Dems rally behind Harris as Biden drops out

Historic decision comes after weeks of angst over debate

Also in today’s edition of ‘Regular Order’ for July 22, 2024:

• Harris moves to quickly consolidate support.

• Republicans call for Biden to resign.

• Four ideas on a Harris running mate.

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THIS WEEK. Congress is back for two weeks. The Secret Service chief is in very hot water over the Trump assassination attempt. President Biden has decided to move on. The Israeli Prime Minister speaks to Congress.

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HARRIS. After a bombshell announcement on Sunday by President Biden to give up his bid for reelection, Democrats rushed to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for the party's 2024 presidential nomination - as Biden led the way. "I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party," Biden said. "It's time to come together and beat Trump."

• VEEP. "Vice President Harris is now absolutely the right candidate to defeat Donald Trump and unite our country," said Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA). "I proudly and enthusiastically support Vice President Harris, whom I believe is the very best person in this moment to unify the Democratic Party," added Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN).

• STATES. It wasn't just Democrats in Congress endorsing Harris. Entire delegations to the upcoming Democratic convention - from a series of states - quickly backed Harris as well. "It’s time for us to unite and win this election," said Hendrell Remus, the Tennessee Democratic Party chairman. "We must move forward in unity," said Christale Spain, the South Carolina Democratic party chair.

• DEMS. Harris wasted no time accepting Biden's support and trying to take command of what's been a splintered Democratic Party in recent weeks. "I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination," Harris said in a statement. "I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party — and unite our nation — to defeat Donald Trump."

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BIDEN. While key Democrats on Capitol Hill wasted little time jumping on the Harris bandwagon, they also took time to praise President Biden - for what had to be an extraordinarily difficult decision. "President Joe Biden is a patriotic American who has always put our country first," said ex-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a key player in efforts to convince Biden to step aside as the party's nominee.

• BOMBSHELL. "It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President," Biden said in a written statement. "And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term."

• VEEP. A few minutes after releasing that statement, Biden announced that he was throwing his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris. “It’s time to come together and beat Trump,” the President said.

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COVID. The Biden announcement came four days after he tested positive for the Coronavirus and was forced to cancel campaign events in Nevada. His doctor said Sunday that Mr. Biden was making progress - but the President remained at his beach home in Delaware again last night.

• SCHEDULE. It was not immediately clear when Mr. Biden would return to the White House. The President is scheduled to meet this week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who will address Congress on Wednesday. In his statement, the President said he would address the nation later this week.

• WHITE HOUSE DAYBOOK. “At 11:30 AM ET, the Vice President will deliver remarks at an event celebrating the National Collegiate Athletic Association championship teams from the 2023-2024 season.”

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DEMS. In Congress, many Democrats welcomed the news, as it didn't take long for the endorsements to roll in from different groups of Democrats on Capitol Hill. "Vice President Harris has proven time and time again that she can prosecute the case against Donald Trump," said Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), the head of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

• SUPPORT. The head of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus quickly followed suit. "I endorse Kamala Harris as our Democratic nominee and will work tirelessly to make sure she is elected," said Rep. Nanette Barragan (D-CA). It was the same from the head of the Black Caucus. "She is the most qualified candidate and will defeat Donald Trump this November," Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV) said of V.P. Harris.

• COCONUT ARMY. "She is the best of both worlds," said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) said of Harris. "She carries into this campaign the Biden record - and it is a damn good record," Murphy told MSNBC. "But she is also a new generation of leader.”

• AOC. "I pledge my full support to ensure her victory in November," said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who late last week was pledging undying support to Biden. "Now more than ever, it is crucial that our party and country swiftly unite to defeat Donald Trump."

• GOLDEN STATE. Also closing ranks behind Harris was Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, who has long been mentioned as a candidate for the White House. "No one is better to prosecute the case against Donald Trump's dark vision," Newsom said of Harris, labeling her 'Tough. Fearless. Tenacious.'

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CONFLICT. Biden's historic decision ended what had become a painful drumbeat inside the Democratic Party, as more and more lawmakers called for the President to step aside. 12 Democrats made announcements on Friday, and more were expected on Monday and Tuesday as the House and Senate returned to work.

• FEAR. I told you the day after the debate that the one thing which might start a rebellion against Biden was if Democrats in Congress felt like the President was going to take them down the drain in November. And that's exactly what happened as poll numbers went the wrong way in key swing states.

• PHILLIPS. "I think my colleagues are recognizing that, sadly, a man we love, Joe Biden, is going to drag down this whole ticket," said Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN), who ran against Biden in the Democratic primaries. "That is a pervasive sentiment and it's real," Phillips told CBS's 'Face the Nation.'

• VIBE CHECK. The House is back today. Senators return on Tuesday. It will be crowded in the hallways for sure - but I will be surprised if any disaffected group of Democrats tries to rally behind a different candidate. I’m sure there are some who don’t like Harris. But opposing her is a tricky endeavor.

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GOP. Republicans reacted to the Biden announcement with indignation. "If Joe Biden is not fit to run for President, he is not fit to serve as President. He must resign the office immediately," said House Speaker Mike Johnson, a call which was echoed by a number of GOP lawmakers in Congress.

• BALLOT. Earlier in the day, Johnson said that if Biden stepped aside, that the GOP would undertake lawsuits against any replacement for Biden. "They have a real problem in replacing the nominee at the top of the ticket," the Speaker told CNN on Sunday.

• LEGAL NOTE. I'm not a lawyer. But I know enough about politics and election law to know that there shouldn't be any case here. Why? Because the Democrats technically have no nominee. Their convention isn't until next month. No vote has been taken. Just like Donald Trump wasn’t the nominee until last Monday, Biden hasn’t been approved.

• LAWSUITS. "Before the media gets rolling, let me be clear," Democratic Party superlawyer Marc Elias said on Sunday. "The Democratic nominee for President will be on all 50 state ballots. There is no basis for any legal challenge. Period."

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SHIFT. After planning for a race against Biden, Republicans quickly started to shift gears yesterday. "Joe Biden has been the worst President in my lifetime and Kamala Harris has been right there with him every step of the way," said Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), Trump's running mate.

• 25TH AMENDMENT. Multiple House Republicans said they would immediately introduce resolutions aimed at forcing Biden to resign. "If Joe Biden does not have the cognitive ability to seek reelection, he does not have the cognitive ability to serve the remainder of his term," said Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC).

• BORDER. Look for the GOP to continue their attacks on illegal immigration - simply shifting their aim from Biden to Harris. "Biden’s open border czar Kamala Harris and every elected Democrat owns this border crisis," said Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY).

• TRUMP. As for Donald Trump, he vented his frustration at Biden's decision on his Truth Social website. "Now we have to start all over again," as Trump mocked Biden, saying he was probably faking his COVID diagnosis. Trump also said he wanted the next debate to be on Fox News instead of ABC as scheduled.

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RUNNING MATE. I know I might be jumping the gun a little - but let’s just assume that Harris will be the Democratic nominee now that Biden has stepped aside and endorsed her. So let's think about whom Harris might pick for her ticket. I would focus on four names - three Governors and one Senator.

1. KEYSTONE. Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania. The 51-year-old Governor was easily elected in 2022 in a key swing state. His popularity could be important in November there for Democrats.

2. TAR HEEL. Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina. The oldest of my possible Veep choices at 67, Cooper is wrapping up his second term as Governor. Biden came close to winning this state in 2020 - and Cooper could help in 2024.

3. BLUEGRASS. Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky. At 46, Beshear is the youngest of my foursome. He has succeeded as a Democrat in a state which has swung hard to the Republican side.

4. ASTRONAUT. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona. The 60-year-old Kelly certainly has the resume. A fighter pilot during the Gulf War, Space Shuttle astronaut, and Senator since late 2020. And he’s from a key swing state.

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TRUMP ATTACK. While the President’s decision will certainly be a big topic for lawmakers as the House returns to work today, there is other business. Today, a House panel holds a hearing with the embattled head of the Secret Service, as Kimberly Cheatle will answer questions for the first time about the assassination attempt against Donald Trump on July 13.

• CHEATLE. Let's be honest. What happened was a major security failure. There is no other way to describe it. And Cheatle will certainly hear a lot of criticism. She will face GOP lawmakers who are not only outraged by the attack, but they claim that the Trump rally was understaffed by the Secret Service.

• GOP. "I believe the U.S. Secret Service was negligent in its actions at President Trump’s rally," said Rep. Greg Murphy (R-NC), as Republicans demanded the director’s firing. "The Secret Service lied and President Trump almost died," said Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA).

• RESIGN. Cheatle is now facing calls from both parties for her resignation. "I have no confidence in the leadership of the United States Secret Service," said Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA). "The evidence coming to light has shown unacceptable operational failures."

• LOOK BACK. Lawmakers also want a review of more than just what happened at Trump's rally. "We need to review the last two years of rallies to see if there was only one time when the Secret Service left a roof unguarded," said Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA).

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FUNDING. House Republicans have given themselves a rather difficult assignment over the next two weeks. They will try to approve seven different government funding bills - in eight work days - by August 1, which is when Congress is scheduled to leave for an extended summer break. Four of those bills are on the schedule this week.

• RULES. The House Rules Committee meets this afternoon to consider about 700 funding amendments - 19 of them from the GOP would reduce the salary of certain officials to $1. They include the White House Press Secretary, the Secretary of Energy, the head of the FDA, and the Secretary of Interior.

• MISSING. One bill which was originally on the schedule for this week is the bill which funds the Justice Department - but that was dropped over the weekend. Republicans have talked about using it to zero out funding for the federal investigations of Donald Trump. Maybe next week.

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RAP SHEET. A Virginia man has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for his actions on Jan. 6. Joseph Brody pleaded guilty to assaulting police outside the Capitol, as he knocked down one officer with a metal barricade. Brody made it into both Speaker Pelosi's office and onto the Senate floor; he also joined other rioters in destroying news media equipment outside.

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MUSE OF HISTORY.  July 22, 1861.  A day after Union forces suffered a clear defeat at the Battle of Bull Run - with some lawmakers watching, and one captured by Confederate forces - Rep. Hendrick Wright of Pennsylvania introduced a resolution to rally the U.S. side.  "We call on all the loyal people of the Union to respond manfully to the demand of the Government in furnishing men and money," Wright's plan said.

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LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM:

The House convenes at 12 noon.

The Senate is back for votes on Tuesday.

Follow me on Twitter @jamiedupree.

Email me at jamiedupree@substack.com

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