MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Obama not endorsing Harris' candidacy

Obama said Biden was a patriot but Democratic Party primaries were needed to appoint the next candidate

After US President Joseph Biden announced he would be stepping down from his reelection campaign and would endorse Vice President Kamala Harris picking up the Democratic Party's baton, silence on the part of the former head of State Barack Obama -under whom Biden served twice as VP- and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi caught the attention of political analysts in Washington DC.

 Obama welcomed Biden's decision to retire from the presidential race but warned that the country was entering “uncharted waters.” He also called for some form of primaries, which meant he would not be standing behind Harris automatically.

“Joe Biden has been one of the most important presidents of the United States, as well as a dear friend and companion to me. Today we have also been reminded, once again, that he is a patriot of the highest level,” Obama said in a letter he shared on social media.

His wife and former First Lady has been singled out by various pollsters as an adequate challenge to frontrunner and former President Donald Trump of the Republican Party, although she has never admitted she would intend to run.

Pelosi and other Democratic leaders also agreed it was time to gauge the field this week to have an insight into how serious a contender Harris would be.

Obama also praised Biden for putting country over party: “For him to look at the political landscape and decide that he should pass the torch to a new nominee is surely one of the toughest in his life,” he also mentioned. “But I know he wouldn’t make this decision unless he believed it was right for America. It’s a testament to Joe Biden’s love of country—and a historic example of a genuine public servant once again putting the interests of the American people ahead of his own that future generations of leaders will do well to follow.”

Pelosi called Biden “a patriotic American” with “a legacy of vision, values, and leadership” which made him “one of the most consequential Presidents in American history.”