OKLAHOMA CITY, Ok (KFOR) — President Joe Biden announced Sunday afternoon he will not be seeking reelection this November. Oklahoma lawmakers reacted to the news and said they're looking forward to the upcoming Democratic National Convention.
"Caught me by surprise and I was looking forward to a convention that would nominate Joe Biden," said Andy Fugate (D)-Del City.
"I think we all saw this coming. I think Biden made the right choice by stepping down," said Mickey Dollens (D)-Oklahoma City.
"I'm viewing this news with some sadness for sort of an era that is coming to an end, but also with gratitude for the President and the work that he's done to make our country better," said Forrest Bennett (D)-Oklahoma City.
Those statements are just some of what democrat leaders felt hours after President Biden announced he was leaving the presidential election.
Some noted what he's done in office over the past few years.
"I think that the things that his administration has accomplished in the last three and a half years, we will continue to feel both here in Oklahoma due to infrastructure laws and things like that," said Bennett.
Now, they're looking at what's next for the Democratic party four months out from the November election.
"There's still a lot of chance to unite the party and to take a lesson from this," said Dollens.
"I am very interested in seeing who will run. I believe this is an opportunity for the United States to have a candidate focused on all Americans," said Fugate.
The representatives gave insight as to who they want to see fill the seat as it's full steam ahead before the Democratic National Convention in August.
"I do believe the logical choice is for Harris to be president," said Dollens.
"I'm looking forward to whoever gets nominated. You know, I fully trust that we will put forth somebody that appeals to the United States," said Fugate.
"It's certainly an unprecedented situation. And the delegates going to the DNC now are going to be looking at a very different convention than they were before," said Bennett.
On the other side of the aisle, Senator James Lankford sent a statement in regards to President Biden dropping out.
"As I have said for months, President Biden was behind in every poll because of his policies, not his age or mental capacity. Democrats gave us high prices, open borders, and weak standing in the world. That’s not just Biden’s legacy, it is the legacy of the modern Democratic Party. Let’s Make America Great Again"
U.S. Senator James Lankford, (R)
Congressman Tom Cole also sent a statement.
“Today’s stunning announcement by President Biden that he is withdrawing from the presidential race is an admission that he cannot win re-election and that in the Democratic Party the will of the political elite is more important than the votes of ordinary Americans. “President Biden won the Democratic nomination fair and square. Indeed the same elite that are turning on him now helped to engineer that victory by shutting out other legitimate contenders for the nomination. However, when it became apparent that President Biden was unlikely to win a general election against former President Trump his erstwhile allies quickly showed him the door and are now frantically searching for an alternative nominee who might offer them a better chance to hold on to power. “The transparent cynicism of this desperate attempt to hang on to political power by the Democratic political insiders is breathtaking for its sheer audacity and hypocrisy. They respect neither their own process nor their own voters. To them this election is not about defending democracy. It is about subverting it and substituting the interests of a self appointed and self serving political cabal for the will of millions of Democratic voters who played by the rules and expressed their opinion at the ballot box. “The contrast between this political circus and the free and open process operated by the Republican Party could not be more stark and more clear. Donald Trump faced many able and worthy competitors in dozens of primaries and bested them all. Whoever the Democratic elite anoints as their party’s nominee will not have won a single legitimate primary nor the vote of a single Democratic voter. “If Democratic leaders truly believe President Biden is not fit to run as the Democratic nominee then they should follow through on the logic of that conclusion and urge him to resign immediately. If, after winning every Democratic primary, President Biden is not fit to be the Democratic nominee in November then he is certainly not qualified to remain as President today. “History will record this moment for what it is — the cynical and self serving effort of a corrupt political elite to maintain its position by subverting and manipulating the democratic process. I believe the American people will see through this sham, punish the Democratic elite for changing the rules in the middle of the game, and deliver Donald Trump and the Republican Party a resounding victory in the November election
Representative Tom Cole (R) - Oklahoma
The Democratic National Convention is August 19-22.
