Here's what Arizona's congressional delegation is saying about Joe Biden's bombshell

President Joe Biden announced Sunday he is exiting from the presidential race for reelection after pressure from Democratic leaders and a poor performance in his debate against former President Donald J. Trump.

The party has sounded the alarm that his chances of beating Trump this November have waned. The president's historic withdrawal throws the 2024 race — already roiled by an assassination attempt on Trump — into uncertain territory.

Vice President Kamala Harris widely seen as the Democrat most likely to take Biden's place atop the party's ticket, with Biden's endorsement shortly following his announced exit.

No matter what happens in a possible shake-up of the Democratic presidential ticket, U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly is also on the national political radar. The Arizona Democrat continues to generate buzz as a potential alternative to President Joe Biden or to replace Vice President Kamala Harris if she ascends to the top of the ticket and needs a running mate.

Several congressional Arizona leaders issued swift responses to Biden's announcement to drop out of the presidential race. Here's what they have to say.

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz.

Sen. Mark Kelly said in a written statement that it takes "great humility to make the difficult decision" that President Biden has made to not seek reelection.

"(Biden) led us out of a pandemic, took historic steps to bring back microchip and clean energy manufacturing and rebuild our infrastructure, and he has strengthened our alliances and made our country safer," Kelly said.

Shortly after praising Biden's decision to step down, Kelly posted to X his endorsement for Vice President Kamala Harris as the nomination for the Democratic ticket.

"(Harris) is the right person to defeat Donald Trump and lead our country into the future," Kelly said. "Gabby and I will do everything we can to elect her President of the United States."

Gabrielle Giffords is Kelly's wife and former U.S. representative from Arizona. In 2011, Giffords was the target of an assassination attempt near Tucson that killed six, including an 8-year-old girl and a federal judge, and wounded 18, plus Giffords, who sustained a near-fatal gunshot wound to her head.

Giffords and Kelly were among the first to condemn political violence after news broke of the assassination attempt on Trump.

Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz.

Rep. Ruben Gallego issued a statement on Sunday lauding Biden for his work to pass the Violence Against Women Act as a senator, his fight to find a cure for cancer with his Cancer Moonshot as vice president, his work to cut prescription drugs and create more jobs as president.

"He put his country first today, as he has throughout his tenure as a public servant," Gallego said.

U.S. Senate candidate Ruben Gallego had said on Thursday that Biden needed to prove he can do the job if he stays in on the top of the Democratic ticket. Gallego's comments didn't go as far as his Democratic colleagues on Capitol Hill, Reps. Raúl Grijalva and Greg Stanton. Both recently called for Biden to step aside.

On Sunday, Gallego said that Arizona is at a crossroads and that abortion rights, water security, caring for veterans, and more are now on the line.

"That's why I will spend the next 107 days laser-focused on defeating Kari Lake and her dangerous plans to ban abortion, endanger seniors' Medicare, and hurt Arizona families," Gallego said.

Gallego is running against Lake for the senate seat that will be up for grabs after Sen. Kyrsten Sinema's decision not to run for reelection. Mark Lamb is also vying for the GOP nomination.

Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz.

In the hours after Biden's announced exit, Rep. Juan Ciscomani reposted Biden's statement by adding that the president's policies will be on the ballot in the form of Kirsten Engel.

Engel is challenging Ciscomani in the 6th Congressional District race as the democratic candidate.

"From our border to your pocketbooks, we can’t let Biden-Engel win," Ciscomani said on X.

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz.

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., called on Biden to step down as president in addition to stepping out of the presidential race.

Biggs posted that Biden is "too weak and feeble" to be prosecuted and to campaign, asking how he would be strong enough to continue serving as commander-in-chief of "the strongest nation in the world."

Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz.

"Today, as he always has, President Biden put the future of our country first. He will go down in history as one of the most effective chief executives of the modern era. I will forever be proud of what we have been able to deliver for Arizona," Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., said in a post to X.

Stanton on July 11 called on Biden to step aside from the 2024 presidential race.

"The stakes in this election could not be higher. For our country's sake, it is time for the President to pass the torch to a new generation of leaders," Stanton wrote in a social media message.

Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz.

While Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., did not issue a statement on Biden stepping out of the race or his subsequent endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee, Crane did post a video to X criticizing Harris for her border policies.

Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz.

Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., issued a statement expressing his gratitude to Biden for his "significant achievements and progress his administration has made."

Grijalva was the second sitting lawmaker to push for the incumbent to step down after Biden's debate performance.

"What he needs to do is shoulder the responsibility for keeping that seat — and part of that responsibility is to get out of this race," Grijalva, an 11-term lawmaker, told the New York Times on July 3.

Grijalva's announcement followed Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, the first sitting lawmaker to urge Biden to step down.

In Grijalva's statement Sunday, he described Biden's decision to step aside as emblematic of his life of public service and that Biden will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the most consequential presidents in our history.

"It's now time for Democrats to quickly coalesce around Kamala Harris, as President Biden has called on us to do, and form a ticket that will protect our democracy by helping Democrats win up and down the ballot this November," he said.

Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz.

About 20 minutes after Biden posted his announcement to X, Rep. Paul Gosar posted "The coup is complete."

Republic reporters Ronald J. Hansen and Laura Gersony contributed to this article.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Joe Biden quits race: How Arizona's congressional delegation reacted