Takeaways from a day that fundamentally changed the presidential race

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By NICHOLAS RICCARDI Associated Press

President Joe Biden’s abrupt decision to bow out of the presidential race and endorse Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic candidate against former President Donald Trump caused a political earthquake on Sunday. It also changes the contours of a presidential race — which most voters said they did not want to see — that has seemed rigidly set for more than a year.

Here are some takeaways from the historic day.

Democrats who had been in disarray are falling in line

Since Biden’s disastrous debate in June, the Democratic party has been in disarray. Drip by drip, high-level party officials reversed course and started to send signals that the president needed to step aside.

Before Sunday, seeing Biden step aside did not necessarily mean making room for Harris. The vice president’s approval ratings were as grim as Biden’s, and there’s widespread skepticism on the left about her electability after her disappointing performance in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary.

But on Sunday, Democrats started lining up behind Harris. Dozens of members of Congress and senators endorsed her. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro — himself a dream nominee for many Democrats who have hoped Biden would step aside — also came out in favor of Harris, as did California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Two big names — former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former President Barack Obama — notably withheld endorsements. But with less than two months before early voting begins in the presidential election, Democrats may be deciding they don’t have time for further turmoil.

It’s also a reminder of the stark difference between the Democratic and Republican parties. Trump took over the Republican Party on the strength of his personality and loyal following of party voters. Harris has been assiduously working the phones to key Democratic members of Congress to assemble a durable coalition. Democrats are still trying to balance multiple power centers.

The GOP only has one power center now.

A campaign sign with President Joe Biden’s name cut out stands in Northwood, N.H., Sunday, July 21, 2024. Homeowner Tom Chase, 79, said he removed Biden’s name last week and was relieved and delighted that the president withdrew from his 2024 campaign and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. (AP Photo/Holly Ramer)

Will the election be about Trump, or Harris, or someone else?

Normally, a president’s reelection campaign is a referendum on the incumbent. For months, Biden tried to make it about Trump.

When pushed in interviews about his own poor debate performance, Biden tried to counter it by highlighting Donald Trump’s deceptions. He made the perceived threat of another Trump presidency his big pitch to donors, saying that the Republican would end U.S. democracy. But after the debate, the framing quickly turned to Biden, and whether he had the capacity to serve another four years.

Now Democrats hope Harris, at 59, can cast a spotlight on Trump, who is just three years younger than Biden.

The GOP made no secret that it preferred to run against Biden, but it’s pivoting to attack Harris in similar ways. Republicans are already criticizing Harris for defending Biden’s ability to do his job over the past several years. They’re tying her to the least popular aspects of Biden’s presidency, like border policy and immigration. During last week’s GOP convention, speaker after speaker called Harris the “border czar” — which has never been her title, but was shorthand for how Biden tasked her with handling immigration early in his term.

Voters: Are you happy now?

The one constant since Trump announced in November of 2022 has been voters pleading, begging for a different matchup.

The desire is clear in both polls and conversations with regular voters. In late 2023, an AP-NORC poll found that 58% would be unhappy with Trump as the GOP nominee and 56% with Biden. Democrats were more likely to be dissatisfied with Biden then Republicans with Trump.

The problem for the replace-Biden movement is no single candidate captured the imagination of Democratic voters. Running essentially unopposed, Biden cleaned up in the Democratic primary. It wasn’t until the June 27 debate that Democratic powerbrokers began to listen to voters’ unease.

Now there’s a different election. But the question remains — will voters be happy about a fresher face? Or will they treat Harris like they did Biden, either because they see her as tightly connected to him or because their unhappiness wasn’t just about the re-run of the 2020 race, but other factors in American life?

A new battle over a diverse electorate?

The main contours of the presidential race were set with Trump’s announcement in November of 2022. Now, if Democrats choose Harris, those battle lines come into much sharper focus. Harris, as the nation’s first Black woman vice president, and first of South Asian descent, has the potential to generate an overperformance among women, particularly women of color, while Trump will try to do the same among white men.

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But Trump isn’t putting all his eggs in a single demographic basket. After performing better than expected with Latinos in 2020 his campaign has been trying to boost his numbers with that ethnicity even more and also targeting Black voters. Meanwhile, Biden’s hold on older white voters — who are more likely to cast ballots — kept him competitive.

Will Harris be able to blunt Trump’s potential gains among more diverse parts of the electorate? Will she be able to replicate her boss’ strength in Rust Belt states where white voters are disproportionately powerful? Can she put in play states like Georgia and North Carolina that have a higher share of Black voters?

Any changes between Harris’ coalition and Biden’s are likely to be small, but this election is likely to be close and turn on tiny shifts in the electorate.

Will Harris be able to make a second first impression?

Harris has long been an electoral mystery. She has the resume of a top-of-the-line electoral juggernaut — female career prosecutor of racially mixed descent, quick and charismatic. But she’s underperformed in the races she ran in California. Though she won her statewide contests, she usually didn’t get as many votes as other Democrats running statewide.

The nadir came in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary. Harris ended up dropping out before voting began to preserve her viability after doing so poorly in the initial stretch of the race.

Harris’ checkered electoral history may have been a factor on Democratic disquiet about Biden, because they didn’t trust his heir apparent to beat Trump. They now may have no choice but to believe in her and have been encouraged by her sharper, clearer attacks on the Republican nominee recently.

Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith, Angie Craig react to Biden’s exit

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Three of the Democrats in Minnesota’s delegation of lawmakers issued statements Sunday to President Joe Biden’s exit from the 2024 race for the White House:

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar:

President Joe Biden shakes hands with Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., as he arrives at Minneapolis−Saint Paul International Airport, Monday, April 3, 2023, in Minneapolis. (Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press)

“President Biden has served with integrity and delivered results that will strengthen our country for generations to come. He passed historic legislation investing in our infrastructure, manufacturing and lowering the cost of prescription drugs. I am deeply grateful for his service, dedication and commitment to our country and democracy. President Biden is choosing the honorable path today.”

U.S. Sen. Tina Smith:

President Joe Biden is greeted by officials including U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar and U.S. Sens. Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar upon arrival at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on April 3, 2023. Biden was visiting Minnesota as a part of his administration’s Investing in America tour. (Mandel Ngan / AFP /Getty Images)

“President Biden is a patriot who has always put his country first, and I’m overwhelmed by his leadership and grace. He saved our democracy and he has led one of the most consequential administrations in my lifetime. His leadership and wisdom are respected around the world, he has guided us to the strongest economic recovery in generations and is building an economy that works for regular people, not just the rich and powerful. I cannot adequately express my gratitude for all he has done for this country, not just as president, but in his lifetime of service.

“I also thank the President and Vice President’s White House staff and the thousands of people who have worked so hard on their campaign. They should know how much I and so many others appreciate them.

“The work is not done; in fact, it is just beginning. I proudly and enthusiastically support Vice President Harris, whom I believe is the very best person in this moment to unify the Democratic Party and lead us forward to victory.”

U.S. Rep. Angie Craig

President Joe Biden looks to former President Barack Obama after signing an executive order during and event about the Affordable Care Act, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, April 5, 2022. Also seen are Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, Vice President Kamala Harris, Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C., and then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., and Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del. (Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press)

“I’ve long admired President Joe Biden for the way he believes in the good of America.

“It’s a belief that drove him to pursue a career in public service, a career dedicated to building the coalitions needed to defend democratic values — at home and across the world.

“And it’s a belief that led him to make the challenging — but necessary — decision to step aside as the Democratic nominee for President.

“The President’s decision today will allow the next generation of party leadership to step forward and address the unique and pressing challenges facing our country.

“Thank you, Mr. President.”

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Gophers football projected to finish 12th in 18-team Big Ten this fall

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The Gophers football team has been picked to finish in the middle of the newly expanded Big Ten Conference this fall.

Minnesota slotted in 12th out of 18 total teams, receiving 183 total points from media members in the annual Cleveland.com poll released Monday.

With the addition of Oregon, Southern Cal, Washington and UCLA, the Big Ten scrapped its East/West division format for this season, meaning there will be a crowded pecking order in the power conference this fall.

The Gophers have 15 returning starters from a team that finished 6-7 overall and 3-6 in conference play in 2023. With new transfer quarterback Max Brosmer, most oddsmakers have the Gophers finishing with approximately five regular-season wins this year.

The Cleveland.com poll named Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel as the preseason offensive player of the year and Michigan cornerback Will Johnson as the preseason defensive player of the year.

Gophers running back Darius Taylor was the only U player to receive a vote for offensive or defensive player of the year. Taylor got one mention after he averaged 5.8 yards per carry across six games last season. As a freshman, he had 138 carries for 799 rushing yards and five touchdowns.

Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck, along with Taylor, Brosmer and linebacker Cody Lindenberg will attend Big Ten Media Days on Thursday in Indianapolis.

Bigger Ten

The 2024 results from the annual Cleveland.com poll:

1. Ohio State (21 first place), 480 total votes
2. Oregon (6), 448
3. Penn State, 418
4. Michigan, 411
5. Iowa, 363
6. Southern Cal, 346
7. Wisconsin, 313
8. Nebraska, 293
9. Rutgers, 249
10. Washington, 236
11. Maryland, 185
12. Minnesota, 183
13. Illinois, 145
14. Northwestern, 138
15. UCLA, 124
16. Michigan State, 119
17. Indiana, 76
18. Purdue, 65

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Their Laws. Our Bodies.

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On the morning of June 24, 2022, the federal courthouse in downtown Dallas was reinforced with boards and fences. Protests were anticipated to follow the news that the Supreme Court had overturned Roe v. Wade. For Texans like me, that would mean already-tight restrictions would turn into a near total ban on abortion. Though it wasn’t a surprise, I still felt shocked when the ruling became reality. Thousands marched on the streets that day and for weeks after. 

In the years following, I’ve met and photographed fellow Texans who were denied abortions despite lethal fetal anomalies that endangered their lives, health, and future fertility. Some were among the 20 women who sued the state in Zurawski v. Texas last year, asking for clarification on the scope of the current ban’s “medical emergency” exception. Another woman, Kate Cox, was pregnant as she sued the state in an attempt to obtain an emergency abortion. She was denied. Another, Miranda Michel, was pregnant with twins with a 0 percent chance of viability. She was left to carry them to term; they died in her arms four hours later. 

As of late May, the Texas Supreme Court had shut down the Zurawksi legal challenge, rejecting a lower court’s clarification of the law’s medical exceptions. Doctors are left with ambiguities and fear of major consequences, including up to 99 years in prison. People with pregnancy complications are left with fewer options, less professional health care guidance, and more questions. They can choose to leave the state (if they’re able) or carry a pregnancy that won’t yield a healthy, living baby—with a risk to their own lives as well. That is never a simple decision to make. 

All these women I met and photographed wanted to be mothers. Helios, Perseus, Chloe, Amelia, and Thomas were among the names they chose to keep their lost babies alive in their hearts. These women are among the millions in Texas who now have substantially less authority over their bodies. Our bodies. 

Linda Coffee, one of two lawyers who represented “Jane Roe” in Roe v. Wade, was 30 when the Supreme Court agreed that the constitutional right to privacy extended to abortion. Now 81, she is one of few who worked on the case who lived to see it overturned.

Ashley Brandt holds her 17-month-old daughter Marley in the family’s nursery. Brandt, one of the Zurawski plaintiffs, had to travel out of state for a selective termination when one of her twins was found to be nonviable. She planted a tree outside the nursery window in honor of the daughter that was aborted. 

Left: Miranda Michel was pregnant with nonviable twins, but, due to Texas laws, she carried the doomed pregnancy to term. Her birth consisted of a hectic C-section as she fought for consciousness. The footprints of her twins, Helios and Perseus, were recorded in ink in the hospital room. Right: Lauren Miller, another of the Zurawski plaintiffs, points to the last images of Thomas. A twin, Thomas was developing without a proper brain, heart, or stomach due to Trisomy 18. Like Brandt, Miller had to travel out of state for a selective fetal reduction—to protect her own life and that of her other twin, Henry.

Lauren Hall, also among the plaintiffs, stands in the room that she and her husband had prepared as a nursery. Hall had to travel to Washington state for an abortion after receiving a diagnosis that her fetus had a fatal anomaly.

Miller, who lost Thomas to Trisomy 18, sits in her home. “You don’t have time to grieve, you’re under a lot of stress, and [I can’t speak for all the plaintiffs, but] on some level we’re all just really mad because we shouldn’t have had to go through that,” she said.

Left: Michel cradles Helios and Perseus Langley in her arms after delivery. From rural northeast Texas, Miranda was surrounded by abortion bans in Oklahoma and Arkansas, and she feared circumventing the law and fleeing the state. The twins died four hours after birth. Right: Helios and Perseus are laid to rest.

Kate Cox, a mother of two, sued Texas late last year seeking legal permission for an emergency abortion. She’d always imagined having more kids, but her fetus had been diagnosed with Trisomy 18. There were so many malformations to her daughter’s brain, spine, and neural tube that the baby would probably die in utero or shortly after being born. Cox’s ability to have future children was also at risk. Her case was shot down by the Texas Supreme Court. She traveled to New Mexico to get the healthcare she needed.