MORGANTOWN — “It’s going to be a very interesting summer,” Monongalia County Commission President Sean Sikora said Tuesday when asked about President Joe Biden’s departure from the 2024 presidential race.
The Dominion Post reached out to local elected officials at the city and county level to get their input on the historic announcement that the sitting president would not seek a second term.
“These are some interesting times in politics,” Sikora, a Republican, said. “To be 100 days or so from a presidential election and have a candidate drop out because they’re losing. I know it’s more than that; we all do, which points to questions that have been raised about fitness for office going back to the last election.”
Sikora said he wishes the best for Biden and his family. He also wishes the whole situation was handled differently.
“Party has become so important, and it’s all about holding on to power. I think that this whole announcement has been about a last-gasp effort to hold onto power because it became clear the candidate wasn’t up to the task,” Sikora said, recalling his experiences during his father’s battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
“A lot of people have known about this. [Vice President] Kamala Harris knew about this. I mean, his wife? They all knew. It’s incredibly sad to see somebody disintegrate in front of you. Somebody who cared about him should have stood up a long time ago, but the party came first.”
Morgantown City Councilor Brian Butcher, a Democrat, said it was the right decision.
“It took way too long for this to come down, but I do think it was a positive thing for the party for him to have the courage to step aside,” Butcher said. “Irrespective of whether anybody thinks Biden did a good job or a bad job or is even fit to do the job, the polling numbers don’t represent that he can win. So, him deciding to step out, I think, was a really good thing.”
That said, Butcher explained he also has issues with the way the situation was handled. Particularly the fact that the Democratic Party didn’t allow an actual primary process despite the ongoing narrative about Biden’s age.
“They’re using their political weight and the weight of the fundraisers to push people out of the primaries – and that’s both parties. We should be given a choice democratically,” he said.
“I do take issue with the fact that they didn’t allow a real primary challenge. We could have avoided this or at least had a mandate from the people saying, ‘This is who we want,’ and if that was Joe Biden, so be it. But that’s not what happened.”
Democrat County Commissioner Tom Bloom took another view.
“I think it’s the exact opposite. I think we’re finally going to have a convention where people are going to be energized and looking at candidates. Just because people are endorsing an individual doesn’t mean she has the votes yet,” Bloom said, while also admitting Harris does seem to have much of the party’s support locked up.
“I truly believe Trump was going to win. Now, there’s a race. Everything’s different now. I’m interested now. I was not interested in the election before, and I think there’s a lot of people who feel that way. I think there’s a pathway where she could win. I believe it’s possible. I believe the next four weeks and who she chooses as her running mate will make it or break it.”
Morgantown Mayor Joe Abu-Ghannam, a Democrat, said the city has benefited directly from Biden policies, including the American Rescue Plan Act.
“I’ve really appreciated his presidency and that includes his willingness to reflect on the future and stand up and say that he’s stepping aside because he doesn’t feel like he’s at his best. That takes a lot of courage to do,” Abu-Ghannam said.
“If he believes that, I trust he’s being genuine. I think it takes courage to tell people ‘You know what, I made an error on this.’ I know a lot of people were calling on him to step aside and that is tough in itself. But to be willing to come forward and say, ‘I’m going to step down as a candidate,’ I think that speaks a lot to his character.”
Editor’s note: Morgantown City Council elections are non-partisan. Monongalia County Commission races are partisan.
