Four Illinois voters sat down with ABC News at the start of the Democratic National Convention to discuss Biden's bombshell decision, the rise of Harris as the party's nominee and her possible historic path to the presidency.
Edgar Diaz, a 43-year-old moderate Democrat who lives in Chicago, told ABC News he was relieved when President Joe Biden stepped aside. "I think he's realized that, 'Hey, you know what? Now it's time to step aside and let somebody like Kamala Harris step in,’” he said.
Grace Walters, 25, said she was encouraged by the energy around the vice president’s campaign. “It became less about vote for us because we're not them, and more vote for us because we're doing X, Y and Z -- and that is always an easier thing to get behind,” she said.
But David Spada, a 53-year-old conservative Republican, asked those planning to back the Democrats whether they were concerned that voters did not get to choose their own candidate.
"Shouldn't the voters pick who the candidate is for president, not just the party?" Spada asked.
-ABC News’ Alexandra Hutzler