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Democratic leaders and advocates praised President Joe Biden after he announced his decision not seek a second term on Sunday, and many are following his lead in endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee. 

If elected, Harris would be the first woman and first woman of color to become president.

Biden, 81, will finish his term as president.

Marcia Fudge fought back tears on Sunday afternoon at the news that Biden would be ending his campaign for reelection. Fudge served in the Biden-Harris administration as former Housing and Urban Development secretary and was co-chair of the Biden-Harris re-election campaign.

“It’s a very, very sad time,” Fudge said in a telephone interview, adding that she was proud of the president’s leadership and “feels good” about his endorsement of Harris.

“It’s the right thing for our country and our democracy,” Fudge said. “I would’ve been disappointed if he had not done it. I know there were those for whom part of the dilemma was, ‘What are they gonna do with her?’ Whatever it takes, I’m all in.”

Former President Barack Obama, for whom Biden served as vice president for eight years, called Biden “a patriot of the highest order” in a written statement Sunday.

“For him to look at the political landscape and decide that he should pass the torch to a new nominee is surely one of the toughest in his life,” Obama wrote. “But I know he wouldn’t make this decision unless he believed it was right for America.” He declined to endorse Harris in his statement.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi echoed Obama’s celebration of Biden’s withdrawal as an act of patriotism.

“His legacy of vision, values and leadership make him one of the most consequential Presidents in American history,” Pelosi said Sunday in a post on the social media platform X. 

She followed Monday with an endorsement of Harris, writing, “With immense pride and limitless optimism for our country’s future, I endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for President of the United States.”

Pelosi’s support came after many other Democratic leaders, including high-profile women of color, had spoken out Sunday in favor of Harris.

“Vice President Harris has proven time and time again that she can prosecute the case against Donald Trump and campaign vigorously for Democrats down the ballot,” wrote Rep. Pramila Jayapal in a statement. “She will mobilize and energize our base to re-engage and ensure that we turn out every single voter across the country and deliver victory in November.”

The majority of the progressive “Squad” in the House, including three of the four original members elected in 2018, voiced their support for Harris. Rep. Rashida Tlaib has not released a statement.

“She has been a clear leading voice on abortion rights, healthcare justice and student debt cancellation,” said Rep. Ayanna Pressley in a statement. “We worked together when she was in the Senate on legislation to address the maternal health crisis, support small Black businesses, advance housing justice, and protect voting rights.”

“Kamala Harris will be the next President of the United States. I pledge my full support to ensure her victory in November,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X. On Thursday night, Ocasio-Cortez spoke candidly on Instagram Live about potential hurdles to getting a candidate other than Biden on the ballot. 

Colleagues and advocates applauded the president for championing marginalized Americans, and tied his legacy with an endorsement of Harris. 

“We are deeply grateful to President Biden for his more than 50 years of public service and his longtime support for the LGBTQ+ community,” said Kelley Robinson, president of Human Rights Campaign, the country’s largest LGBTQ+ advocacy organization. “Today’s announcement reflects his legacy and what President Biden has done his entire career: put the needs of Americans and his country above his own.” 

“Vice President Kamala Harris has been a champion for LGBTQ+ equality for decades,” Robinson said in a follow-up post on X endorsing Harris for president.

A letter of support signed by dozens of Black men, including Rep. Shevrin Jones and state Attorneys General Aaron Ford and Keith Ellison, thanked Biden for his service and proclaimed, “Black Men are Ridin’ with Harris.” 

“We, as Black Men and leaders in our communities, who choose democracy over fascism, recognize our critical voices in the conversation about the future of our nation,” the letter reads. “We don’t have to find a great hope elsewhere. We already have it in our Vice President.”

The excitement around Harris as a potential nominee is reflected in everyday people, too. The newly-minted Harris campaign raised over $46 million in small-dollar donations after Biden’s endorsement as of 9 p.m. Eastern time, according to the left-leaning fundraising platform ActBlue.

Other endorsements have rolled in throughout the day. The Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC has endorsed Harris for president, as well as the Congressional Black Caucus. 

Rep. Judy Chu, chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, expressed gratitude to Biden for fighting anti-Asian hate and for nominating a record number of women, people of color and LGBTQ+ people to the federal judiciary. She did not endorse a replacement.

Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison vowed to honor Biden’s legacy and move forward with an open and transparent nominating process. 

“The American people owe President Biden an enormous debt of gratitude for the unparalleled progress he has delivered over the last four years – and we will honor that legacy, and the decision that he has made today, through a firm commitment to nominating and electing a Democratic president this November who will carry that torch into the next four years,” Harrison said.

Voters of Tomorrow, which represents Gen Z voters, praised Biden’s decision to exit the race and cheered Harris’ advocacy for young voters. 

“Following President Biden’s courageous announcement today, we are ready to mobilize young people to elect Kamala Harris as president. As vice president, Kamala Harris has been one of Gen Z’s fiercest champions,” the organization said in a statement.

Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina reflected on his endorsement of Biden in 2020, and praised the president’s “unparagoned leadership” while in office. 

“One of President Biden’s first decisions as the nominee was to select a running mate that he believed possessed the values and vision necessary to continue this country’s pursuit toward a ‘more perfect Union,’” Clyburn said in a statement. “I echo the good judgment he demonstrated in selecting Vice President Harris to lead this nation alongside him, and I am proud to follow his lead in support of her candidacy to succeed him as the Democratic Party’s 2024 nominee for President.”

Biden’s legacy has been celebrated by  the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, reproductive rights organizations EMILY’s List, All*In Action Fund and SiX Action, women’s PACs National Women’s Law Center Action Fund and Higher Heights for America and LGBTQ+ rights organization GLAAD and civil rights organization NAACP. 

Others praising him included Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; Sens. Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders, Jon Ossoff, Tammy Baldwin, Patty Murray and Elizabeth Warren; Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer; North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper; Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee President Heather Williams; and Democratic National Convention Chair Minyon Moore.