Voters react to President Biden dropping out of the presidential race

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Following president Joe Biden’s unprecedented decision to drop out of the presidential race Sunday, voters are now questioning what it means for the election, and whether it will affect their decision come November.

After the president’s announcement on X, Democratic officials and lawmakers immediately went into action, figuring out how to move forward.   

Hundreds of delegates and lawmakers already throwing their support behind Kamala Harris and her campaign for the White House, including all 168 relegates in North Carolina. 

But what’s still yet to be seen is how Harris will fare against Trump, and who she will choose as her running mate.  

“It wasn’t a surprise, It’s probably about time. He probably waited too long,” One Wilmington resident said. 

“I’m glad that he did because if Kamala’s running, I’d definitely vote for her over him,” another resident added. 

“I was definitely not a big fan of either candidate, so I think I was excited to see that we potentially have some other options coming up,” one resident noted. 

Many Democrats like Mary Kay Hughes feel that Biden made the right decision for their party.  

“I don’t think what happened with the debate could be overcome,” Hughes said. “And I didn’t really see with the Republicans and their convention that he was going to be able to overcome them. So, I think the Democratic Party will find strength with this decision.”  

Many Republicans like Scott McComas feel that no matter who Democrats choose, it won’t be enough to beat Trump.  

“I don’t think any of these people can beat Trump,” McComas said. “You know, Trump’s popularity has grown by leaps and bounds especially with all the lawfare and of course the assassination attempt and, you know, the winds have blown his way and I think the only people that shoulder the blame for that are the Democrats.”  

Last month we spoke with political advisor and CFCC instructor Nelson Beaulieu about what would happen if Biden were to drop out of the race. Now that his predictions have come true, he said the change is one that many Americans have been hoping for.  

“The American public have stating for a long time they don’t want this race,” Beaulieu noted. “They did not want a race between Joe Biden and Donald Trump and for better or for worse it’s up to them, but now they get their wish of a race that isn’t a rematch of 2020.”  

WWAY reached out to the New Hanover County Republican Party Chair Nevin Carr. He provided the following statement on Biden’s decision: 

“The Democrat agenda is the Democrat agenda no matter who they put up for their presidential candidate.  Whoever replaces Joe Biden will continue to keep the border wide open, embolden the antisemites in the Middle East, raise your taxes, crush the economy and try to regulate just about anything and everything under the sun.” 

The statement continues… 

“We all saw the debate.  Just days before we were all told by the Democratic Party that Biden was as sharp as a tack.  The American people deserve better.  They deserve Donald Trump.” 

On Monday, WWAY spoke with NC Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton about Biden’s decision to step down. She said the party has already began working to bolster support.

“The stakes of the election didn’t change on Sunday, they only became greater for us I think,” Clayton said. “We are still knocking on doors and getting folks active across the state.” 

“I think that it is so important and impactful to have her in a role like this at a moment in time where rights are being rolled back across this country because of Republicans in charge,” Clayton added.