RICHMOND, Va. -- Reaction from Virginians continue to flow in after the historic announcement from President Joe Biden that he would end his reelection campaign and back Vice President Kamala Harris for the Democratic nomination.
The stakes in Virginia — a state were polls showed Biden and former President Trump in an even race — are not yet clear but voters and elected officials are sharing the voices on the historic moment.
An alert on his phone while he was exercising at the gym Sunday afternoon was the first sign that Richmond voter Ephraim Seidman got that Biden was officially out. Seidman said he was planning to support Biden in the fall to prevent a second Trump presidency.
“Biden’s been a fabulous president," Seidman said.
Still, even before the pressure built following the President's faltering debate performance three weeks ago, Seidman said the signs were there that Democrats might need a change atop their ticket.
Watch: President Biden exits the race. Is Virginia still in play?
“It’s been problematic. I’ve seen the numbers, lots of people have seen the numbers. Do we want to win in November or not?” Seidman said. “It’s still uncharted, unknown territory, if you will, but I believe Harris will be a strong candidate. . . Both candidates will be running on their platforms, what they’ve done. The Democrats have done a lot; they can run on that. Trump is going to have to run on what he’s done and hasn’t done. He’ll have to run on that too.”
Meanwhile, a bevy of elected Democras in Virginia are lining up behind Harris as their party's presidential nominee. Recent polling showed the Biden-Trump matchup as nearly even in Virginia, even though Trump lost Virginia twice and the Commonwealth has not voted for a Republican presidential ticket since 2004.
Both Sen. Tim Kaine and Rep. Jennifer McClellan said the were excited about the direction Harris can potentially take the race.
"I’m a friend of Kamala’s," Kaine said at a campaign event in Norfolk with alumni of the "Divine Nine" fraternities and sororities. "Both sides are paying attention. JD Vance is in Radford today, the Republican VP nominee. We’re going to get Kamala and our nominee here soon, I believe. Virginia is going to be in the spotlight. I like when Virginia is in the spotlight because it often encourages us to do our best work.”
“I’m ready to see Kamala Harris prosecute the case against [Trump and Vance] and go onto victory and continue to build on a very strong Biden-Harris legacy," McClellan said.
Virginia Republicans still very much believe the Commonwealth is in play for the Trump-Vance ticket.
“This really doesn’t require any sort of retooling of the Virginia or national operation," said Rich Anderson, chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia. "I think the vulnerabilities that President Trump is running against in President Biden also exist in Vice President Harris, should she be the nominee.”
Republicans have a clear path ahead with the Trump-Vance ticket and unity within the party following the Republican National Convention, Anderson said. While there is zero doubt Democrats have felt a jolt of energy around the potential Harris nomination, Anderson said in politics that plays both ways.
"In politics, it’s like the physical world, Sir Isaac Newton’s principle: for every action there this an equal and opposite reaction. Boy, that’s true in political world," he said. "There are equal concerns on the Republican side for Harris as there were about Biden in terms of their policy proposals and their world views. So, that is going to play out with significant enthusiasm.”
Harris is yet to pick a potential Vice Presidential running mate, and everyone interviewed for this story said they would be closely watching the pick for what that person's credentials will mean for the race here.
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