Politics and views in the United States.

President Joe Biden drops his 2024 re-election bid. He's endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to take his spot on the ticket, and election experts say they see benefits to this decision.

TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to 2024 Talks, where we're following our democracy in historic times.

A new Democratic nominee could generate a relief rally, not only among Democrats, but perhaps among independents and some alienated Republicans, that there is a different choice than Biden or Trump.

SMU political science professor Cal Gillison says President Joe Biden ending his re-election bid could reinvigorate some discouraged voters.

Biden's decision answers calls to step aside many from Democrats in Congress after a poor debate performance last month.

But Biden also says it's best for the party and the country if he stays in office until the new president is inaugurated in January.

Biden is endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to take his spot on the ticket.

Harris responded by saying she'll work and earn the nomination.

The mechanics of a changeover might get messy.

No nominee is formally selected until the Democratic convention delegates vote and other candidates could push for a contested process.

Biden would probably release the delegates pledged to him, urging them to choose Harris.

But Republicans say they intend to sue, arguing that ignores the millions of votes cast during the primaries.

Harris has already been campaigning hard.

At a recent event in North Carolina, she said Republicans are making empty claims of being the party of unity.

You cannot claim you stand for unity if you are pushing an agenda that deprives whole groups of Americans of basic freedoms, opportunity, and dignity.

Along with ardent speeches on reproductive rights, she has pleased the Democratic faithful by pushing back on former President Donald Trump's rhetoric, as in a recent Philadelphia speech.

Donald Trump openly vowed, if reelected, that he will be a dictator on day one, that he will weaponize the Department of Justice against his political enemies, that he will round up peaceful protesters and throw them out of our country.

University of California sociology professor Nina Elisoff says Biden's announcement shows small-D democracy in action inside the Democratic Party.

I think if there was a shift, it would actually be really healthy for democracy, because it would show that Democrats at least really care about the truth, about what the person who's supposed to be leading the country is like.

University of New Mexico law professor Josh Kastenberg says Harris would likely face an onslaught of racist and sexist comments.

If you think about 2016 and the amount of misogynistic content directed against Hillary Clinton, you're going to see that even more so now in regard to Harris.

Anti-feminism, misogyny, racism.

Trump says Harris will be easier to beat than Biden, although some experts, like UCLA political science professor Lynn Vavreck, feel differently.

Race will once again tighten to be somewhere around 50/50.

That will roll us into the Democratic convention, and from that point forward, it's not that long until early voting starts.

New York Times polling says the race is still close, and while Harris trails Trump in some places, she may be closing or overtaking him in others.

I'm Edwin J. Vieira for Pacific Network and Public News Service.

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.