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We’re still technically on our July break, but…the news is news-ing. Today, we bring you reactions to Sunday’s news that President Joe Biden will not be running for re-election.
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Ericka Cruz Guevarra: Hey, it’s Ericka. I know it’s still July and the bay is still technically on a break, but the news is news ING and we just couldn’t ignore this headline. President Joe Biden announced Sunday that he will not run for reelection. Biden has faced lots of pressure in recent weeks to step aside after a debate performance that raised concerns about his ability to beat former President Donald Trump and serve another four years in office.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra: Biden has since thrown his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris. Reactions poured in from all over the country, including here in the Bay Area. So today we’re putting our work hats back on real quick to hear how the Bay Area is responding to this huge news.
Congresswoman Anna Eshoo: Well, the first thing that came to mind was that Joe Biden has always been a great patriot. He has loved our country. He has served our country for over a half century.
Congresswoman Barbara Lee” Well, I think first it was a historic announcement, and I’m confident he did this with a lot of soul searching. And I’m sure it’s a day that’s very emotional for him. Made the announcement based on what was good for the country.
John Dennis: I think it was probably the best for the Democrats for him to do that. I bet the Democrats wish they had done it sooner. Vice President Harris, assuming that she’s the nominee, whoever the nominee is, a lot of ground is going to have to make up against Donald Trump. But I think in many ways, this is just a way to have a shot at saving the House and the Senate.
Rusty Hicks: For California Democrats, our mission has always been to defeat Donald Trump, to retake the House. My support will be for Kamala Harris as our next Democratic nominee for president and our next president.
Congressman Mark DeSaulnier: I’ve already endorsed Vice President Joe Biden for decades, and I’ve known her since we were both in local government. If other people want to run, they should go and make their case. But I don’t fight for myself. I think Kamala Harris is the person for the job.
Jonathan Padilla: I think Kamala Harris has done great things for the state of California. That being said, I want to talk to people in the district. I want to get a pulse for how people feel. I think I think I’m being honest. It’s probably Vice President Harris. But, you know, I think I think we’re still reeling from the last two, three hours. I want to get a sense of what this race will look like by the week.
Alex Emslie: So, yeah, Just what was your reaction to that news this morning about. By not only saying he’s not going to seek the nomination, but also putting his endorsement behind Kamala Harris for president?
Victor Quatrell Bolenger: It’s time, because, I mean, he’s been sleep, so it’s time for him to relax. And he tried his best. So it is time to see if we can do something else.
Gwen Goens: It’s definitely quite interesting. I think I’m still sort of processing it. It’s just it’s also super last minute.
AD Mohanraj: I think, like since it’s so late, like maybe there is a time for like a full, like, who else might be like a candidate. So it seems like, it makes sense for me like that. It’s like Harris is well positioned, but I don’t know anything about like, her policies or anything specifically.
Julie Shew: I think I’m jazzed about it. I’m totally jazzed about the fact that he stepped down and he’s picking Kamala Harris. I think it’s a really good thing. You know, I’m excited about what’s to come. And I know my friends are as well. I think it would be really great. I think women have to break a lot of glass ceilings and to see a woman president of color would be a really wonderful thing for this country.
Alex Emslie: I just first like to ask just what your reaction to information was today that bulls President Joe Biden said he’s not going to be the nominee to run against Donald Trump. He’s talking out of the race and that he endorses Kamala Harris to run for president instead of him.
Ted Johnson: Well, that’s a that’s going to be a major change.
Alex Emslie: Do you think she can beat Trump in a general election? And if she gets the nomination, that’s not a done deal.
Ted Johnson: I don’t think so. I don’t think she’s going to beat Trump because Trump is a millionaire. And plus, Trump. Trump got a lot of support. It’s going to be hard.
Sloan Holzer: I consider myself a liberal person. I know you know, we live in a world where it seems like the option or the left or the right, and I really don’t believe in that. I think there’s people that know what to do and people who don’t know what to do. And I think this guy was not prepared. No, not prepared. He was not fit. I don’t know if I heard that is going to come out here. He’s going to be the substitute, Right?
Alex Emslie: I don’t think it’s a done deal. But Joe Biden endorsed her to be there. What’s your opinion on whether she can be?
Sloan Holzer: I really don’t know. I really don’t. I don’t know her that well. To give my opinion serious would be in about how feasible is to get that position. But, you know.
Marcelo Pweeg: I mean it’s like a Oakland resident. I think there have been a lot of instances in which people coming out of the Bay Area have tried to appeal to like the esthetics of Bay Area radicalism and like Oakland radicalism, while not really sustaining those legacies in any meaningful way. I think that’s like a pretty big instance of that. I think that it will be a really interesting campaign to follow no matter what happens.
Sloan Holzer: Cross your fingers and hope that whatever whoever is going to be in charge of this really important viewed the best thing for all of us. Seems like the people who’s going to be in charge, whoever it is, has to be someone, has to be smart, has to be fair, has to be prepared for this desk.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra: Thanks to all the folks who spoke with KQED’s Alex Emslie around Lake Merritt. That’s Victor Cottrell Bolenger, Gwen Goens, AD Mohanraj, Julie Shew, Ted Johnson, Sloan Holzer and Marcelo Pweeg.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra: The people you heard at the very top of the show where Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, San Francisco Republican Party Chairman John Dennis, California Democratic Party Chairman Rusty Hicks, Congressman Mark DeSaulnier and Democratic Delegate Jonathan Padilla. This episode was produced by me and Alan Montecillo.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra: Thanks as well to KQED’s Guy Marzorati, Sara Hosseini and Elize Monoukian for the sound you heard in this episode. Music courtesy of the Audio Network. For more coverage of this story and how the Bay Area is reacting, follow KQED on socials and at kqed.org.
Ericka Cruz Guevarra: In our show notes, we’re going to leave you a link to an episode we did on how San Francisco shaped Vice President Kamala Harris. It’s got some great stuff in there about her background. Yes, we are still on break from making new episodes of The Bay. We just felt compelled to pop in and respond to this news because, yeah, breaking news was breaking. Anyway, we’ll catch you back here in August. Peace.
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