With President Joe Biden officially backing away from his 2024 Presidential Campaign, Mississippi leaders from party chairs to elected officials have weighed in mixed opinions about the decision.

Most notably, state Democrats who support Biden early on in the race, such as Congressman Bennie Thompson and State Democratic Party Chair Cheikh Taylor thanked Biden for his service and are looking forward to a united party after the August Democratic National Convention.

In Mississippi, there is only one U.S. Congress member that is a Democrat. The party also holds a minority in the state Legislature and boasts no elected statewide offices.

Biden’s announcement comes only a week after his opponent, former President Donald Trump, was shot during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, and about a month after Biden’s poor performance during a presidential debate against Trump.

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After that night, those within Biden’s party began to call for him to respectfully bow out, according to reporting by USA Today and others. Several Mississippi Democrats still supported Biden at the time, such as Thompson and Taylor, to name a few.

Here is how state leaders and elected officials responded to the news as it unfolded Sunday afternoon.

State Democratic leadership

Thompson posted to X, formerly Twitter, not long after the announcement was made by Biden.

Thompson said it is time for the party to unite and support Vice President Kamala Harris, who Biden endorsed to take his place Sunday.

“As Democrats, we have faced a lot lately, and although I wish President Biden would be leading the Democratic ticket, I am committed to supporting our nominee,” he wrote. “We have to unite; democracy depends on it!”

Taylor declined to say who he would endorse as the next candidate. However, the party’s executive committee plans to meet this week to decide a new nominee. He added to Thompson’s words with a call for unity at the convention to beat back Trump.

In the Mississippi Legislature, House Minority Leader Robert Johnson, D-Natchez, and Senate Minority Leader Derrick Simmons, D-Greenville, both thanked Biden for his efforts as President and plan to support Harris if she is the nominee chosen at the Democratic National Convention in August.

“I’m grateful that the President was not selfish and thought about what is the best way to protect our democracy, and what’s the best way to to defeat Donald Trump in November,” Johnson said. “…I didn’t necessarily agree with that. But if he made that choice, he made it because he thought it was best for the country to have a candidate that could make sure that we protect democracy, and that candidate will come out of the Democratic Party.”

“As a strong supporter of President Biden, and his policy that we have seen and that have been successful and beneficial to all Americans over the last four years, I believe that we have a great chance of continuing those policies increasing our chances for reelection by his endorsement of Kamala Harris,” Simmons said.

Other Mississippi legislators’ response

District 3 Republican Rep. Michael Guest also posted about Biden’s decision, saying that bowing out doesn’t go nearly far enough and that Biden should resign now.

“During his time in office, the Democratic Party has covered up Joe Biden’s inability to serve as President,” Guest wrote. “We saw in the debate he is not able to handle the duties of the office and by him dropping out of the race today, Biden admits he is not able to do the job…For the good of the country, he should step down and resign immediately.”

Other Republican House Representatives Trent Kelly and Mike Ezell had not spoken publicly about the announcement as of 3:30 p.m. Sunday.

Republican Sen. Roger Wicker took to X as well, quoting Greek poetry to say that Biden did what was right.

“Biden made the right choice: ‘Old age hath yet his honor and his toil,’ ‘Death closes all: but something ere the end,’ ‘Some work of noble note, may yet be done…’- Ulysses,” Wicker wrote.

Sen. Cindy Hyde Smith as of 3:30 p.m. had not responded to Biden stepping down.

Statewide offices and leaders:

Of the Mississippi statewide office holders, all being held by Republicans, no one had kind words for the President.

Gov. Tate Reeves took the decision as proof of Trump’s strength.

“Have you ever seen a politician so strong and talented he made his opponent quit in the middle of the race? I have: Donald J. Trump,” Reeves wrote.

State Auditor Shad White simply reposted a few words he wrote on July 18, saying that Democrats have lied about Biden’s capability to maintain his office and his faculties.

“Democrats lied to you for years about one of the most important things: whether President Biden was mentally equipped to be president,” he wrote. “If they force him off the ticket, they will be admitting they have lied. Don’t forget this when you hear them talk about anything else under the sun.”

Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann and House Speaker Jason White’s offices did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and neither of them had made a public statement as of 3:30 p.m.

Other state officials such as Secretary of State Michael Watson, Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson, Attorney General Lynn Fitch and State Treasurer David McRae had not yet said anything about the Biden decision as of Sunday afternoon.

Grant McLaughlin covers state government for the Clarion Ledger. He can be reached at gmclaughlin@gannett.com or 972-571-2335.