Democrats from the Austin area commended President Joe Biden on his decision Sunday to step down as the Democratic nominee for president.
Biden’s announcement came after a dismal debate performance last month, and amid concerns about how his age and mental acuity might weaken his candidacy.
“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 of Austin wrote on X, formerly Twitter. He called the president’s decision “courageous”.
“Today’s courageous action caps decades of selfless service and opens the door to a Convention that can build on our progress and prevent a takeover of our country by [former President Donald] Trump and his gang,” Doggett said.
Doggett was the first congressional Democrat to publicly ask Biden to pull out of the race earlier this month. Democrats across the country followed suit, with eventually former President Barack Obama calling on his former vice president to leave the race.
On Sunday, U.S. Rep Greg Casar, a Democrat representing Austin, thanked Biden before endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party's new presidential nominee.
“He united Democrats to save our democracy from Trump and our economy from COVID. He stood up to corporations and protected workers like no other president in my lifetime,” Casar said in an emailed statement. “There's much more to say, but for now: Thank you, Joe Biden.”
At their convention next month, Democrats will come together to decide on a new presidential candidate for the party. In Sunday’s announcement, Biden encouraged his party to tap Harris. In a statement, Doggett asked members to be open to other candidates.
“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.
Biden had been scheduled to come to Austin earlier this month to speak at the LBJ Presidential Library. His trip was canceled after the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania.
