Following President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential election and endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris for the Democratic nomination Sunday, The Item reached out to elected officials and community members to get their perspectives.
While most supported Biden’s decision and were enthusiastic about the prospect of Harris as a presidential candidate, a few strayed from that norm.
“President Biden has shown us what statesmanship is all about: commanding great power with grace and giving it up with courage,” U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton said in a statement. “Kamala Harris has the energy, the vision, and the courage to unite our party and beat Donald Trump.”
Lynn Mayor Jared Nicholson said he is grateful for Biden’s “lifetime of selfless public service and the incredible impact his leadership has had.”
“The president’s action magnifies the urgency of the November election and the ramifications it will have on our country,” Nicholson said. “I strongly support Vice President Harris as the nominee and the clear choice to lead the country moving forward.”
Darion Anderson, a Lynn resident, said he thinks “racists” and “bigots” have been emboldened by Trump, and that he is going to vote for whoever receives the Democratic nomination.
“I think Kamala can actually make change,” he said. “I think Biden was kind of just a placeholder for the Democrats.”
State Sen. Brendan Crighton said Biden has had an “immeasurable impact” on Americans in Massachusetts and across the nation throughout his decades in political office.
Crighton also noted Biden’s investment in infrastructure and dedication to “safeguarding” human rights.
“President Biden has exemplified how to lead in difficult and unprecedented times,” he said.
Adam Scott, a Saugus resident, said he does not think Harris will win.
He said he will be voting for Trump, and that he wants him back in office because he believes the economy was better before Biden became president.
“The whole market crash and everything has been troublesome to me,” Scott said.
Scott added he was not registered to vote during the 2020 presidential election, but realized afterward how Trump had changed the country when he was in office and was encouraged to vote in this year’s election.
State Rep. Dan Cahill said he is appreciative of Biden’s “selfless act of bowing out.”
“I am looking forward to an energized Democratic party with a presidential candidate that not only brings new energy, but who will inspire many new voters,” Cahill said.
Jason Klein, a Lynn resident, said Harris has his full support. In the 2020 election, if he had been a registered voter, Klein said he would have voted for Trump. But, Klein said Trump has since done “bad things” that have made it no longer possible to support him.
He said that he once thought Trump was a “funny guy,” adding that his charisma was one of the reasons why he initially got interested in politics.
Klein said he hopes to become a registered voter before the 2024 election so he can vote for Harris.
He added that he believes it was right for Biden to step down, but not necessarily because of his age.
“I think that he seems cognitively slow, I guess,” Klein said.
Johnny Mac, a Boston resident who was at the Square One Mall getting a massage on Monday, said he thought Biden dropping out was “tacky,” adding that the president’s apparent cognitive issues are likely a result of “COVID brain.”
He added he does not want Trump to win, saying that the former president clearly does not support the working class.
“He’s failing veterans. He shouldn’t be saying stuff about people who give their souls for their country,” Mac said.
Mac added that people running for president should be “no less than a three-star general.”
“I think we’re living in an age of lip-service patriotism, and Joe Biden showed us the true meaning of the word,” state Rep. Jenny Armini said.
She said she is excited to support and campaign for Harris.
“She represents a new and more inclusive, exciting chapter for the Democratic Party and a new chapter for the country,” Armini said.
Milton McElroy, a Lynn resident, said he plans on voting for Harris in the 2024 election if she is nominated.
He said her career as a prosecutor and experience being vice president give her the qualifications to be the president.
“I think it will be a close election,” McElroy said. “But based on Trump’s performance… he is so corrupt, so hopefully he will lose.”
State Rep. Pete Capano said he can’t imagine anyone in Biden’s position who would “have the courage to step aside like that for the good of the country,” paving the way for a new generation.
“He should be respected and admired for generations to come,” he added. “He has been a great president.”
Leslie Smitley, a Wakefield resident and registered Democrat who was in Saugus on Monday, said she thinks Biden stepping down was the right move.
“It needed to happen,” she said.
She added she doesn’t know a lot about Harris, but if she is selected for the Democratic nomination, she will be voting for her.
“I think the other option (Trump) is disgusting,” she said. “I think she’ll skewer Trump in debates.”
Of the people who The Item solicited for comment, approximately 10 denied the request, explaining that they are not political or would prefer to stay out of the topic.
