Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers throws support behind VP Kamala Harris for 2024 presidential election
CHICAGO (CBS) — Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has thrown his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, following President Joe Biden's decision to bow out of the race.
Mr. Biden announced his decision ahead of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next month. He has endorsed Harris as the Democratic nominee. Alongside Evers, a number of other governors announced their support for Harris Monday morning, including Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer — all Democrats.
Wisconsin, where the Republican National Convention just wrapped up, is considered to a major battleground state in this election. People who spoke about Biden's decision with CBS Chicago's Marie Saavedra shared reactions that ran the gamut.
Most recent polling in Wisconsin is from a week ago, posting July 14. The polls showed a tight race, but had Mr. Biden slightly trailing former President Donald Trump, at 48% compared to Trump's 51%.
However, with Biden's decision to step aside from the 2024 ticket and throw his support to Harris, there remains plenty of uncertainty in the race.
"I didn't hear until right now," said Michael Thompson. "I don't know. I think Kamala might be better. I like Joe Biden as a president, but Kamala Harris is basically the same thing because they're from the same party."
Voters CBS Chicago spoke with in Wisconsin were digesting the news in real time.
"I think everyone was kind of expecting it because of all the issues of the possible cognitive decline," said Cecily Marx. "I mean, I'm sure everyone would love to have the first female president of the country, but at the same time, with everything that's happening and all the discourse, I don't know."
"Better late than never, to do it now rather than succumb to the fact that he is too old to run, but now the whole dynamic's changed," said Brian Van Dyke.
"I am a Democrat," said Kristyna Guijo. "I would vote for a dead man over Trump, but Joe Biden wasn't my ideal candidate. So I'm glad he's stepping down so someone more viable can step in."
The change in candidates has created new questions.
"I don't know a lot about Kamala. I really don't," said Jolene Rongholt. "I don't see her in the news a lot, so I would have to know a lot more about her."
"The thing is, we don't know for sure that Kamala's going to be the one," said Veronica Van Dyke. "And that's the big question mark in my mind. But I'm hopeful that we can make this good news instead of bad news. Right now, it feels kind of bad."
"You wonder whether or not her youth is going to be better than if President Biden was going against Trump," said Wayne Rongholt.
Now most voters are still where they started, often skeptical and in need of more information, undecided on how they and their state will vote.
Harris will be back in Wisconsin on Tuesday for a campaign event in Milwaukee that was already on the calendar. This will put Milwaukee in the spotlight again in less than a week, only this time with the Democratic Party watching.