Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi avoid endorsing Kamala Harris after Biden bows out
Washington DC - Top Democrats Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi seemingly evaded endorsing Kamala Harris after President Joe Biden announced he was dropping out of the 2024 race.
![In their reactions to Joe Biden dropping out of the presidential race, Barack Obama (c.) and Nancy Pelosi (r.) did not immediately endorse his running mate, Kamala Harris (l.).](https://media.tag24.de/951x634/a/a/aa2b4xtio0hp3ws02j9659rhsu6kkboj.jpg)
On Sunday, Obama shared a statement on Medium regarding Biden's exit, where he praised the president for "putting the interests of the American people ahead of his own."
"For him to look at the political landscape and decide that he should pass the torch to a new nominee is surely one of the toughest in his life,” Obama wrote. "But I know he wouldn't make this decision unless he believed it was right for America."
But the former president notably did not endorse Biden's running mate to take over, instead pitching the idea that the party should hold a contest to choose the nominee.
"We will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead," he wrote. "But I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges."
Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi also failed to mention Harris in a statement, where she praised Biden for being "a patriotic American" and "one of the most consequential Presidents in American history."
Does Kamala Harris need Obama and Pelosi's support to win?
![Barack Obama's (r.) decision not to immediately endorse Kamala Harris has sparked speculation about the plan moving forward for the Democratic party.](https://media.tag24.de/951x634/4/1/41yyu6v543gg75zgzzuhm1yxeyq6273r.jpg)
On Sunday, President Biden announced that he would not be seeking re-election, caving to mounting pressure from Democratic politicians and celebrities in recent weeks who expressed concerns about his age and chances of beating his Republican rival, Donald Trump.
Biden later endorsed Harris, who is in the best position to take on the thousands of delegate votes he won during the Democratic primaries earlier this year.
While Harris does not need the support of Obama and Pelosi, the lack of support from the two key Democrats has sparked speculation about the plan moving forward for the party, and whether she will be the one to take over.
The rules committee for the DNC is expected to meet this week to discuss a plan for choosing another candidate to take over for Biden.
Cover photo: Collage: Chris duMond & CHIP SOMODEVILLA / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP