Local Dems excited after Biden’s bombshell

MONDAY, July 22 — The phones were hot for local Democrats after President Joe Biden announced yesterday he was dropping out.

“Our sign-ups are blowing up,” Ingham County Democratic Party Chair Brian P. Jackson said. “More people are looking to get involved, and I think that will definitely bring new energy to the race. I mean, this is historic.”

Lansing Mayor Andy Schor, a superdelegate to the Democratic National Convention for Michigan’s 7th District who had stood by Biden, was caught off guard.

“I was surprised that it happened as quickly as it did,” he said. “But I’m not surprised that Joe Biden did the right thing for the nation."

“It had to be him getting out,” Schor added. “There was no pushing him out for all those that were calling for it. It had to be his decision based on what’s best for this nation moving forward. So, I was definitely surprised, but the president is a patriot.”

State Sen. Sarah Anthony, D-Lansing, reacted similarly.

“I was really surprised. In the last 48 hours, I have received so many calls from members of the party across the country. In every conversation, my message was that I believe that the Biden administration has done significant work on the issues that matter to me, people in Lansing and across Michigan," she said. 

Sunday’s surprise was not one to Mark Grebner.

“I said a month ago that Biden had already decided to drop out, that the dye was already cast, and the only question was, how long people would fart around pretending he wasn't going to drop out,” said Grebner, a longtime Democratic Ingham County commissioner and founding president of Practical Political Consulting.

“The moment he completely fell apart at that debate, the decision was made, and he was basically maneuvering to make sure that the Democratic Party doesn't consume itself in a fistfight,” Grebner said.

Grebner said he sees “no alternative to Kamala, and there shouldn't be an alternative to Kamala. Not because she's a particularly good candidate, but because the alternative would spending the next three months with people shrieking at each other,” Grebner said.

Schor and Anthony agreed that Vice President Harris seems to be the way forward. If Harris becomes the official nominee during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago starting Aug. 19, she’ll inherit existing campaign infrastructure and funding that will give her a significant advantage over any potential dark horse candidates who would presumably have to start from scratch.

“She's a former prosecutor, she understands public safety, she's been involved with a lot of our economic work and she's very supportive of reproductive rights and freedoms that the other side wants to take away,” Schor said. “She is going to have to spend more time here, although she's been here several times, and folks will have to get to know her.”

Anthony, who is an African-American, said an opportunity to have a Black woman at the top of the ticket was paramount for a party that has long depended on that demographic as a major portion of its base.

“The fact that I will have the ability, hopefully, to vote for the first woman and the first Black woman as commander-in-chief is a feeling I cannot even describe to you. It's something I've been waiting my entire lifetime to do, and so the prevailing emotion for me is that I finally get a chance to vote for someone that represents my experience,” Anthony said.

She said it was “transformational” to see Biden, who served as the vice president for the first Black president, pass to the torch to a candidate of color.

“There's a legacy in the Democratic Party of tokenizing Black candidates — naming us to very powerful positions. But when rubber meets the road, they’ve had a tendency to not support us with the resources and the backing to actually compete when it matters. I've seen this firsthand, and that’s why this is such an important moment for our history,” Anthony said.

With that said, Anthony noted that a Black candidate does not automatically mean widespread support from the Black electorate.

“Everyone needs to compete for the Black vote, even Black candidates. When I have run here locally as a county commissioner, state representative and state senator, I still had to campaign for Black votes. The same is going to be true for Vice President Harris. She has to be speaking to issues that matter to Black people,” Anthony said.

The impact Harris’ rise could have on the turnout in a key swing state like Michigan remains to be seen. Grebner thinks it could be substantial for Democrats.

“All kinds of voters are going to be rethinking this. They don't even know they're going to be rethinking it, but they're suddenly faced with a different world. They're not choosing between two obviously unacceptable choices,” Grebner said. “Joe at his best was above the middle of the pack, but Joe isn't at his best, and Joe is obviously unfit to run for another term. I mean, it's just obvious.”

Anthony said that being from the blue state of California, Harris will need to prove herself to many Michiganians.

“Michigan is a purple state, and it’s going to be really important for her to see us, for her to see working-class folks, for her to see the legacy of the auto industry and what that means. So, I think that she needs to be able to make a Michigan case, not a ‘copy and paste’ agenda from across the country,” Anthony said.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has been prominently featured on a number of short lists of potential Harris running mates. Schor said he expected Whitmer will stick with her quick statement yesterday that she is not interested.

“I take the governor at her word. I think the governor loves being governor of Michigan, and I think that's her focus,” Schor said. “I hope that the vice president pick is either a Midwesterner or someone from a state that the Democrats need to focus on — whether it's Michigan or Pennsylvania, North Carolina or Kentucky. I think it’s got to be one of those states, because I don’t see a nominee coming from one of the coasts.”

“We have a pretty deep bench, so I'm excited to see what the possibilities are,” he added.

Anthony was excited about the possibility of an all-female ticket but still agreed with Schor on Whitmer’s intent.

“I believe women when they say what they want and what they don't want, but I know she will be ready on day one if she’s called upon. She is a great communicator. She understands the issues and values, and I think she has the energy and vibrancy to actually move the country forward. So, I have heard the same message that she is not interested in serving in the capacity, but I just think she’d be great,” Anthony said.

Grebner said he “heard” Harris would pick Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, a former fighter pilot and astronaut.

“It makes sense,” Grebner said. “Kelly might very well tip Arizona.”

Even without Whitmer onboard, Anthony said Harris could benefit from keeping her eye on the Midwest as she narrows her search.

“I always say: ‘Nothing about us, without us.’ So, my opinion would be that there needs to be a strong voice from the Midwest that can not only articulate the issues but understand our issues from a very human perspective,” Anthony said. “Selfishly, I thought it would be someone from Michigan because we would definitely have good representation in the White House. But ultimately, you just need to make sure that there is a strong mid-Michigan presence on our ticket.”

All of them thought the switch-up could benefit some of the down-ballot races if it promotes greater turnout. This could be particularly true for Curtis Hertel Jr., who’s running to succeed Rep. Elissa Slotkin for the 7th U.S. House District seat.

“It is a tough seat, and Elissa has paved the way for a Democrat to win mid-Michigan. But this is a really hard year, and we don't have a better candidate than Curtis Hertel. I have a lot of confidence that he's going to be able to defeat Tom Barrett, but at the end of the day, it will come down to turnout,” Anthony said, referring to the former state senator from Charlotte who has a lock on the GOP nomination.

With less than a month until the Democratic National Convention, Democrats are entering uncharted waters. Still, Schor said it was important that the party remain engaged and unified going into November.

“This is something that hasn't happened in my lifetime. So, we're going to keep watching, but I think no matter all the political drama and theatrics, the question is: Who is the best person to lead our nation forward the next four years? That's what every voter should be asking themselves now,” Schor said.