VERMILION PARISH, KATC - President Joe Biden’s historical announcement on Sunday to drop out of the 2024 race sent shock waves through Washington. A turning point in American politics just weeks before election day left democrats scrambling to find a nominee.
The unprecedented announcement comes as growing pressure from Biden’s Democratic allies to step aside following the presidential debate with Former Donald Trump raised many doubts.
The president quickly endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris following his astonishing announcement.
“She’s the most suitable choice, she’s the proper choice and we're excited about it and we look forward to promoting her to the same level that we were supporting Biden,” Louisiana Democratic Party Chair Randal Gaines said.
Local officials like Louisiana Democratic Party Chair Randal Gaines are rallying behind Harris. Gaines is set to visit Acadiana on Tuesday, July 23 in hopes to galvanize supporters.
“Because of the distraction, it was hard to build enthusiasm. We wanted to be the first out of the gate. We’re one of the first to endorse her because we want to show strong support coming out of the game,” he said.
Sunday evening, the Louisiana Democratic Party announced on Facebook their support for Harris as the potential nominee. Writing on Facebook
This evening, the Louisiana delegation to theDemocratic National Convention met virtually, and by an overwhelming majority vote, officially endorsed Vice PresidentKamala Harris to be our 2024 Democratic Presidential Nominee.
LDP Chair Randal Gaines, who also chairs the Louisiana delegation to the convention, shared the following statement:
“We are grateful to President Joe Biden for his remarkable leadership, and we are committed to honoring his legacy by working tirelessly this fall to keep the White House in Democratic hands. I am proud to share that Louisiana’s Democratic delegates will join President Biden in overwhelmingly endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as our nominee. It’s time we come together, and by throwing our full support behind her, we can beat Donald Trump again and continue Joe Biden’s legacy of accomplishments and progress for our country. We look forward to a productive, energizing, and historic convention in which we nominate the first Black woman as our Democratic nominee.”
Gaines believes Harris’ stance on women’s rights could help bring in more Democratic voters to this red state.
While he hopes to help gain votes for Harris, there’s no denying that Former President Donald Trump has garnered a lot of support in parts of the state like here in Vermilion Parish.
“I think President Trump just lines us with my conservative values,” State Representative Troy Hebert said.
State Representative Troy Hebert who represents parts of Vermilion Parish says he believes Trump can address border security, a main concern of his and many others who live in Vermilion Parish.
“I believe that we need secure borders and I do believe that we need a lot of work to help our middle class and lower income. We got to get things moving. I think that we can do that under his leadership,” he said.
