A month of criticism over debate performance, follow-up concerns about age and polling finally force President Joe Biden out of re-election bid

• President Biden endorses VP Kamala Harris to take over ticket
• Don’t expect vote for new nomination

An already historic week in the nation’s history ends with one more big, crashing note as the crescendo of events was announced this afternoon by President Joe Biden.

After decades in service – including two terms as Vice President and this term as President – he is dropping his campaign for re-election for a new term in office.

Biden made the announcement on social media this afternoon and affirmed the decision with his endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris to take over his campaign.

My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term. My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best… pic.twitter.com/x8DnvuImJV

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024

He will serve out the rest of his term as President through January 2025.

Biden, who began life in public service in 1970 in Delaware on a local county council, ends his political life as the 46th President of the United States. He served multiple terms as U.S. Senator for the Sate of Delaware beginning in 1972, and was the 47th Vice President of the United States under President Barack Obama.

The Biden campaign has faced criticism and backlash from supporters and detractors alike in the wake of a disastrous debate performance against former President Donald Trump, and the aftermath of attempting to quell concerns about his age and health while serving a second term in office.

Polling in favor of President Biden has been slipping in the past months as the fears over his mental acuity continued to grow in recent months, and made more noticeable after the debate.

Since the November ballot for Georgia hasn’t yet been finalized, what will happen is that whoever is decided upon by delegates at the Democratic National Convention for the ticket will be going on the ballot this fall before early voting opens and the November 5 election.

This means a brokered convention is likely to be the end result for the Democratic National Committee’s selection of a new presidential candidate. It has been since 1952 when the Democrats nominated Adli Stevenson to face Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Presidential race since a brokered convention has been held. Stevenson won after three ballots.

The RNC in 1976 came close when it became a contested convention between Ronald Reagan and President Gerald Ford for the nomination in that presidential campaign.

Rules about delegate allocation and ensuring the will of the voters are being heard have essentially made a brokered convention impossible in recent years under all but the most unlikely of circumstances, such as what the nation currently faces as a nominee has dropped out before the convention but after the primaries and caucuses for the Democratic Party have already been held.

As this is still breaking news, stay tuned for any updates that become available.