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Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., talks to the media at the Governor鈥檚 Ham Breakfast on Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023, at the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia, Mo.
ST. LOUIS 鈥 Missouri鈥檚 Republican senators called on President Joe Biden to resign immediately after Biden announced Sunday that he would not be running for reelection, while local and state Democrats thanked Biden for his service.
鈥淚f you can鈥檛 run a mere political campaign, you can鈥檛 be president,鈥 Republican Josh Hawley, Missouri鈥檚 senior senator, .
In a statement, Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., said, 鈥淏iden鈥檚 time in elected office is far past its expiration date.鈥
鈥淎mericans are ready for new leadership, not more of the same from Democrats 鈥 regardless of who they now scramble to nominate,鈥 Schmitt said.
Then RESIGN your office. If you can鈥檛 run a mere political campaign, you can鈥檛 be President
鈥 Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO)
Biden before the election after facing weeks of pressure following a disastrous debate with former president and current Republican nominee Donald Trump in which Biden鈥檚 mental acumen was called into question.
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Biden said he plans to serve the remainder of his term, which ends Jan. 20. He has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee.
鈥淚t has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your president. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,鈥 Biden .
鈥 Joe Biden (@JoeBiden)
After his announcement on social media, which the White House confirmed, leading candidates for the Republican nomination for Missouri governor echoed their counterparts鈥 calls for Biden to leave office immediately.
鈥淚f he is not mentally fit enough to run for president, he should not continue serving as Commander-in-chief,鈥 Missouri Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe said.
Missouri Secretary of State : 鈥淣o matter who the Democrats pick, Donald J. Trump will be the 47th president of the United States.鈥
State Sen. Bill Eigel of Weldon Spring on social media and called Harris a 鈥渞adical鈥檚 radical鈥 who would 鈥渂e even more destructive to America than Biden.鈥
鈥淧resident Trump will beat her like a drum,鈥 , the platform formerly known as Twitter.
Several Democratic leaders, including St. Louis Mayor Tishaura O. Jones and U.S Rep. Cori Bush, D-St. Louis, thanked Biden for his public service and his work to help area residents.
鈥淧resident Joe Biden has been the most consequential leader of our lifetime, for America and for the city of St. Louis,鈥 , adding that she supports Harris as the nominee. 鈥淎s a lifelong Democrat, the stakes could not be higher for our country this November.鈥
鈥淥ur No. 1 goal needs to be to defeat Trump in November,鈥 Bush said in a statement. 鈥淚 commend and thank President Biden for prioritizing our nation鈥檚 needs; a decision that I am sure was a difficult one.鈥
Bush endorsed Harris as the Democratic nominee.
鈥淭he people鈥檚 vote was a vote not only for President Biden, but a vote for Vice President Kamala Harris and her ability to defeat MAGA extremism across the country,鈥 Bush said. 鈥淲hen we say trust Black women, we mean it. Black women are the backbone of the Democratic Party and it is past time for us to lead our country forward. Kamala Harris is more than ready to lead at this moment.鈥
St. Louis Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell, who is running to defeat Bush as the Democratic nominee in the 1st Congressional District, commended Biden and endorsed Harris.
鈥淧resident Biden has been one of the most impactful presidents in recent history, and has always put our country first,鈥 Bell said in a statement.
U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski, who represents a wide swath of Southern Illinois, lauded Biden鈥檚 legacy and also endorsed Harris.
鈥淗is leadership has allowed us to deliver historic investments to communities in Central and Southern Illinois that will benefit working people for generations to come,鈥 Budzinski .
Missouri state Rep. Crystal Quade of Springfield, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor, in a statement thanked Biden for his years of service.
鈥淚鈥檓 thankful for President Biden鈥檚 decades of dedication and service to our country, the expansion of benefits and services for our veterans, and for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that brought back billions of federal tax dollars to invest in Missouri鈥檚 infrastructure,鈥 Quade said.
The Associated Press and Jack Suntrup of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.
CNN's Priscella Alvarez breaks the news that President Joe Biden has endorsed his vice president, Kamala Harris, to become the Democratic nominee after he announced he would step aside from the race.