TAMPA, Fla. — Two Tampa Bay Democratic leaders have different reactions to President Joe Biden's decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential race.
Jennifer Griffith, the chair of the Pinellas County Democratic Party, said she’s getting emotional calls from voters who feel like Biden was forced out.
“I was completely in support of him staying in,” she said. “I think a lot of people felt a lot of loyalty to President Biden. A lot of people really admired the job he’s done.”
Alan Clendenin, a Tampa City Councilman who’s also on the Executive Board of the Democratic National Committee and a superdelegate, has a different viewpoint.
“I felt that it was time to pass the torch to a new generation of democratic leaders,” he said.
He thinks the move will put the Democrats in a better position to compete in November.
“We’re now looking at a new generation of leadership stepping up,” he said.
However, both agree with Biden’s likely replacement at the top of the ticket for the Dems: Vice President Kamala Harris.
“I think she’ll be an incredible nominee. I think she’ll be very strong,” said Griffith.
“One hundred percent. The Vice President is absolutely — she’s been in on-the-job training for four years — or for three-and-a-half years now,” Clendenin agreed.
In a statement, Harris said she’s ready to “earn and win” the nomination. If other candidates also seek the Democratic nomination, Clendenin says the DNC has rules in place and will follow them.
“We will go to convention,” he said. “The delegates will have their say.”
But Griffith believes an open convention would not be good for Democrats.
“I don’t think that a brokered convention would be good for the organization, for the party, for the voters,” she said.
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