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Election 2024 updates: Harris raises $50 million after Biden endorsement, campaign says
President Joe Biden was under heavy pressure from fellow Democrats.
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.
Latest headlines:
- Harris raises about $50 million after Biden endorsement, campaign says
- DNC leaders tell members to expect 'next steps' regarding nomination in 'coming days'
- Democrats say they've raised $46.7M: 'Biggest fundraising day of the 2024 cycle'
- Major Biden donor says he won't fundraise for Harris if she's nominee
- What pushed Biden to drop out of 2024 race?
RFK Jr. blasts Harris as a 'war hawk'
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. blasted Harris in a press conference on Sunday, criticizing her on everything from foreign policy to civil rights and her work as district attorney in California.
"I think, you know, Kamala Harris is the party of war. She is a war hawk -- you know, the Democratic Party was always the peace party. Kamala Harris is a war hawk on Ukraine. She's a war hawk on China," he said.
Kennedy also accused Harris of having "one of the worst civil rights record of any public official," calling her complicit in the "school-to-prison pipeline."
-ABC News' Will McDuffie
What pushed Biden to drop out of 2024 race?
President Joe Biden had been facing growing pressure from his own party to step aside from the 2024 race, despite his repeated assurances that he plans to stay in the race.
Pressure had mounted after his disastrous June debate with former President Donald Trump which left many within the Democratic Party questioning if he could win his reelection campaign. Before he made his announcement, at least 40 congressional lawmakers had publicly called on Biden to step aside.
Biden's decision Sunday -- which came as he recovers from COVID-19 -- took members of his staff by surprise, despite his repeated assurances doing little to decrease public pressure for him to step down.
Biden spoke with Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer: Sources
President Joe Biden had conversations with the two top congressional Democrats Sunday as he ended his 2024 presidential campaign, sources told ABC News.
Biden spoke with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, sources said.
'It is an honor to serve under Biden,' Secretary of Homeland Security Mayorkas says
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas weighed in on Biden's decision to end his bid for reelection Sunday.
"Today and everyday, it is an honor to serve under POTUS Biden’s leadership," Mayorkas said in a statement on X.
Mayorkas said he's "extraordinarily proud" of the work the Department of Homeland Security has done to "secure our shores, skies, borders, and cyberspace; safeguard the American people from threats old and new; and advance our vital homeland security mission under the President’s leadership."
Looking to the future of Biden's tenure as president, Mayorkas said, "We will continue to use every minute of this administration to deliver for the American people."