Over the weekend, current US President Joe Biden announced he will step aside in the divisive campaign south of the border and throwing his support behind his Vice-President, Kamala Harris. Should we care what happens in the US? The answer is yes, because they’re our closest foreign nation, our closest ally, and the most powerful country in the world. What happens there usually affects Canada in some way, shape, or form. Has a President ever stopped his campaign mid way through? Yes, and it’s happened twice in the 20th century.
The first instance was back in 1952 involving Harry S. Truman. A year earlier, the US passed a bill limiting Presidents to only two terms in office, however Truman was grandfathered in, meaning he could run a third term if he wanted to. He decided to let his name stand on the ballot, but was soundly defeated in the New Hampshire primary. Like Biden, many cited his advanced age and failing abilities as the reason for his poor showing, plus several scandals plagued his administration. Truman suspended his campaign and made room for Adlai Stevenson as the nominee. Republican Dwight Eisenhower would go on to win the election.
The second instance involved Lyndon B. Johnson in the 1968 campaign. Despite health concerns, Johnson decided to run another term but it would be an uphill battle for him. The Democrats, at the time, were very split and fractured and the prolonged Vietnam War was dividing Americans. At the end of March 1968 Lyndon B. Johnson announced he would be withdrawing from the Presidential race after realizing he wasn’t probably going to win or even survive a second term. Richard Nixon of the Republicans would go on to win the 1968 election. Johnson would die of a heart attack at the age of 64 in 1973, one year after Joe Biden would get elected federally for the first time.
Joe Biden will become the first President in the 21st century to step down mid way through a campaign, but the question remains, who will step up and try and take on Donald Trump and the Republicans? Like those in 1952 and 1968, we shall wait and see what happens.
