Well, it happened. On Sunday, President Joe Biden announced he was dropping out of the race for president, upending the campaign just over 100 days before election day. 

The decision didn’t come as a total surprise. Ever since Biden’s debate performance last month amplified voters’ concerns about his age and mental acuity, he’d faced slipping poll numbers and mounting calls from Democratic elected officials to drop out. Among that chorus were San Diego congressmembers Scott Peters and Mike Levin. 

Though he’d tried to stick it out, his candidacy had become untenable. According to reports, heavyweights like Nancy Pelosi were planning to turn up the heat if he didn’t step aside. 

Following his dropout, the vibe shift was immediate.  

The internet was awash with coconut-mania and left-leaning partisans were overtaken by a new, unfamiliar feeling – could it be … optimism? 

And with the help of Biden’s endorsement, Vice President Kamala Harris shot out of the political gates as well, with the Democratic party rapidly coalescing around her. 

That momentum all but nullified the specter of a chaotic open Democratic convention where presidential hopefuls would duke it out behind closed doors and attempt to woo delegates. Additionally, not a single high-profile would-be-candidate rose to challenge her. 

Within 48 hours she’d received endorsements from the vast majority of Democratic elected officials, and enough delegates had pledged to support her at next month’s convention that she received Biden’s former title: presumptive nominee for President. 

Harris’ campaign shattered fundraising records and even led to significant polling shifts, with Harris pulling even – or close to even – with former President Donald Trump in many national and swing state polls. 

But are San Diego County Democratic delegates as coconut-pilled as much of the party’s base? When I spoke to them earlier this month, some expressed deep concerns about Biden’s ability to beat Trump in November. But the majority still solidly backed the President.  

Now, after Biden’s decision to step aside, the delegates I spoke to who were most worried about his chances against Trump are feeling pretty good. 

‘We’re Really Doing This’ 

For one delegate, that Sunday morning was spent relaxing and catching up on the HBO show House of Dragons with their beau. Then, their partner told them Biden had posted on X that he was dropping out of the race.  

At first, the delegate didn’t believe it. After all, news outlets had been running breathless stories filled with whispers of Biden’s imminent demise for weeks. Just the day before, Biden had forcefully insisted he was staying in the race and the delegate thought it couldn’t possibly be true. But it was.  

“Even though it wasn’t totally surprising, it was still surprising the way it happened. It was like ‘Woah, we’re really doing this,’” they said. 

More than anything, the delegate felt grateful. In their view, Biden had done the hard work of consulting with his team, other Democratic leaders and polls and did so with an open mind. 

“He made the right decision for the country, even if it wasn’t what he wanted,” the delegate said. “Thats a sign of tremendous leadership.” 

The delegate works in politics and was blown away by the campaign’s ability to instantly pivot to Harris. Within a day a brand-new campaign was underway, and its momentum was proof to the delegate that dropping out and endorsing Harris “was the best move Joe Biden could have made.” 

Harris’ 2020 campaign found her struggling to find a lane in a crowded Democratic field. Her background as a prosecutor and the “Kamala is a cop,” meme that proliferated during that primary was unpalatable to many progressives. But now that she’s leapt past the primary, the delegate feels that background will be received very differently. 

“Having the prosecutor background is much more of an asset in this election than in the Democratic primary in 2020. It’s even more of an asset in this moment because of who Donald Trump is,” they said. “To have a matchup of a prosecutor versus a criminal defendant has to be a positive for democrats.” 

‘A Phenomenal Sense of Relief’ 

Another delegate I spoke to had descended into a feeling of hopelessness as Biden’s candidacy crumbled. To them, the election was lost, so they spent that Sunday morning trying to avoid watching the news. 

“I was so nervous about the election. Depressed might be a better word. I was thinking ‘Oh my god, there’s no chance. We’re going to lose and there’s going to be four more years of Trump, and the end of democracy,’” they said. They were far from the only delegate feeling that way, they added. 

Then they got a call from a friend who told them Biden had dropped out. They immediately turned on the news as quick and “felt a phenomenal sense of relief,” the delegate said.  

“There was really a lot of exhaling as some of the tension just left the body … I smile a lot more,” the delegate said with a laugh. 

Harris’ public appearances since Biden stepped aside have only made them feel more convinced it was the right decision. She was sharp, confident and persuasive. A night-and-day difference from Biden’s recent performances.  

Her victory over Trump isn’t a sure thing, but the delegate thinks Harris’ poll numbers will continue to rise, especially given the nature of the attacks Republicans have mounted against her, which include deriding her as a DEI candidate and even bashing the fact that she has no biological kids. (Harris is a stepmother to her husband, Doug Emhoff’s, children. Emhoff’s ex-wife has derided the comment as sexist and one of Harris’ step-children has also posted in support, writing “I love my three parents.”) 

“The Republican response just pisses me off. It’s clear they didn’t have a plan for if Biden dropped out,” the delegate said “It’s pretty evident that their statements are going to have a negative effect on independent women voters and all independent voters. They’re shooting themselves in the foot by going after that kind of thing.” 

‘The American People Like Feeling Hope’ 

Jay Clevenger, a Democratic activist and college student, was another of the delegates I spoke to a couple weeks ago. He, like all the delegates I spoke to, felt incredibly relieved when Biden stepped aside. He supported many of Biden’s policies, but given voters’ worries about his age, was deeply concerned about his electability.  

“I don’t know what sane person didn’t have concerns,” he said. 

He’s been very encouraged by the outpouring of support for Harris he’s seen. Even his parents, who he describes as old-school Bush-McCain-Romney Republicans, said they might consider voting for Harris because it “would make Hillary Clinton really mad if Kamala was the first woman president.’” 

But perhaps more importantly, staunchly progressive voters are giving Harris a second chance. Clevenger said he has friends who felt uncomfortable with Harris during the 2020 primary, particularly given her background as a prosecutor, “are suddenly all on board,” now that she’s on the top of the ticket. 

“The American people like feeling hope and when Biden stepped aside, there was certainly a resurgence of that, at least on the left,” he said. “Even though Kamala Harris is arguably not that much more progressive than Biden, she’s a brand-new face, she’s new energy, she’s not a 50-year politician.” 

But the honeymoon may not last forever. There are still hotly contested issues that soured some progressives on Biden’s candidacy lurking, like the war in Gaza. Harris struck a different tone than Biden in a recent statement about the war’s catastrophic toll on Palestinian lives but thus far seems to have similar views on the issue. That could end up turning off some progressives that have embraced her, Clevenger said. 

“She does have a chance to differentiate herself and be a little bit more nuanced,” he said. “She’s doing okay for now because people realize Trump is the worst alternative. But it definitely could blow up in her face if she makes the wrong move.” 

Jakob McWhinney subbed in for the Politics Report today. You can let him know what you think at jakob@vosd.org or if you have any feedback or ideas for the Politics Report, send them to scott@vosd.org.