With less than four months remaining before the US elections, current President Joe Biden, running for re-election as the Democratic Party candidate, has made a radical decision by announcing his withdrawal from the race and endorsing Vice-President Kamala Harris to succeed him as the new candidate. Biden stated that it would be more beneficial for both his party and the country if he stepped down and concentrated solely on his responsibilities as President for the rest of his term, although he admitted that it had been his intention to seek re-election.
Biden’s ability to campaign and govern has been a subject of ongoing debate, particularly in light of concerns about his health. The 81-year-old President became viral with his gaffes and verbal stumbles, and this eventually raised concerns about his mental sharpness. Recently, he mistakenly introduced Ukrainian President Zelensky as “President Putin” and referred to Harris as "Vice President Trump.” His awkward, long pauses during social events also take the internet by storm. His questionable debate performance on June 27 against Trump infuriated the Democrats and escalated the protests against his candidacy and calls for his withdrawal. However, he kept insisting that he was the “most qualified" to defeat Donald Trump and govern the country. An ABC News/Ipsos poll found that 60% of Democrats believed he should quit, and nearly 76% of Democrats would be satisfied with Harris as the nominee. Many of the party’s officials and senior politicians had urged Biden to drop out, including Barack Obama, one of his major supporters. Eventually, after weeks of pressure, Biden quit the race and endorsed Harris as the new candidate.
This decision satisfied many Democrats as she is a qualified candidate. She is a familiar politician, as she is the current Vice-President and has served as a Senator previously. If she wins, she will become the first woman and the second African-American President in US history. However, she has to convince voters that she has come with different offers. Despite her stance on racial equality, support for gun safety laws, and women's reproductive rights, and gaining significant backing from younger voters, women, and minority groups, her popularity ratings have remained low. Although her nomination was debated within the party, she has considerable support. Two major Democratic donors — LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and famous investor Alexander Soros — publicly endorsed Harris. Furthermore, The Democratic National Committee has applied to change the names of its fundraising committees to the Harris Victory Fund and the Harris Action Fund. Many Democrats rallied behind Harris, enabling her to raise $60 million in donations within the first nine hours.
As an Istanbul newspaper, it is essential to cover the impact of these events on Türkiye. Both Trump and Biden see Türkiye as a NATO ally and strategic partner. Trump's administration mainly sought to balance strategic interests, while Biden placed more emphasis on addressing human rights and democratic concerns alongside strategic interests. Trump also had personal diplomacy as he engaged directly with President Erdoğan to negotiate. Conversely, Biden has a more institutional approach, with less reliance on direct engagement. If Harris wins, she is likely to maintain significant aspects of Biden’s approach. She might push a little more for closer alignment in NATO's defense policies and stronger measures against Russian influence, and the F-35 program suspension and sanctions over Syria operations will probably continue, but her election could speed up the arrival of new Turkish F16s, which have already been approved by the US Congress.