Pirates, Phillies fans react to Joe Biden dropping out of 2024 presidential race in real-time

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — When President Biden announced he would drop out of the presidential race, the largest gathering of people in the critical battleground state of Pennsylvania was inside PNC Park, where fans from the commonwealth’s two largest cities were watching the Phillies take on the Pirates. 

“Biden’s out, Biden’s out,” people in the stands started to say, according to Mark Spruile, who explained that fans had started to pull out their phones to look up the news. “Somebody said it in the row in front of us, and we checked Twitter, and it’s all over the place.” 

Suddenly, words like “unprecedented” and “shocked” began filling the ballpark.

“I’m glad,” said one fan. “Wow,” said another.

KDKA-TV happened to be in the ballpark when the news came out and spoke to fans to gauge their reaction. 

“It is historic,” said Jack Wallace. “I can’t remember a time when a candidate dropped out this close to a general election.” 

“Oh, thank God,” said Lori Daly. “That’s not surprising. He should have [dropped out]; he’s too old. I hope he’s healthy, but I was not voting for him anyway.” 

Another fan said Biden took too long to make up his mind. 

“It’s just a lot to take in, hard to know how to react,” said Kate Reilly. “That’s a big surprise.” 

Fans also reacted to Biden endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for president.

“That’s not a good idea,” one woman said. “She’s kind of an unknown. I don’t know much about her.” 

While the news did pose a distraction for some fans, they said it would not let it take away from them enjoying the game.