‘Earth-shattering’: In deep blue Santa Cruz County, politicians react to Biden bowing out

It was the acquiescence heard ‘round the world. 

President Joe Biden announced in a letter Sunday that he is ending his bid for reelection. The decision arrives amid a riptide of Democrats calling for an alternate direction after Biden’s June debate performance highlighted widespread concerns over his age and mental acuity.  

Vice President Kamala Harris immediately announced her intention to enter the race, and the endorsements are flooding in, including from Biden. Her nomination will depend on roughly 3,900 party delegates across the country who now hold the power to decide who will face former president Donald Trump in the November election. 

In deep blue Santa Cruz County, Biden’s decision has inspired a range of immediate reactions, perhaps reflective of the splintered Democratic party at-large. After a Republican National Convention last week that showed a unified GOP machine standing behind Trump, the Democrats have to not only find a candidate but find a way to coalesce around one. Election Day is only 106 days away. 

Here’s what local politicos had to say. 

Initial reactions

State Sen. John Laird called the news “earth-shattering” but said Biden was doing the country a service by stepping aside. Laird recently returned from a trip to Canada, where he said even in meetings about climate change and electrification, the first questions were often about Biden and his electability. 

“This doesn’t happen, and it’s precedent-setting in many ways,” Laird said by phone Sunday. “I’ve seen lots of things, but this is in a league of its own.” 

Over the past month, Laird said he “agonized” over what he wanted Biden to do, and declined to take a public stance on it. Pressed, the senator said he had hoped Biden would step down. 

“I had hoped he’d decide not to run,” Laird said. “But I wanted him to get to that decision on his own.” Laird said he didn’t want to be part of the pressure, and believed the greatest pressure likely came from those closest to him. 

Assemblymember Gail Pellerin said the country owes Biden both for his work in “saving democracy” in 2020, and called his self-awareness to step aside in 2024 “inspiring” and courageous. 

“It was like watching your dear old uncle deteriorate in front of your eyes, knowing the power of their speech and mind before,” Pellerin said. “It broke my heart. But I was willing to support whatever decision he made.” 

As official delegates representing the 19th Congressional District to the Democratic convention in Chicago the third week in August, Tony Russomanno and Lani Faulkner will be the only Santa Cruz County residents with a vote on who will serve as the next Democratic presidential nominee. 

On Sunday afternoon, Russomanno said his phone was “blowing up” amid the “apocalyptic end of our world about to occur.” Russomanno said he thinks there will be “a lot of pity for Biden.” 

“He’s not going to get blamed for anything, he just aged quickly,” Russomanno said. “People who are going to get the blame are the people who are closest to him and who prevented the outside world from seeing how diminished he actually was until he shuffled onto the debate stage, mouth agape. That’s when we realized, ‘Oh s–t, we’re f-ed.’ I knew in the first 30 seconds, and it’s been going downhill since then.” 

District 2 County Supervisor Zach Friend, who previously worked as a spokesperson for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, said the country needed to take a moment and appreciate the weight of Biden’s decision. 

“It was one of the most selfless acts I’ve seen from an elected official, I mean, we’re talking about the leader of the free world,” Friend said. “To see that level of character on display was remarkable. He realized if the focus was on him then it was going to be a tough election, but if the focus is on Trump, then it is winnable.” 

Friend said he always believed Biden could win but ultimately agrees with the call to step down. Given the pressure he’s received within his own party, Friend said Biden would have continued to face challenges, not only electorally, but in governing as well if he had gone on to win. 

“I think he’s making the right decision,” Friend said. “I would have totally supported him staying in. But if he reached this conclusion then I know it’s the right decision.” 

Andrew Goldenkranz, head of the Santa Cruz County Democratic Central Committee, said it was time for the Democrats to rally around Harris. Reached by phone Sunday, he said he believed the party leadership would coalesce around Harris “within the next 48 hours.” 

“I think there is a reason why someone gets elected to be vice president: They are the person who gets to step in and be president if the president can’t do the job,” Goldenkranz said. “There are no other top-tier candidates who are going to step forward.” 

Goldenkranz said his concerns with Biden began building after the June 27 debate. 

“My first reaction was, you don’t break up with someone and end a relationship because of one bad night,” Goldenkranz said. “But then it became increasingly clear that we were just waiting for the other shoe to drop. It became inevitable. But he is entitled to the dignity of owning the decision.” 

District 4 County Supervisor Felipe Hernandez, reached in the Czech Republic on Sunday, said he had hoped Biden would pull through. Hernandez has long been a Bernie Sanders supporter. 

“I was hoping Biden would go the distance, but I knew it would be a rough ride to say the least,” Hernandez said. 

Christopher Bradford, a Boulder Creek resident and candidate for the District 5 supervisor seat, said the news “was definitely rough.” He said Biden has served well but was clearly unprepared for another term. 

“Backing out is the right decision, but it would have been better if he did it a few months ago,” Bradford, a Democrat, said. “After the debate I was horrified like everyone else. I’m disappointed with how the party has handled this.”

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