Biden made the decision he needed to make – now the Democrats can push on

Editorial: Stepping aside and endorsing Kamala Harris means the president has given his party the chance to unite and take the fight to Donald Trump ahead of November’s election

Joe Biden (AP)

Joe Biden has made the decision that he was required to make, one that ends the constant ratcheting up of pressure that has been the backdrop to the last few weeks.

Some Democrats will lament that if this was to be the final decision, then it should have come a little sooner, rather than forcing dozens within the party to come out and call for the president to drop out of the race for the White House. There is, after all, the small matter of an election still to win.

There can be no doubt that Mr Biden has had a substantial impact on US politics. He entered politics as one of the youngest senators in the country’s history, and leaves as its oldest president, spending more than 50 years at the frontline of American democracy. But now it is time for someone else.

Mr Biden has endorsed his vice president, Kamala Harris, to be that person. That could bring its own history. Ms Harris is the first woman to hold the office of vice-president, and would be the first to hold the presidency if she was to win in November. She is also the first woman of colour to be VP and would be the second person of colour to be president, following Barack Obama. At 59, she is more than two decades younger than Mr Biden and almost 20 years younger than Mr Trump. Her candidacy would offer a contrast with Mr Trump and his vice-presidential running mate, Senator JD Vance, the two white men on the Republican ticket.

Ms Harris would also have a chance at galvanising Democrat activists because she is a leader on issues like abortion rights, which resonates with younger voters and the Democrats’ progressive base. It is clear what a second term of Mr Trump will look like – and Ms Harris can be a powerful counterpoint to that.

The move is not without risk. Ms Harris will still have to be confirmed as the nominee at the Democratic National Convention next month. She will go in as the favourite but there is no guarantee yet. There could be an open vote on the floor of the convention that would involve multiple candidates. Passing that hurdle, there will only be a few months to the election, a short span for Ms Harris and her running mate to make an impact.

There is also the fact that Ms Harris was seemingly underutilised in the opening part of Mr Biden’s term. While her role has increased, that did not go unnoticed. Ms Harris is also not seen as progressive enough by some within her own party.

But the election remains to be won, and there will be no question of the energy Ms Harris will have to put into the campaign from such a standing start, which could work to her advantage if momentum gets on her side. Mr Trump’s talk of unifying the nation in the wake of the attempt on his life will have given him a boost – and he and the Republicans will stand ready to ridicule the Democrats for needing to switch candidates. But these are all issues that Ms Harris’s team will have known for weeks already.

The race starts here. Democrats have the chance to hit the reset and push on towards November without the weight of this decision hanging like a cloud over them. It should be an exciting race.