President Joe Biden‘s campaign was reportedly calling delegates for the Democratic National Convention to shore up support when the president announced he would be dropping out of the race.
Biden’s decision to leave the race came after weeks of pressure from within the Democratic Party after his disastrous debate performance last month, but it caught many of his campaign aides off guard, according to Politico.
“I don’t think a soul in Delaware knew,” a Biden campaign official told the outlet. Staffers were conducting nation wide research at the time.
While Biden was seeking to avoid defections from his delegates at the DNC next month, with his exit from the race the Chicago gathering will now be an open convention. Biden has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to be his successor at the top of the Democratic ticket.
Harris has the backing of several key Democrats, including Biden, Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC), and both Bill and Hillary Clinton, but several other Democrats have not endorsed her – including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and former President Barack Obama.
