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Election 2024 updates: Democrats raise $27M after Biden exit, Harris steps forward

President Joe Biden was under heavy pressure from fellow Democrats.

Last Updated: July 21, 2024, 5:52 PM EDT

President Joe Biden's decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential race on Sunday came after heavy pressure from congressional Democrats, including Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and more than 30 House lawmakers.

Biden, 81, had resisted calls to step aside that grew almost daily following his poor performance in his June 27 debate with former President Donald Trump and persistent questions about his age and mental fitness. His decision comes just a few months before the Nov. 5 election.

Biden backed his vice president, Kamala Harris for the top of the ticket -- triggering many others in the party to issue statements backing Harris.

Watch the ABC News special, "Biden Stands Down: The Race for the White House," tonight from 7-9 p.m. ET on ABC and ABC News Live.

10 hours and 29 minutes ago

Anti-abortion rights groups bash Harris calling her 'radically pro-abortion'

After Harris announced her intention to join the 2024 race for president, anti-abortion rights groups released a statement criticizing Harris' support of abortion rights. National Right to Life, a major anti-abortion group, released a statement criticizing Harris, calling her "radically pro-abortion" after Harris announced she will be running for president.

"Kamala Harris is radically pro-abortion and sees the lives of precious unborn babies as expendable ... She has toured the country pushing unlimited abortion and criticizing protective state laws that support women and their preborn children," National Right to Life President Carol Tobias said in a statement.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign event in Greensboro, N.C., July 11, 2024.
Chuck Burton/AP

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, which opposes access to abortion care, also accused her of refusing to support limits on access to abortion care.

"While Joe Biden has trouble saying the word abortion, Kamala Harris shouts it. In contrast, President Trump, JD Vance, and the GOP reject the Democrat attempt to impose abortion on-demand across all 50 states and support the right of states to place limits on abortion," Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser wrote in a statement.

10 hours and 32 minutes ago

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore thanks Biden for being 'an exemplar of true leadership'

In a statement Sunday, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore praised Biden and thanked him for his decades of service.

PHOTO: College in Largo, Maryland, Sept. 14, 2023.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore speaks prior to remarks by President Joe Biden, at Prince George's Community College in Largo, Maryland, Sept. 14, 2023.
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

"President Biden has dedicated his life and career to serving the American people," Moore wrote. "His legacy of hard work, dedication, optimism, and strength have shaped the trajectory of our nation -- and made us better as a people and as a country."

"This is a man deeply in love with his family, his country, and the promise of America," he wrote. "As a governor, I look to him as an exemplar of true leadership. As an American, I look to him as an embodiment of our shared values of freedom, decency, and patriotism."

10 hours and 51 minutes ago

DNC changes its joint fundraising committees to Harris

The Democratic National Committee has filed an amendment to revise its joint fundraising committees, now named Harris Victory Fund and Harris Action Fund.

These committees, previously named Biden Victory Fund and Biden Action Fund, simply went through name changes and inherited the previous Biden-DNC joint fundraising committees' cash on hand.

Harris Victory Fund had $40 million in cash on hand entering July and Harris Action Fund had $23 million in cash on hand.

-ABC News' Soorin Kim

10 hours and 54 minutes ago

Harris makes calls after announcing she will seek the nomination

Over the last few hours since announcing she would seek the nomination for president, Vice President Kamala Harris has been making calls, a source told ABC News.

Harris has spoken with a range of Democratic officials, including congressional Democrats, governors, party officials and civil rights leaders, the source said.

-ABC News' Molly Nagle

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks on the anniversary of the Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization at the Grady Cole Center in Charlotte, NC, June 24, 2023.
Erik S. Lesser/Bloomberg via Getty Images

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