zNewsletter Sunday

Local Democrats Say President’s Decision Was a Selfless Act

WHEELING -- Prominent local Democrats said Sunday that President Joe Biden's stunning decision to no longer seek reelection showed he was a man who truly cared about the future of the country.

"President Biden, once again, has shown us how to put others before self in an act of great American leadership," attorney Teresa Toriseva, the Democratic nominee for West Virginia Attorney General, vice-chair of the state democratic party and whip for the West Virginia delegation to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, said Sunday via text message. "How refreshing is his humility and patriotism in this toxic political climate?"

Calls for Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race had grown louder over the last few weeks, both abroad and within the Mountain State.

One of the loudest came Sunday, when U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, a former longtime Democrat who switched to independent this year, went on both CNN's "State of the Union" and ABC's "This Week" and said it was time for Biden to pass the torch.

Just hours later, Biden announced that he would not be the Democratic nominee in November, instead focusing on the presidency for the remainder of his single term in office.

Shawn Fluharty, D-Ohio and the Minority Whip in the West Virginia House of Delegates, also lauded Biden's decision, saying it was another example of the president having the country's best interests at heart.

"Joe Biden has shown that he has put the country over himself throughout his tenure as a U.S. Senator and President and this was an act of selflessness, not selfishness," Fluharty said. "And I think it was the best decision for himself and the country."

Former Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott, now the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate seat coming open due to Manchin's retirement, said this was the way he expected Biden to handle the situation following his widely panned debate performance and against former president Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee.

"He did a lot of soul searching, went back and put himself out there a few times," Elliott said, "and the results did not temper some of the concerns that people had.

"I think the President did what's best for the country here and ... basically came to the conclusion that he wasn't the best person to carry the torch for the Democratic Party. I respect

the fact that he came to that decision carefully and deliberately. It's a very important decision."

Now the focus shifts to the Democratic National Convention, scheduled for Aug. 19-22. Biden quickly endorsed his vice president Kamala Harris for the nomination, and she said intends to "earn and win" it.

Fluharty endorses an open convention, where the delegates have no predetermined nominee. He said there are plenty of strong candidates for the ticket - Harris, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear among them - and an open convention would be the best method to pick a winner.

"It leaves no doubt as to who should be the nominee at this point," Fluharty said. "It allows for the selection process to be more vetted. It's not really an unprecedented matter. I mean, we have structure in place for this type of situation."

Both Elliott and Toriseva will be in Chicago as delegates. With the announcement still fresh Sunday afternoon, Elliott said he hadn't been able to sit down and think about the full weight of what the convention and the decisions made there will mean. But the mission, he continued, is clear - pick a ticket that will win the White House.

"I think it's imperative for all Democrats to take a deep breath, and really, think about fielding the best ticket possible to take the fight into November," he said. "Certainly, as a delegate, I will do my duty. I will follow what all the requirements of being a delegate are."

Fluharty said that whoever becomes the nominee needs to be a strong messenger in touting the successes of the Democrats during Biden's administration. He mentioned the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act that led to several major developments in West Virginia, like Wheeling's Downtown Streetscape Project, and the arrival of Form Energy in Weirton and Nucor in Mason County.

"Democrats did that," Fluharty said. "These are Democratic accomplishments, because we passed an infrastructure bill and Inflation Reduction Act that included tax credits that are benefiting West Virginia. We're producing more metallurgical coal, which produces steel, which builds bridges, which we are doing because of the infrastructure bill.

"I think whoever is at the top, Democrats need to show more of a spot-on messaging and fight. Take the message to people."

And while the next few weeks leading into the convention will be tumultuous, Toriseva said the delegates will be ready for the job.

"It's an exciting and historic time for Democrats," Toriseva said, "and we will rise to the moment as the country watches."