President Biden's big political decision: How does it impact Texas?
NORTH TEXAS — Less than two weeks ago, the ladies of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. hosted their vice-presidential soror, Kamala Harris, in Dallas at the 71st Boule.
"I do believe this is the most existential consequential and important election of our lifetime," Harris said in her keynote address.
On a Sunday when push alerts on cell phones came accompanied by bulging eyes and dropped jaws, Harris emerged in the most significant race of her life.
Her former ticket-topping running mate, President Joe Biden, released a statement on X announcing his departure from running for reelection.
"I was, of course, surprised because it's history-making, but I was not shocked that Biden ultimately made this decision," Matthew Wilson said.
Dr. Matthew Wilson, a PhD graduate from Duke, taught politics at SMU for over two decades. Wilson said there was pressure for Biden to step away from a reelection bid following a poor debate performance and fears he may not beat former President Donald Trump.
"The fact that neither Chuck Schumer nor Nancy Pelosi, nor Hakeem Jeffries nor Barack Obama had stepped forward and given a full endorsement to Joe Biden, continuing and said, absolutely, he's our nominee. We need to ride with Joe. That spoke volumes," Wilson said.
According to the political expert, voters have become concerned about the president's age and mental shape.
Wilson said Harris may bring Democrats the energy at the top of the ticket and down the ballot.
"It probably is something that will be greeted warmly by, let's say, Colin Allred, who is running for the Senate against Ted Cruz," he said. "Colin Allred would rather not have Joe Biden at the top of the ticket."
But he believes most Texans will continue to vote red.
Wilson said the Vice President is part of an incumbent ticket that will have to launch her campaign quickly. He called Biden's challenging political decision an incredible opportunity for Harris.