And we know that not just a day after President
Biden announced he's bowing out of the race.
And New York lawmakers are sharing with us why this
may or may not have come as a shock and
what this means for their respective parties.
Morgan Scott is live now with more details tonight.
Morgan, Matt, in just about four months from now, voters
are expected to be lined up at polling places to
vote for the next president, which is all the more
reason why Democrats need to select a nominee urgently.
But tonight we speak with local politicians who will also
be on that ballot and they say that this does
very little to change their local strategies.
President Biden's decision to no longer run for president this
year is just the latest of what will be a
historic past week considering the attempted assassination of former President
Trump less than 10 days ago.
But it was not entirely shocking news to some, including
State Senator Rachel May.
I think it became inevitable after a point where the
the news media wouldn't let go of the questions.
And I didn't see any path forward other than this.
So it's, it's good thing that had happened.
State Senator John Manion, running to represent Syracuse in Congress,
says he's thankful for the leadership of President Biden thus
far, especially through the chips and science legislation and that
same leadership also showing in his recent decision.
Manion says President Biden made the right choice and he's
keeping his own attention on New York 22.
What I've heard in Central New York over and over
and over again at the doors is that the voters
of this area really are behind the person they vote
for, the person they don't vote for, the party.
Republican Congressman Brandon Williams, on the other hand, who currently
holds the New York 22 seat, says he believes this
is only showing chaos in the Democratic Party.
When asked if leaders are also right to call on
Trump to bow out of the race after he became
the first former president to be convicted of felony crimes,
Williams says there's no comparison.
Joe Biden is clearly not in command of all of
his mental faculties, which I believe is required to serve
as president.
Very few, if any, Republicans are calling for President Trump
to do the same.
For now, Senator May and Senator Mannion join the list
of those backing Vice President Kamala Harris for president.
I'm very excited.
I think she's got dynamism, She's smart, she's got a
ton of experience.
And, you know, she's a former prosecutor facing a felon.
I think that's, you know, that puts her in a
really strong position.
After pressure from fellow Democrats led to President Biden dropping
out of the race, many Republicans are now calling for
him to leave office early, including House Speaker Mike Johnson
and New York's 21st Congresswoman Elise Stefanik.
But the president says he plans to finish out his
term reporting live in Syracuse.
I'm Morgan Scott.
Thank you, Morgan.
We appreciate that.
What a beautiful scene in downtown Syracuse tonight.