President Joe Biden has dropped out of the presidential race amid concerns over his age and sagging poll numbers, an unprecedented decision in modern American political history.

In an announcement on Sunday, Biden said he had decided not to accept the Democratic Party’s nomination and will “focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term.” He offered “my full support and endorsement” for Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him on the top of the ticket. 

In a statement of her own, Harris announced her intention to “earn and win” the nomination.

All five Democrats in Nevada's congressional delegation endorsed Harris on Sunday

Biden’s decision came after he cut a campaign visit to Las Vegas short last week after contracting COVID. But many Democrats publicly and privately had been openly calling for the 81-year-old to leave the race after a disastrous debate performance on June 27 in which he struggled to articulate his points clearly, bringing his age, mental acuity and ability to win to the fore. 

In recent polling of Nevada, the president has generally trailed Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump. Biden narrowly defeated Trump in Nevada in 2020, winning by just more than 33,000 votes.  

The Democratic National Convention, where Democrats will officially designate a nominee, will kick off in Chicago in less than a month.

Nevada leaders react

Reaction by top Nevada Democrats — who had largely stuck by Biden as others called for him to drop out — was swift.

“Time and time again, he has delivered for hardworking Nevadans,” Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) said in a post on X. “I respect his deeply personal and courageous decision and look forward to working with him as he finishes his historic term.”

Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) also praised Biden’s “remarkable legacy of accomplishment.”

While Rosen and Cortez Masto did not immediately endorse Harris, they did so Sunday afternoon. Rosen said Harris is “highly qualified for the job, and she’s ready to lead on Day 1,” while Cortez Masto said she “has the experience and proven record to be our next President.”

Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV), who appeared with Biden in Las Vegas on Tuesday even as other members of Congress avoided him on the campaign trail, thanked Biden for his service and tied himself to the president’s legacy.

“From creating millions of jobs to tackling gun safety, President Biden has been an outstanding and important lifelong public servant,” Horsford said on X. “I’m proud of all we’ve done together.” 

And in a joint statement with Rep. Greg Meeks (D-NY), Horsford, through the Congressional Black Caucus PAC, endorsed Harris, saying she would make an “excellent” president.  As the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Horsford will be a key political ally on Capitol Hill for the party’s eventual nominee. A Horsford spokesperson confirmed that Harris called Horsford shortly after Biden endorsed her.

In a press call with reporters Sunday night, Horsford said that when he spent time with Biden in his district on Tuesday, he said the president had been committed to staying in the race — an attitude Horsford supported. But he said that he agreed with Biden’s decision to step aside, a choice that Horsford said reflected the very character and sense of integrity that had made him a Biden supporter.

But he believes Harris is “prepared and qualified” to rebuild the coalition that Biden carried in Nevada in 2020, which he identified as including Latino voters, Black voters, the fast-growing Asian American population, organized labor, the white working class and policy-focused independents. Horsford added that Harris will inject new life into the race — which to this point had featured a rematch between two aging presidents.

“This is a generational change that is going to create a level of energy, excitement and engagement with voters from across the spectrum — independents, nonpartisans, Republicans who are looking for a more pragmatic way and Democrats who are looking for a new vision,” Horsford said. “That’s what the Vice President is offering.” 

Rep. Susie Lee (D-NV) also endorsed Harris, saying she “look[ed] forward to supporting her at the top of the ticket.”

Lee, who had been openly skeptical of Biden remaining on the ticket after his debate performance, thanked him for his “impactful” presidency and for his decision to step aside, which she called an act of “immense patriotism and selfless leadership.”

Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV), a Biden-Harris National Advisory Board member, commended Biden for his service and decision in a statement.

“Ultimately, he chose to put the interests of this nation above himself,” Titus, who went on to endorse Harris, said. “That is the essence of a great President.”

In a post on X, Attorney General Aaron Ford, a delegate to the Democratic National Convention, said Biden was “a patriot who puts country over self, and I'm so very grateful for his service.” In a separate post a few minutes later, Ford endorsed Harris with two photos and the comment, “Let’s go!! #TeamKamala!”

Nevada Democratic Party Chair Daniele Monroe-Moreno, who signed a letter with other swing state party chairs backing Biden just this morning, praised Biden as “transformational president” and affirming his choice of Harris as vice president. Monroe-Moreno is a delegate to the convention as well.

State Treasurer Zach Conine also wrote on X, saying Biden “is one of the most consequential leaders in American history,” crediting the president with bringing “our economy back from the pandemic.”

The Nevada Republican Party said in a statement that Biden’s decision to leave the race “underscores the deep divisions and uncertainty within the Democratic Party.”

Harris and Nevada

In statements after Biden’s announcement, several Nevada Democrats thanked Biden for his service and quickly endorsed Harris — a fixture in neighboring California politics for decades who has maintained a frequent presence in Nevada as vice president. She has made six trips to the Silver State just this year.

Recent polling from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that 6 in 10 Democrats believe that Harris would do a good job taking over Biden’s spot as the party’s presidential nominee. 

Harris has also been a longtime political ally of Cortez Masto. The two served as attorneys general of California and Nevada, respectively, overlapping for four years from 2011 to 2015. In that time, they partnered to negotiate mortgage settlements with banks after the foreclosure crisis. Both women successfully ran for U.S. Senate in 2016, serving together for four years until Harris became vice president.

Megan Jones, a longtime Nevada operative for Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV), is also among Harris’ inner circle, serving as a senior political adviser.

Senate race

With Biden off the ticket, the dynamic of the Nevada Senate race has been upended.

Throughout the race, Biden’s polling numbers had remained significantly below Rosen, inciting fears among Democrats that his presence on the ticket could drag her and other incumbents down.

In a lengthy statement, Rosen praised Biden's record without endorsing Harris and while trying to keep the heat on her opponent, Sam Brown. She said voters would have a “clear choice” between the parties, one of which is “focused on restoring reproductive rights” while the other contained “far-right MAGA extremists like my opponent.”

In a statement, a National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesperson called Harris a “far-left radical” and implied she would have the same issues as Biden in swing states.

Brown, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, said in a post on X that in not calling on Biden to resign, Rosen — who had not called for Biden to exit the race — fell short.

“Jacky Rosen failed to use her position as a Senator to lead with common sense,” Brown said. “The whole world could clearly see he is not fit to be President and should never have run for reelection.”

Brown, like many other Republicans, also called on Biden to resign immediately.

What comes next?

Nevada held its presidential primary in February, which Biden, running against no serious challengers, won with nearly 90 percent of the vote. Per Nevada Democrats’ delegate selection plan, each delegate signed a pledge to support the presidential candidate. As such, Nevada’s 49 delegates to the Democratic National Convention are pledged to Biden.

While Biden endorsed Harris, delegates previously pledged to Biden do not automatically transfer to his preferred candidate. Once released, Nevada’s delegates are free to support any candidate on the convention floor who has qualified. Qualified candidates must receive the written support of at least 300 delegates or the votes of at least 600.

Nevada’s 49 delegates are a mix of elected officials, party activists and volunteers that include the U.S. senators, members of Congress, attorney general, state party leaders, some state legislators and Democratic National Committee members. They make up about 1 percent of the 4,672 delegates who will attend the convention.

Several Nevada delegates immediately expressed support for Harris, from reposting endorsements to changing profile photos to include Harris.  Horsford, a delegate himself, said based on initial conversations following Biden’s announcement, he believes Harris will win the nomination.

“I've heard from a ton of delegates and constituents and voters — people who have sent me texts and emailed, called me — who are energized, excited, engaged and want to know what they can do,” he said. 

If Democrats do not coalesce around a candidate before the convention and choose to vote among qualified nominees on the floor, the first ballot will only include pledged delegates, a group that includes 36 members of Nevada’s delegation and leaves out automatic or “superdelegates,” including federally elected Nevadans and the state’s DNC representatives.

Ballot access

Different states have different rules for when presidential nominees must be finalized in order to appear on the ballot. 

In Nevada, state law requires each major political party to provide their presidential and vice presidential candidates’ names to the secretary of state by 5 p.m. Sept. 3. 

Ballot access in Nevada, therefore, should not be a problem, so long as Democrats emerge with a presidential ticket by the end of the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 22. 

Campaign infrastructure

Campaign infrastructure is a different story. Given that Harris’ name is on the ticket with Biden, Federal Election Commission rules dictate that the funds in Biden’s campaign account could be transferred to her easily.

Biden’s robust campaign in Nevada — which includes more than 80 staffers and 13 offices — are paid by the campaign and the Democratic National Committee. If Harris takes over the ticket, they can simply continue working for the campaign and being paid for it. 
However, if another candidate besides Harris emerges at an open convention, the legal machinations of transferring funds becomes murky. Republicans would likely challenge any attempts to continue to use campaign funds, which might need to be transferred back to donors.

The Nevada Independent reporters Isabella Aldrete and Howard Stutz contributed to this report.

This story was updated at 6:30 p.m. on 7/21/24 to reflect that Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris.