In an emotional Oval Office address, President Joe Biden announced his decision to step aside from the 2024 presidential race, framing it as a necessary step to save democracy and pass the torch to a new generation.
Praising Vice President Kamala Harris as a capable and experienced leader, Biden urged the Democratic Party to unite behind her to defeat Donald Trump. Biden highlighted his first-term achievements and expressed his enduring commitment to serving the American people.
Faculty experts at the George Washington University are available to provide context, commentary and analysis on what a potential Harris administration would entail. If you would like to speak to an expert, please contact the GW Media Relations Team at [email protected].
Peter Loge is the director of GW’s School of Media and Public Affairs. He has nearly 30 years of experience in politics and communications, having served as a deputy to the chief of staff for Sen. Edward Kennedy during the 1995 shutdown, a VP at the US Institute of Peace in 2013, and held senior positions for three members of the U.S. House of Representatives. Loge currently leads the Project on Ethics in Political Communication at the School of Media and Public Affairs and continues to advise advocates and organizations.
Reverend Professor Quardricos Bernard Driskell is an adjunct professor of religion and politics at the George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management, as well as a policy influencer and federal lobbyist. With nearly ten years of government relations experience, he has worked for two patient voluntary health associations where he advanced the patient voice into policy and research deliberations through services to Congress, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Matt Dallek, a professor at GW’s Graduate School of Political Management, is a political historian with expertise in the intersection of social crises and political transformation, the evolution of the modern conservative movement, and liberalism and its critics. Along with four co-authored books, Dallek is the author of Birchers: How the John Birch Society Radicalized the American Right, which explores the history and influence of America’s right-wing activism.
Casey Burgat is the director of the Legislative Affairs program at the Graduate School of Political Management and host of its Mastering the Room podcast. Prior to joining GSPM, Burgat was a Senior Governance Fellow at the R Street Institute where his research focused on issues of congressional capacity and reform. Burgat co-authored Congress Explained: Representation and Lawmaking in the First Branch, a textbook on all things Congress.
Burgat says, "After weeks of speculation, private and increasing public pressure, and dropping poll numbers, President Biden was unable to hold on to enough support to continue as the Democratic nominee. Just like Nixon's resignation in Watergate, presidents are usually the last to see or accept the writing on the wall, and their ultimate resignation comes down to finally being convinced that they no longer have the support within their own party that they think they deserve because they are commander in chief. Biden's dropping out does raise interesting questions about whether or not the voters' will was reflected or if party leaders and donors were the one calling the shots. Both are true, but Republicans are sure to hammer the point that the liberal elites ignored everyday voters in an attempt to change the rules of the game once it became clear they couldn't win fairly."
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