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Missouri lawmakers react to Biden’s suspension of re-election | Elections

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President Joe Biden announced on Sunday that he is suspending his campaign for re-election in 2024.

Biden’s statement, published on X, came after weeks of turmoil in the Democratic Party, with leading Democrats calling on him to end his presidential campaign following a poor performance in the first presidential debate.

“While it was my intention to run for re-election, I believe it is in the best interests of my party and the country that I step down and focus exclusively on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” Biden wrote in the statement.

Following this post, Republican lawmakers and politicians in Missouri called on Biden to resign from office.

Both Senators Eric Schmitt and Josh Hawley called on Biden to resign and criticized his suitability for the office after he ended his campaign.

“Joe Biden’s term is long over,” Schmitt said in a statement. “Biden’s three-and-a-half years in the White House have left Americans with crushing inflation, a dismal foreign policy record and a largely unchecked expansion of the administrative state. Americans are ready for new leadership, not more of the same from the Democrats – regardless of who they now try to nominate.”

In his post, Biden acknowledged the achievements of his three-and-a-half years in office.

“Today, America has the strongest economy in the world,” Biden wrote. “We have made historic investments in rebuilding our nation, lowering prescription drug costs for seniors, and expanding affordable health care for a record number of Americans. We have provided much-needed care to a million veterans exposed to toxic substances. We passed the first gun safety law in 30 years. We appointed the first African American woman to the Supreme Court. And we passed the most significant climate legislation in world history. America has never been better positioned to lead.”

Republican politicians in the state of Missouri joined senators in calling for Biden to resign from office.

Attorney General Andrew Bailey, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft and Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe have called for Biden’s resignation, suggesting that his mental state makes him unfit to lead the country. Biden did not acknowledge diminished mental capacity in his campaign suspension, and he and his administration have stressed in interviews and press conferences that he remains fit for office.

Ashcroft and Kehoe, who are also running for the Republican nomination for governor of Missouri, join other members of the state legislature in saying they will continue to support former President Donald Trump in his presidential bid and stressed that Trump will win the presidential election “no matter what.”

Local reactions to Biden’s decision to suspend his campaign were very polarized by party, with Republicans largely calling for the president to resign – which would leave Vice President Kamala Harris in charge – criticizing Biden’s mental abilities and declaring their support for Trump.

Mike Hamra, a Democratic candidate for the Missouri governorship, praised Biden’s decision to end his campaign.

Democratic Congresswoman Cori Bush, who represents St. Louis in the U.S. House of Representatives, made a similar statement to Hamra, supporting the president’s decision.

“In these critical times, when MAGA extremism and fascism are determined to set us back, our top priority must be to defeat Trump in November,” Bush said in the statement. “I commend and thank President Biden for prioritizing the needs of our nation; a decision that was certainly difficult.”

The Missouri Republican Party said in a statement that it believes Biden’s decision reflects the strength of the Republican Party.

“When I attended the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, it was obvious that our party stands firmly behind President Trump,” said Nick Myers, chairman of the Missouri Republican Party. “This unity stands in stark contrast to the current confusion in the Democratic ranks, who are currently struggling to find a new leader.”

Biden has endorsed Harris as the Democratic presidential candidate. The Democratic Party will officially choose its candidate at the Democratic National Convention from August 19 to 22.

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