SAN FRANCISCO—One day after President Joe Biden announced he was stepping down from his reelection campaign and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him on the ticket, San Francisco Mayor London Breed and other city officials gathered in front of City Hall to support the new presumptive nominee.
“As Democrats, we don’t have time to waste,” Ms. Breed said. “We don’t have time to mess around and figure things out and decide maybe this person or maybe that person. Kamala Harris is the person.”
The mayor said the vice president needs the party to unify behind her and defend her record—noting that opponents will be attacking her policy decisions.
“She shows up for people time and time again,” Ms. Breed said during the rally. “Right now, she needs us more than ever. She needs us to come together ... and we need to roll up our sleeves.”
She said the differences of opinion that exist between some factions of the Democratic Party can be overcome to reach a common goal.
“This is a bunch of shades of blue right here,” Ms. Breed said. “We may not always agree on issues, but guess what, we’re coming together for one purpose and one purpose only: to make Kamala Harris the next president of the United States.”
One of the event organizers said the city stands behind the vice president and is grateful for the time she spent protecting residents as district attorney.
“San Franciscans are gathering today to support our preferred candidate, Kamala Harris,” Emma Heiken, vice chair of the San Francisco Democratic Party, told The Epoch Times before the rally began. “She has a long history and deep roots in San Francisco ... and we’re very proud of her ... and we’re asking people to donate and vote ... and we are excited for a new chapter for our party.”
A colleague and fellow event organizer said the election will be decided by those who are motivated to participate in November.
“My challenge to you ... San Francisco Democrats, the bluest spot in ... the bluest state in our country, we need you now,” Nancy Tung, chair of the San Francisco Democratic Party, said during the rally. “Because democracy does not happen in a vacuum, democracy happens when you show up, when you are seen, when you are heard.”
A longtime resident of the city said 81-year-old President Biden’s decision to step down will prove beneficial for the nation.
“I’m here to support the vice president,” Francee Covington, San Francisco local and rally attendee, told The Epoch Times. “I’m so happy that this next generation is getting a chance to shine.”
She said her support for the vice president is unwavering.
“She’s brilliant, doesn’t mind speaking her mind, is very forthright, is a person of principle, and is a heck of a prosecutor,” Ms. Covington said. “I think she’s super, she’s whip smart, very caring, and charismatic, and all of those things that we need because these are trying times.”
Democratic Party members were out in force for the event, with hundreds of residents and supporters gathering at the Civic Center in the heart of the city.
“Right now, we are living in a historic moment,” Marjan Philhour, elected member of the Democratic County Central Committee, told The Epoch Times after the rally. “We have someone who is from San Francisco, who was immersed in our values and led on our values who will potentially be the next U.S. president.”
Highlighting that her own parents emigrated from Iran and the Philippines in 1968, she said the vice president’s mixed heritage of Indian and Jamaican descent is inspiring to millions of women and people of color around the country.
“To have a woman at the top of the ticket ... raises the bar and is really just inspiring—not just to adults who are in office but also to our kids,” Ms. Philhour said. “You can’t be what you can’t see, and this is something that they can really see and hang their hats on and move forward with.”
One young Democrat who will have a say at the Democratic National Convention scheduled for Aug. 19–22 in Chicago said Ms. Harris has secured his vote.
“I am just so excited for the... opportunity for the first woman president, first black woman president, first southeast Asian,” Jack Flynn, electoral delegate for the Democratic Party and rally attendee, told The Epoch Times. “It’s a historic day ... I’m excited to be voting for her at the convention ... and she’s going to be an amazing president.”
He expressed gratitude for the president’s decision to step down.
“I believe Joe Biden will go down as one of the best presidents in U.S. history,” Mr. Flynn said. “Now is the time when we are very thankful of him and his choice of vice president, as she takes the baton and will lead to success for our party—and more importantly, for our country.”
Another local in attendance said that by switching candidates, the Democratic Party has the opportunity to build its base.
“It’s a unifying movement with a big tent—and everybody is included,” Brent Turner, San Francisco local and political activist, told The Epoch Times. “I think we’ll see the momentum build from today. There is tremendous excitement in California, the Bay Area, and the world.”
One Democratic Party member competing for the presidential candidacy rejected the plan to nominate Ms. Harris.
“The Democratic Party is not just deciding who its candidate will be going forward. It’s deciding who and what it is. What it stands for,” Marianne Williamson, Democratic 2020 and 2024 candidate for president, posted July 22 on X. “Anointing Joe Biden was not a good idea, and anointing Kamala Harris is no better.”
She said the process, thus far, has been undemocratic, detrimental to the party and the nation, and called for an “open convention” to decide who the nominee should be.
“Back-room decisions—all the good kids falling in line and any rebels shut out—is not a genuinely democratic process,” Ms. Williamson said. “Walking in lockstep with someone who has not yet uttered one policy position is not the way to win.”
