In the hours and days following President Biden’s announcements on Sunday afternoon that he was ending his bid for re-election and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris, Democrats here on Long Island and across the country have begun to largely coalesce behind Vice President Harris as they react to this political earthquake.
New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has backed Ms. Harris, as have the heads of the New York State, Suffolk County, and Southampton and East Hampton Town Democratic Committees, and the Democratic challenger in New York’s 1st Congressional District, John Avlon.
In a statement on Monday morning, Senator Gillibrand praised Vice President Harris as “an unwavering champion for families, workers, and justice,” and said, “she is incredibly well-qualified, with experience as a prosecutor, as a lawmaker, and as a leader on the world stage. Now is the time to unite. V.P. Harris has the grit and toughness to beat Donald Trump and I’m eager to join her in this fight.”
On Tuesday, Chuck Schumer of New York, the Senate majority leader, joined his colleague in endorsing Ms. Harris.
Ms. Harris has seen broad support from state Democratic Party leaders, including in New York, where the party chairman Jay Jacobs was quick to announce his endorsement Sunday evening and ask New York’s delegates to unite behind her. He described the vice president as “someone who represents the ideals, principles and values of the Democratic Party.” The state’s delegates have since endorsed Ms. Harris, too, essentially ensuring those delegates’ votes in the upcoming Democratic convention.
Mr. Jacobs also expressed his admiration for President Biden, a sentiment shared by Mr. Avlon.
“This selfless decision stands in stark contrast to the selfishness of Donald Trump’s attempt to derail the peaceful transfer of power on the back of an election lie that led to an attack on the U.S. Capitol,” Mr. Avlon said. He added that “Joe Biden has been right that the defining struggle of our time is democracy versus autocracy, and that struggle will continue as the torch is passed to a new generation.”
Mr. Avlon joined in the calls for party unity in these unprecedented times.
“With 106 days left in this election, now is the time for Democrats to unite,” he said, “I respect that President Biden has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, who is a former U.S. senator, attorney general, and district attorney.”
“Joe Biden will go down in history as one of America’s most consequential and effective American presidents,” said Anna Skrenta, the East Hampton Town Democratic Committee chairwoman. “He has served our country with honor, compassion, and dignity and his decision to pass the torch to Vice President Kamala Harris has cemented his legacy.” Ms. Skrenta added that “the election is now a referendum on Donald Trump and the enormously unpopular policies of the MAGA movement and Project 2025.”
“Our committee is completely behind Kamala and we’re raring to go,” said Gordon Herr, the Southampton Town Democratic Committee chairman. “We will take charge and basically we are going to win this by focusing on John Avlon for Congress, Sarah Anker for State Senate, and Tommy-John Schiavoni for Assembly.”
Keith Davies, a Suffolk County Democratic Committee spokesman, echoed this idea, saying that while there has been much attention to the name at the top of the ticket, the organization remains focused on the down-ballot races. “Voters in the district are excited to vote for local candidates,” he said. “We’ve been excited about our candidates. We were excited last week and we’re excited today,” Mr. Davies said, adding that “Our campaigns have been organizing and they’ve been raising money.”
On the other side of the aisle, Jesse Garcia, chairman of the Suffolk County Republican Party, struck a different tone in a statement released Sunday night. Mr. Garcia reaffirmed the committee’s support for former President Trump and called for President Biden to go further than just removing himself from the campaign. “President Biden today finally admitted that he is not up to the tasks required of his office,” Mr. Garcia said, “because of this, for the sake of our nation, he must step down as commander-in-chief immediately.”
As for the expected standard-bearer for the Democratic Party, Mr. Garcia said, “Kamala Harris, by her own words, has been side by side with Biden in the disaster of his presidency. From out of control inflation to the failure of our border, the failed record of this administration is hers.”
