21 Jul 2024

Mississippi elected officials respond to Biden withdrawing from presidential race

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Word broke early Sunday afternoon that President Joe Biden was dropping out of the 2024 race for the White House, and it didn’t take long for Mississippi’s elected officials to begin responding.

Republican Gov. Tate Reeves went to social media within minutes of the Democratic commander-in-chief’s announcement, using the opportunity to further his support of three-time GOP nominee and former President Donald Trump.

“Have you ever seen a politician so strong and talented he made his opponent quit in the middle of a race? I have: Donald Trump,” Reeves wrote. Reeves has long been a staunch ally of Trump, with the two exchanging endorsements over the past few election cycles.

The Mississippi Republican Party followed Reeves’ lead by sharing a new, pro-Trump commercial on social media, speculating that expected Democratic nominee and current Vice President Kamala Harris “covered up Joe’s obvious mental decline” and has been underhandedly serving out Biden’s duties as president.

“Biden? Harris? Newsom? Clinton? Doesn’t matter. All the same disastrous Democrat policies giving us runaway inflation, escalating crime, and unsecured borders,” Mississippi GOP wrote, asking residents to vote for Trump and running mate JD Vance.

While the Mississippi Democratic Party has yet to issue an official statement, Sen. David Blount of Jackson gave props to Biden for the work he has done through three and a half years in the oval office.

“History will remember Joe Biden as a successful President who always put his country first. President Biden restored decency and statesmanship to our country. He stood up to Russia and those who sought to overthrow an election with violence,” Blount wrote. “All Mississippians who will enjoy better highways, improved water/sewer systems, and high-speed internet should thank President Biden for what he did for our state.”

Blount, who stopped short of endorsing Harris, added that Democratic delegates will leave next month’s national convention in Chicago “united and ready to win in November.” The Mississippi Democratic Party had collectively put its full support behind Biden as the nominee, even as calls to withdraw grew louder from both inside and outside the party on a national level.

Mississippi’s lone Democratic representation in Washington, U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, shared some of Blount’s sentiments but went ahead and endorsed Harris to go up against Trump on Nov. 5.

“I want to express my gratitude to President Biden for his lifelong dedication to improving America,” Thompson wrote. “While his decision to step down was undoubtedly challenging, I believe it’s time for the Democrats to unite and nominate Vice President Kamala Harris to lead us forward.”

Biden’s decision to bow out of the race is not only the latest a presumptive presidential nominee has stepped aside before the election, but it comes after more than 14 million Americans cast votes supporting him through this year’s primary process. During Mississippi’s Democratic presidential primary on March 12, over 91,000 voted for an unopposed Biden.

In 2020, Biden received 539,398 votes (41.1%) from Mississippians compared to Trump’s 756,764 (57.6%) – making it the closest a Democrat has come to winning the deep red state since Barack Obama obtained 43.8% on the way to a second term in 2012. The last Democratic presidential candidate to win Mississippi was Jimmy Carter in 1976.

Below is a running list of elected officials from Mississippi responding to Biden suspending his 2024 reelection campaign.

Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker
Republican U.S. Rep. Michael Guest
Republican State Auditor Shad White

This article will be updated as more Mississippi elected officials weigh in on the Biden decision. 

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