Vineyard Democrats and politicians voiced their support for Vice President Kamala Harris to take over the presidential nominee after President Joe Biden announced Sunday that he would bow out of the race.
Ms. Harris, a former senator, has been a longtime visitor to the Vineyard – a Democrat stronghold and vacation hotspot for politicians. Ms. Harris was in the region just the day before Mr. Biden’s announcement and endorsem*nt of her for the Democratic nomination.
State Sen. Julian Cyr, a Truro Democrat who represents all six Island towns, went to Ms. Harris’ star-studded campaign event on Saturday in Provincetown along with several Vineyarders, and said he hadn’t been that energized by a speech in a long time.
“Vice President Kamala Harris was electric in Provincetown yesterday,” Mr. Cyr said over the phone Sunday after Mr. Biden’s announcement. “She was extraordinary. She gave a really powerful speech and she was just fantastic.”
Vice President Kamala Harris outside a re-election fundraiser at the Performing Arts Center last year. — Ray Ewing
Mr. Cyr was joined by about 1,000 people at the event, including Phyllis Segal, a West Tisbury resident who served in both the Obama and Clinton administrations. Ms. Segal went to the fundraiser with three other Vineyarders and she was awed by how the event, in hindsight, came at such a historic time.
“The whole crowd was totally enthralled and I walked away from that confident that she could win if she became the presidential nominee,” Ms. Segal said.
Susanna Sturgis, the former Democratic Council of Martha’s Vineyard secretary and a member of the Martha’s Vineyard NAACP executive committee, was unhappy that Mr. Biden was pressured to step out of the race, but was glad that he endorsed Ms. Harris for the nomination.
While she felt the democrats had a deep roster of talented politicians, she didn’t see anyone who had a stronger national presence than the vice president.
“That’s the bright light in this whole thing,” she said. “Kamala Harris not only has that but she has the experience and I think she has grown a lot since 2021 when the administration took office.”
Several politicians and local organizations thanked Mr. Biden for his long service in office.
“He has been a terrific president, and the list of presidential accomplishments on both the domestic and foreign stages has been historic,” the Martha’s Vineyard Democratic Council said in a statement. “The nation owes him a huge debt of gratitude for saving lives, putting the pandemic behind us and turning the economy around in the process.”
The council also threw its weight behind Ms. Harris.
“She is fully qualified, incredibly competent and has the temperament to be our next president,” the council said.
From left to right: Phyllis Segal, Carol Fulp, DeborahJackson and Robin Leeds. The group of Vineyarders went to the Kamala Harris rally in Provincetown. — Courtesy of Phyllis Segal
Massachusetts politicians at the state and federal level echoed much of the same.
“Joe Biden will go down as one of the most effective presidents in our history,” said U.S. Rep. William Keating, a Bourne Democrat that represents the Vineyard in Washington.
Mr. Biden’s willingness to step down only affirmed Mr. Keating’s assessment, he said.
“As if the last four years didn’t already make it clear, today firmly demonstrates that Joe Biden is the antithesis of Donald Trump, putting country ahead of personal ambition,” he said.
Mr. Keating also supported Vice President Harris and said a Harris Presidency would protect women’s reproductive rights, protect Medicare and continue to cut prescription drug costs.
Ms. Harris is a regular visitor to the Island and her sister Maya Lakshmi Harris has a home in Katama.
Last year, Ms. Harris spoke before about 400 people at the Performing Arts Center, hitting on many of the issues that Mr. Keating mentioned.
Kamala Harris, pictured here in 2009, often visits family on the Island. — Jaxon White
At the event, she touted her administration’s accomplishments and its plan for the future, drawing attention to a cap on insulin pricing, investments in high-speed internet and funding for clean-energy.
She also held a fundraiser on the Island in 2022, after attending a reproductive health care roundtable in Boston.
If elected, she would join a long list of presidents with ties to the Cape and Islands.
Mr. Biden himself spends Thanksgiving annually on Nantucket. On the Vineyard, Barack Obama has a home and Bill Clinton regularly visits.
Martha’s Vineyard airport director Geoff Freeman Sunday said no official federal aircraft stopped on the Vineyard after the Provincetown rally, while also noting that the Obama and Clinton families recently came here by private planes.
Former President Clinton himself said in a statement Sunday that he and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton would do whatever they could to support Ms. Harris’ bid for president.
“Now is the time to support Kamala Harris and fight with everything we’ve got to elect her,” they said in a statement. “America’s future depends on it.”
