Biden drops out of the 2024 race and endorses Harris. What's next for Democrats?

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After weeks of fiercely insisting he would stay in the race, President Biden announced yesterday that he is ending his reelection bid and officially endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for the role of the Democratic nominee for president. In response, Harris said she is honored, and she plans to "earn and win" the nomination. Here are six takeaways from Biden's decision to step aside.

• 🎧 NPR’s Tamara Keith tells Up First that we don’t know if anyone else will get enough support from Democratic convention delegates to make it a real race in August. So far, Harris has received endorsements from big-name Democrats, including former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton. Democratic fundraising platform Act Blue said Harris' presidential campaign raised more than $46 million in the hours after Biden endorsed her, Keith reports. Notable leaders who have not yet explicitly endorsed Harris include Nancy Pelosi and former President Barack Obama.
• ➡️ Here’s a look at other Democrats seen as potential contenders for the newly open 2024 race.
• ➡️ What exactly did Biden say when he dropped out? Read his full letter here.
• Why the heck is everyone talking about coconut trees? Check out the explanation behind this Kamala Harris meme.

If another person challenges Harris, the Democratic party could be headed for an open convention, which could go through multiple rounds of voting. Much depends on the around 4,700 convention delegates that will convene on Aug. 19 in Chicago. One expert told Keith, “It will be reality TV like you’ve never seen.” Here’s a closer look at what happens now.

• 🎧 Democrats are “cautiously optimistic” about Harris’ chances of winning the presidential race, according to NPR's Mara Liasson. In the latest NPR poll, Harris runs nationally against Trump as well as Biden did — basically tying. Liasson also says that though some big-name Democrats have not endorsed Harris, this doesn't mean they're against her — they just don’t want it to look like a coronation. The outpouring of endorsements for Harris and the lack of competitors show party unity, Liasson says. Though she was not a great candidate in 2020, Liasson says she thinks “Democrats do feel this is their last best hope to defeat Trump or, barring that, to at least flip the House and stop a complete Trump takeover of the government.”
• ➡️ Some people are comparing the current political climate with what happened in 1968 when the DNC was also in Chicago, and anti-war protests spread nationwide. Here's why some historians disagree.

Harris still has to secure the Democratic Party’s nomination, but Republicans are already running their campaign as if she has. Trump's campaign has dubbed her the "enabler in chief," tying her to Biden’s biggest woes, including immigration and inflation.

• 🎧 Republicans are accusing Harris of concealing Biden's physical and mental fitness issues, NPR's Franco Ordoñez reports. Trump's campaign spent a lot of resources targeting Biden's mental acuity, but Ordoñez says that won't work against Harris. She's a big voice in the Democratic party when it comes to protecting reproductive rights — a big issue for voters and a "big vulnerability" for Trump. Ordoñez also reports that Harris polls better with young voters and voters of color, and she could perform better with suburban women — all critical groups for both parties in this election.

Deep dive

Harris has cinched endorsements from Biden and over one hundred Congress members. While she has national and international experience that other Democratic contenders lack, the road to the nomination — and presidency — is far from easy.

• ➡️ Even before Biden dropped out, Harris had become the target of what her allies say is a racist and sexist campaign against her by the Republican Party.
• ➡️ Though she made history in many ways when she became vice president, Harris stumbled in her early days: She was criticized for how she handled migration at the Southern border, took on the issue of voting rights where there was little to do by way of actual legislation, seemed uneasy in the limelight and went through a series of staff shakeups.
• ➡️ Roe v. Wade's fall proved to be a turning point for her. When she heard about the decision, Harris rewrote her entire speech on the way to an event about maternal health. She spoke about the issue with an ease Biden lacked and continued to be the main messenger on it.
• ➡️ Harris has been building foreign policy experience behind the scenes, calling for a cease-fire in Gaza before Biden did.
• ➡️ In the race for the Democratic nomination, Harris has advantages: Her name is already on the ticket, she’s been busy campaigning and building support in battleground states and she's associated with issues people care about, like reproductive freedom. But speculation about other potential candidates continues.

Life advice

It's been a rollercoaster for U.S. politics lately. Keeping up with the headlines can feel extremely stressful, especially with the election looming in just four months. Even before the attempt on Trump's life and Biden's exit from the race, psychologists said it was normal for people to feel heightened negative emotions in this political climate. If you're feeling intense, long-lasting symptoms of prolonged sadness, worry, hopelessness or physical tension, it could be time for an intervention. Here are some strategies to help, according to psychologists:

• ➡️ Understand how uncertainty can fuel your symptoms. Ask yourself questions like: "How likely is that worst-case scenario? Can I manage to cope with that?" This will help provide a sense of control.
• ➡️ Know when to take a break and step away from the news and social media.
• ➡️ Do things that are meaningful to you. These activities help improve your overall well-being.
• ➡️ Find healthy ways to cope that will bring you joy and keep you in the present instead of worrying about the future.
• ➡️ Stay socially connected with friends, family and peers that help support you. Social isolation is bad for our mental and physical health, especially when mental health is already frayed.

3 things to know before you go

1. American Airlines has avoided a large-scale strike after reaching an agreement with the union representing its flight attendants. The new contract increased pay levels for around 28,000 workers.
2. The CDC has issued a warning after a listeria outbreak linked to meat sold at U.S. deli counters caused at least two people to die and dozens more to be hospitalized.
3. Chinese companies are using artificial intelligence to "resurrect" deceased loved ones with avatars that look and sound just like the person who died.

This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen. Anandita Bhalerao contributed.