. They picked Biden in 2020 so Obama could serve a third term, and now Obama seeks a fourth term.”
Democrats in Texas look to November
Texas Democrats, including some among the first group of lawmakers to call for Biden to step aside, praised Biden for making the correct decision.
“Once again President Biden comes through for America, putting country over ego in a way that Donald Trump never could,” U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, posted. “Now we must move forward to offer a nominee, who can win over disaffected voters and energize Democrats.”
Doggett called on Biden to step aside nearly three weeks ago, saying he “failed to effectively defend his many accomplishments and expose Trump’s many lies” following the June 27 debate.
Doggett also kept the door open to his party’s selection of someone other than Vice President Harris to lead the ticket this November.
“While, with President Biden’s endorsement, Vice President Harris is clearly the leading candidate, we should be open to all talented individuals, who wish to be considered,” he said.
“The path forward is clear: Democrats, Independents and Republicans alike must unite, mobilize and vote to once again reject Donald Trump." – Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa
Julián Castro, the former mayor of San Antonio and secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, said Biden’s decision shows the president is an excellent statesman.
“President Biden deserves enormous credit for bringing the nation back from Covid, reinvigorating our economy, moving us forward to address climate change, among many other accomplishments,” he said. “He’s been an excellent president.”
Like Doggett, Castro joined the early chorus of elected officials urging Biden to pass the torch.
Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa echoed the praise for Biden’s decision and urged voters of all parties to unite around a candidate that can defeat Donald Trump.
“The President’s decision does not come lightly, and does not discredit the momentous contributions that President Joe Biden delivered over the last four years and through decades of service,” Hinojosa said in a statement. “The path forward is clear: Democrats, Independents and Republicans alike must unite, mobilize and vote to once again reject Donald Trump, whose extreme defining principles are in opposition to the values of the middle class.”
State Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio, the chairman of the Texas House Democratic Caucus, cheered Biden as an “American hero” then urged unity in the upcoming months.
“We thank him for his service to the country he so dearly loves,” he posted on social media. “We must rally behind whomever our Democratic nominee will be.”
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