WASHINGTON, D.C. — Ohio lawmakers on Capitol Hill are reacting to President Joe Biden’s decision not to run for reelection and his subsequent endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris for the role, with many Democrats backing Harris and some Republicans calling on Biden to resign immediately.

Before Biden announced he would not seek reelection, Democrats were divided on whether to support his candidacy. Now the division is over who should fill his place at the top of the ticket. Some are uniting behind Harris, while others are lying low and not endorsing anyone yet.

Rep. Greg Landsman, the first Ohio Democrat to publicly call on Biden to step aside last Friday, has endorsed Harris to replace him.

“The vice president [is] someone who can excite young people, the entire Democratic base and I think appeal to those folks who are in the middle, and can prosecute this case against Donald Trump. She’s a former prosecutor, so she’ll do well,” Landsman said. “I think she will win.”

Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, facing a tough reelection in an increasingly Republican state—on Friday evening called on Biden to step aside. He was one of just five Democrat Senators to do so.

A spokesperson for Brown said he is supporting Harris for president.

Reps. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, and Shontel Brown, D-Ohio, both defended Biden’s candidacy in recent weeks, but now support Harris.

“Kamala Harris is a governing partner to the most consequential president in our history as it relates to President Biden. So she’s been working alongside of him, getting things done for the American people,” Brown said.

Rep. Emilia Sykes, D-Ohio, had not publicly defended nor called on Biden to step aside. In a statement Monday, though, she endorsed Harris, writing in a statement,

“The future prosperity of our country is a serious matter, and right now, more than ever, we need leaders that are looking toward the future and willing to work with anyone to find common ground and deliver meaningful results to our communities… I look forward to working with Democrats to unify around Vice President Kamala Harris as our Presidential nominee.”

Biden’s announcement has not stemmed from Republican criticism. Several lawmakers, including Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, have called for Biden to step down immediately. Turner wrote in a statement,

“While the Democratic Party wondered if Joe Biden could serve for another four years, I have publicly stated my concerns that he’s not up to the job for the next four days… President Biden‘s cabinet must take immediate action and determine if he is capable to govern for the remainder of this year.” 

At his first solo campaign rally as vice presidential candidate, Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, suggested Democrats subverted the will of voters by elevating Harris to presidential candidate after primary elections.

“The idea of selecting the Democrat Party’s nominee because George Soros and Barack Obama and a couple of elite Democrats got in a smoke-filled room and decided to throw Joe Biden overboard—that is not how it works,” Vance said. “That is a threat to democracy. Not the Republican Party, which is fighting for democracy every single day.”

The next few weeks will be consumed with the question of who Harris will choose as her vice-presidential running mate.

No Ohio lawmakers have yet endorsed anyone for that role.