Colorado lawmakers praise Biden. Polis endorses Harris as Democrats rally around the VP

Updated at 7:52 p.m. on July 21. 2024.

Gov. Jared Polis has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. On X, formerly known as Twitter, Polis praised Harris saying "Kamala has a vision of hope and a future we can all believe in." The endorsement is notable because Polis was seen by many as a potential presidential candidate if Biden dropped out of the race.

He was joined by all of Colorado's Democratic House members as well as Sen. Michael Bennet in endorsing Harris.

Our original story continues below.

Colorado Democrats are sending words of support to President Joe Biden after he announced he will not seek a second term in office on Sunday. He endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the nominee.

“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” Biden wrote in a letter he posted on X, formerly Twitter. 

Sen. John Hickenlooper was among the first to react to the news of Biden ending his campaign. 

“His presidency — and career — will be remembered alongside Roosevelt’s and Johnson’s for its scale, magnitude, and lasting impact on American society,” Hickenlooper said in a statement. “More than anything, I’m thankful Joe Biden has given so much to this country over a lifetime of service.”

Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet thanked Biden for his decades of service. 

“Today, we owe President Biden a debt of gratitude that we may never be able to repay. We may not know what comes next, but by passing the torch to a new standard bearer, President Biden has again given us the chance to beat Donald Trump and give our children the future they deserve.”

Rep. Jason Crow said in a statement that Biden has always put country first. “In 2020, President Biden saved us from a second Trump term and by stepping aside he may have done so again…I am confident Americans will rise up and meet this moment.”

Others praised his achievements. Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette, who worked with Biden when he was Senator, Vice President and finally President, said Biden’s “contributions to his country have been unparalleled.”

Democratic Rep. Yadira Caraveo highlighted passage of the Inflation Reduction Act and bipartisan infrastructure law during his time in office. “I’m supportive of his decision to pass the torch to the next generation of leaders who will steer our party and our nation toward a brighter future.”

While Democratic Rep. Joe Neguse  said he had “deep gratitude” to Biden, who he described as “one of the most effective Presidents in my lifetime.” Neguse endorsed Harris to be the Democratic nominee for president.

The only member of the Colorado delegation to call for Biden to step down, Democratic Rep. Brittany Pettersen said Biden was a “true patriot who puts the interest of the country and the American people over himself.”

In a statement, Gov. Jared Polis said Biden has been a great supporter of Colorado. “He has helped Colorado deliver more low-cost clean energy, address climate change, improve our roads and bridges with historic federal funding, and supported Colorado as we fought to preserve our public lands,” Polis said. “This could not have been an easy decision but it is the right one, and Joe Biden promised Americans he would always do what’s right for our country and once again he has delivered.”

Bri Buentello, a former state legislator and chairwoman for the Pueblo Democrats, said she was happy to see Biden drop out and pass the reins to Vice President Harris. 

“I'm joining [the] K-Hive. I'm getting a coconut tree tattoo, we're doing this,” Buentello said, referring to several viral moments from the Vice President. “We're knocking doors. We're going to get our first woman president.”

Democratic candidate Adam Frisch, however, called for Democrats to have some type of competitive open primary, even if it’s in a compressed timeframe with the Democratic National Convention slated to open on August 19.

“I think it only helps whoever the candidate is going to be to go through a competitive process,” Frisch told CPR News.

Republicans, however, criticized the move. Polls after the debate had been moving in favor of Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump, and many Republicans saw Biden as easy to beat this fall.

Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert said on X that Democrats “disregarded the entire primary process and said their ‘elites’ know better.” She also said it feels “insurrection-ey.”

Boebert was confident of Trump’s chances over anyone who becomes the Democratic nominee. 

“The problem was never just Joe Biden, though he was a major problem, it was and is the Democrat agenda. Trump will resoundingly defeat whichever failed candidate they put up in Biden’s place,” she wrote on X.

Doug Lamborn, the representative of Colorado's 5th Congressional District, said: “Since Joe Biden took office, Americans have been paying more for just about everything due to inflation. Biden has also failed to stand up to our adversaries in Beijing, Tehran, and Moscow. I have been calling for Biden to retire for years. I am glad he is doing the right thing for once.”

GOP Rep. Greg Lopez called on Biden to resign: “If Biden is incapable of leading his campaign, how can we expect him to lead the most powerful country in the world? If he cannot pass a cognitive test, then he must resign.”

Chair of the Colorado Republican Party Dave Williams said he was not surprised by the news. “The truth is this desperate move is too little too late as whoever becomes the new Democrat nominee will end up losing badly because President Trump is clearly in command of this race,” he said.

The announcement comes after weeks of speculation around Biden’s future. 

Biden’s ability to serve an additional four years was called into question following a presidential debate performance last month that ignited Democratic concerns about his ability to win the election.

Rep. Pettersen publicly asked Biden to end his reelection campaign, while Sen. Bennet stated publicly that Biden would not win. He stopped short of asking the president to drop out of the race.

In the debate’s immediate aftermath, many Colorado Democrats stood behind Biden, with many saying despite the poor performance, Biden had numerous policy accomplishments to run on, from job growth to historic infrastructure and climate legislation. 

But as questions about whether Biden would be able to serve another four years continued to swirl, many Democrats tempered their support, noting that Biden was the nominee until he decided otherwise.

Still, other Colorado Democrats, like congressional candidate Frisch, were early to join the chorus of voices urging Biden to withdraw. Frisch, who is trying to flip the 3rd Congressional District from Republican to Democrat this fall, thanked Biden for his service but said it was time for a new generation to lead.

“It's been obvious to 99.9 percent of the country that this candidacy for presidency was on the wrong track. Twenty-seven polls can't be wrong,” Frisch said shortly after the debate. “Certainly 27 polls can be changed over the next four or five months.”

Democratic National Committee member and former state Rep. Joseph Salazar also called on Biden to drop out of the race early on. 

“[Biden] has been a man who has lived for this country. I'm asking that for the good of the country that he steps down and that we're able to move forward with another candidate because frankly, with the opponent [Trump] being a lying, treasonous, multi-felon, we should be wiping him off the board,” Salazar said. “This shouldn't be a close race.”

Colorado’s Democratic voters have party turmoil closely, and with significant ambivalence.

Biden’s decision opens up questions on how Democrats will select a new nominee.