PA, Centre County officials on Biden withdrawing from presidential race

Shortly after President Joe Biden announced Sunday that he was dropping out of the 2024 presidential race, Pennsylvania elected officials responded to the news, with Democrats praising his decades of public service.

Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat who has been mentioned as a possible running mate if Vice President Kamala Harris becomes the Democratic nominee, called Biden a “patriot” and “one of the most influential presidents in modern history” in a post on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

“President Biden has done an incredible job of moving our country forward, defending our democracy, and protecting true freedom,” Shapiro wrote. “I am proud to serve alongside him and grateful for his leadership and unwavering commitment to serving Pennsylvania — the Commonwealth that raised him.”

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Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., expressed gratitude for Biden’s “exemplary career in public service.”

“President Biden has always been committed to improving the lives of Americans,” Casey wrote on X. “He deserves our gratitude for his historic accomplishments, including rebuilding our economy after the pandemic and delivering the largest infrastructure investment in modern history.”

Biden’s decision — announced in a statement Sunday — follows weeks of speculation and calls from within his own party to withdraw from the race. A late June debate with former President Donald Trump raised questions about the president’s age, health and eligibility.

“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your president,” Biden said in the statement. “And while it was my intention to be re-elected, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country to step down and focus solely on fulfilling the duties of my president for the remainder of my term.”

He is endorsing Harris as the Democratic presidential candidate for 2024.

On X, State College Mayor Ezra Nanes, who is a delegate to the Democratic National Convention, shared a photo of himself with Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and wrote that he is joining Biden in supporting Harris as the party’s nominee.

While some Republicans were quick to criticize Harris as a potential nominee on Sunday, U.S. Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Howard, did not criticize her in a written statement.

“I was surprised to hear that President Biden has ended his campaign, pushed out by Democratic Party elites, along with vulnerable members of the House and Senators who saw the risk to their own political futures by being stuck with an administrator who is clearly not up to the job,” Thompson said.

Check back later for updates on this story.