The Horse Race: 'A Party Not a Cult': Democrats Contrast Biden Ouster with Republicans' Yearslong Trump Struggle

The state of the campaign.

WITH BRITTANY BERNSTEIN & AUDREY FAHLBERG Thursday, July 25, 2024 'A Party Not a Cult': Democrats Contrast Biden Ouster with Republicans' Yearslong Trump Struggle Washington, D.C. – As their Republican opponents and even some fellow progressives unload on establishment Democrats for pushing Joe Biden out after voters had their say, lawmakers who helped show the president the door are casting the top-down maneuver as an example of effective party administration — drawing a contrast with Republicans' long struggle to rid themselves of Donald Trump.   "What we're showing is that we're still a party and not a cult, and we actually came together and reevaluated our situation and decided that we need to move in a different path," Representative Brittany Pettersen (D., Colo.), who called on Biden to step aside on July 12, told NR in the U.S. Capitol earlier this week. "I think that that shows the strength of the party, and I don't think that that's going to alienate swing voters."   "If anything, they're relieved that we're listening," Pettersen said on Monday, two days before a new poll released by CNN showed that Biden's decision to drop out was indeed met with 87 percent approval from registered voters across the political spectrum.   The Democratic Party may have succeeded in pressuring Biden to exit the race. But it's taking a huge gamble in uniting behind Harris, an extremely unpopular vice president who spent the entire 2020 presidential primary tacking to the left.    What could've been a contested nomination fight quickly became a coronation for Harris, who immediately secured support from Democratic delegates, party leaders, and would-be rivals in the wake of Biden's decision to bow out . . . READ MORE  > Join NRPLUS and get the full text of The Horse Race delivered straight to your inbox. ADVERTISEMENT 19 West 44th Street, Ste. 1701, New York, NY, 10036 Your Preferences | Unsubscribe | Privacy View this e-mail in your browser.