Less than a week ago, President Joe Biden wrote to the Nation that he would no longer be seeking reelection for the office of President of the United States. In a move that shocked the County – he had vowed to stay in the race only a few weeks prior – President Biden stepped back from being the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee. Shortly after withdrawing from the race, he endorsed current Vice President Kamala Harris. One by one, other Democratic leaders including Georgia’s own Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, also endorsed Vice President Harris to be the nominee. Several organizations, such as American Federation of Teachers and the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), were soon listed on the list of those who have endorsed Harris as well.
One notable exception to this is Black Lives Matter (BLM). In a statement released yesterday, the organization criticized how the Democratic National Committee (DNC) handled the primary process, slamming the DNC’s refusal to host primary debates, their changing of the schedule that gave President Biden preferential treatment, and now Party leadership supposedly forcing President Biden out of the race despite millions of Black voters casting primary ballots for him.
The statement also charged the DNC with “anointing Kamala Harris” and claimed that the DNC is doing so to manipulate Black voters, also noting that the DNC seems to take these voters for granted. BLM also slammed the DNC for their “blatant disregard for democratic principles” and demanded the Party hold an “informa, virtual snap primary now that the incumbent president is no longer in the running”.
In an interview on the Today Show yesterday, Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison defended the current nomination selection process, calling it “fair, transparent, open”. In the same segment, Harrison emphasized Harris’ qualifications, hard work alongside President Biden, and called her “the most qualified person to be on this ballot”, suggesting that no other candidates should be considered.
Locally, Georgia NAACP President Gerald Griggs has also brought up the fact Party leaders should not assume Black voters support their decision to immediately pick Vice President Harris. Griggs was quoted just days ago saying “We are almost 100 days away from the election and I think [Black voters] minds are in limbo. We don’t have a clear picture of who will be the two individuals running”.
If nominated, Vice President Harris would be the first Black woman and Asian American to be a Democratic presidential candidate.
