CHICAGO – As the Democratic Party switches leaders from Joe Biden to Kamala Harris, Maryland lawmakers say the president’s political legacy was secured by his decision to end his reelection bid.
“He’s the savior, and history will look back on him – the way we look back on Jimmy Carter – as having been a great president who was not always appreciated in his time,” Rep. Kweisi Mfume, D-Maryland, told Capital News Service on the floor of the Democratic National Convention.
The first night of the convention marked the changing of the guard from Biden to Harris as the president gave a teary-eyed speech to cheering and affectionate delegates and Democratic party leaders in the packed United Center.
Biden, who was in his 20s when his national political career began, is five months away from saying goodbye to over 50 years in the national spotlight.
“I can honestly say, and I mean this from the bottom of my heart, giving my word as a Biden: I can honestly say I’m more optimistic about the future than I was when I was elected as a 29-year-old United States senator. I mean it,” Biden said.
Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Maryland, told CNS Tuesday on the convention floor that Biden’s presidency was the most productive administration since the New Deal. The senator, who said he had a chance to visit with Biden on Thursday, said it felt both nostalgic and emotional to watch the recording of Biden’s DNC speech.
“He has really seen throughout his career so much changes and he’s been responsible for so many good things,” Cardin said.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Maryland, said Biden will be remembered for his “extraordinary public commitment” and his history as part of multiple progressive reforms, including the civil rights, LGBTQ+, women’s rights and environmental movements.
Raskin wrote a letter to the president in July suggesting that he end his political campaign, calling Biden’s presidency “one of the finest in American history,” but adding: “Democracy is the system where we take turns.”
Raskin told CNS Tuesday that Biden “has taught us that an essential component of real leadership is to make room and make space for new leadership.”
“We got these great new generations of young people coming along, and we’ve got to make space for them to contribute their ideas and their perspectives,” Raskin said.
On Biden’s presidential inauguration day, the country was still under COVID-19 restrictions and was reeling from the Jan. 6 attempted insurrection.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, said Biden succeeded in his goal of restoring “the soul of America” and helping “change people’s lives for the better.”
“Joe Biden saved this country,” Mfume said. “Hope was lost, divisions were increasing and Joe Biden came in with a sort of senior, grandfatherly calm.”
Mfume said Biden’s actions to control the COVID pandemic and send out stimulus money were crucial to getting the country out of its fragile state.
In Maryland, Rep. Glenn Ivey said, Biden’s infrastructure legislation – which is funding bridges, road repair and a Baltimore rail tunnel – will bring benefits for years to come. Other Biden administration highlights Ivey listed include expanding high speed internet access and bringing down prescription drug costs.
However, what cemented Biden’s legacy for Mfume was the decision to step aside, what he called “the ultimate commitment.”
Rep. Steny Hoyer, who has been friends with the president for over 50 years, said he was watching the president’s address from the stage. The congressman said he felt pride watching Biden address the convention and said the decision for Biden to step aside was more than a personal sacrifice.
“I think he looks at it as an extension of his desire to make sure America does well, lives out its values and takes care of its people,” Hoyer said.
The 85 year-old lawmaker made a decision similar to Biden’s, “passing the torch” to the next generation. Hoyer decided to step away from House leadership – where he served as majority leader until 2023 – at the same time as House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, D-California, and Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-South Carolina.
“The three of us thought it was time for us to step down, not out,” Hoyer told CNS. “And that’s what we did. It was the right thing to do.”
After a disappointing debate performance and multiple members of his own party privately and publicly calling on him to step aside, Biden ended his candidacy and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president on July 21.
“It was a tremendously unselfish act,” Ivey said.
Biden’s decision to step down, Ivey believes, was rooted in the president’s desire to help the party and block “damaging proposals” in Project 2025 and the Trump agenda.
While Ivey said Biden’s realization that he had to step down was likely a “hard pill to swallow,” it has set the party on a trajectory to push policies in the right direction and expand the party base.