‘Devastated’, ’emotional’, ‘probably for the best’: Voters in the US react to Biden dropping out race

“I love him, I voted for him, I stand by him,” says Angela Dean, a Democratic voter from Connecticut.

She’s standing in front of the White House holding a handwritten sign that reads “thank you Joe” because she didn’t want the president to “think that we abandoned him”.

As America grapples with Joe Biden’s shock resignation from the presidential race, voters around the US tell Sky News and Sky’s US partner NBC they are “devastated” and “emotional” to see him go.

Follow live: Reaction as Biden pulls out of race

“I am a little disappointed because I was going to vote for Biden this election,” says Jack Ramon in Oklahoma.

But not everyone is sorry to hear the news.

“He was a little bit on the older side to be president so I think it’s a good thing he’s dropping out,” says a voter in Kentucky.

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“Based on Joe Biden’s state of mind, I probably think it’s for the best,” says another in San Diego.

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Soon after he announced he was leaving the race, Mr Biden endorsed his vice president Kamala Harris to replace him as the Democratic candidate.

“I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats – it’s time to come together and beat Trump,” he said in a post on X.

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Voters standing outside the White House in Washington DC aren’t so sure she can do that.

“I actually don’t know if she is strong enough to beat Donald Trump. I don’t think Kamala Harris is fit for the job,” said Dirk from Michigan, who said he thinks there’s going to be “more troubles coming up” in the presidential race.

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And Adam Pochobut in Massachusetts went further.

“I don’t think she has any chance and I think it was a horrible decision on Biden’s part. There are too many people who hate Kamala.”

Of the candidates tipped to replace Joe Biden, Kamala Harris is the highest polling among Democrats who could seriously be considered a candidate, sources within the Biden campaign told the Reuters news agency.

However, her personal approval ratings could prove a stumbling block. One recent poll gave Harris a 29% favourability rating, with 49% rating her unfavourably, and 22% saying they had no opinion or hadn’t heard of her.

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Mr Pochobut said he hopes the party will elect a “new, popular, face-fresh Democrat that could change the tide of this election” instead.

With former president Barack Obama saying the Democrats should create a process that identifies an “outstanding nominee”, perhaps he’ll get his wish.