Albuquerque Democrats are hopeful and energized after Biden bows out

From the state’s five-member congressional delegation to the governor to New Mexico Democratic Party executives, many of New Mexico’s Democratic bigwigs endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris after President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race Sunday. Burqueños in Albuquerque’s coffee shops and parking lots seem pleased with the news that Biden has bowed out, and some are excited by Harris.

The 46-year-old Barelas Coffee House is an icon of the South Valley, and a spot where politicians drop in for deluxe huevos rancheros and coffee. Senators, the governor, New Mexico’s attorney general, and a wide array of political candidates have all been spotted dining there.

“It’s really interesting to see them grow. We see different generations,” said Geri Gonzales, whose husband Michael Gonzales owns the business.

President Barack Obama has visited the local restaurant, as has the late Sen. John McCain and Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff.

The restaurant had a steady stream of customers in the door Monday, but Gonzales said political conversation didn’t seem any more abundant than usual after Biden’s withdrawal.

John Claussen was chatting with his friend Robson Guy in front of the coffeehouse. Claussen wants to see “the jazz duo of Kamala and Pete B., because it’s hard to pronounce Buttigieg’s last name. ... I think he matches up against (Republican vice presidential nominee) J.D. Vance and surpasses him in every category. Has the military career, is the family person, has integrity with how he lives and what he says.”

Claussen thinks that history will be kind to Biden, but he never expected the president to run for a second term in the first place.

“I always felt in 2020, that was to get Trump out of office, and to get us going somewhere, not quite as much of a deficit per four years, but he knew his age and that Kamala was going to run,” Claussen said.

Also chatting with a friend in front of the coffeehouse was Donald Trump supporter Christy Highland, who is happy to see Biden bow out, a move that she does not think will affect Trump’s chances to win back the presidency in November. Highland believes more people would support former President Trump if they focused on his policies instead of his personality.

“We give so much money away,” she said. “I’m a taxpayer. Money is taken out of my check every single payday, to go to what? It should be going to things here in America to support America and Americans.”

With a short drive northeast to the University of New Mexico campus, it was easy to find people excited about the prospect of a Kamala Harris presidential run.

UNM professor Chris Lippitt thinks Biden leaving the race is good news.

“It’s a lot of uncertainty. Hopefully it will feel better in a week, with the unknown. But I think that is the definition of public service that we should all be aiming for,” Lippitt said.

He has no qualms about Harris.

“I think a lot of people worry about other people’s qualms about her. But I’m perfectly happy with her as a candidate. I feel like she’s in a lot better shape than either of the other two,” Lippitt said.

Rob Hemsath was grabbing food at the Student Union Building Monday, and he thinks that Sunday’s news was a good way to reenergize the Democratic presidential campaign. He feels strongly that Harris is a good candidate and thinks Biden’s endorsement of her will make the next few weeks less ugly than they could have been.

“The last thing we need is some sort of free-for-all convention like 1920,” Hemsath said.

In 1920, Democratic President Woodrow Wilson did not endorse a new Democratic presidential candidate, hoping to be nominated for a third term, so the party entered its convention with uncertainty, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica. It took 44 ballots for the party to select James Cox as the presidential nominee. Cox lost the general election to Republican Warren G. Harding.

Across Central in the Satellite Coffee parking lot, Immanuel Abraham Hamilton’s friends were rolling cigarettes and strumming a painted guitar. Hamilton was pressing different stones to his forehead, practicing holding them in place.

He has not been interested in any of the major party candidates since 2016, when Bernie Sanders failed to win the Democratic Party nomination.

“I think the best outcome for everybody would be (independent Robert) Kennedy (Jr.), because at least he’s correctly identified the problems with the food, water and air,” Hamilton said. “Those are our most immediate concerns, or they should be as citizens, is the quality of the things that we actually have to imbibe to survive.”