Less than a month after a halting debate performance set off alarms in the Democratic party about his age and health, 81-year-old President Biden ended his campaign for reelection and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, who is 22 years his junior.

Age has been a central issue throughout Biden’s campaign. And many young voters have expressed a disconnect from older candidates. The Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump, is 78 years old.

The Press Herald asked younger voters if Biden’s decision changes anything or affects their voting plans in the November election.

“Now I’m probably going to vote for Kamala,” Hanna Cha, a 21-year-old Bowdoin student, said on Monday. Ella Spitz/Staff Writer

Hanna Cha, 21, Bowdoin student

“I was honestly surprised just because it feels like he was trying to stick it out. It was surprising to me, but I guess with all the conversations that were happening all around him, like not having the mental capacity to be president for the next four years, in that regard, I’m not that surprised. But I think ultimately it was the right decision and now I’m probably going to vote for Kamala.

“I haven’t read her plans or anything, but I feel like Biden has set us up for the future and I feel like she has been in the White House for a long time and I think it’s better than voting for a governor who has never been in the White House. At this point I think she is the best candidate.”

“I’m engaged now,” William Lambert said. Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer

William Lambert, 32, of Portland working as a barista

“The mainstream U.S. political conversation, I just haven’t been listening to, other than a few blips on my radar that come up on Twitter or something. It was expected. After the debate performance, everyone knew it was really bad. It was something that I think people have known for a long time.

“I was not going to vote at all, but now I want to do my best and pay attention and see what’s going to happen. Because of the Israel Palestine issue, morally, I couldn’t (vote for Biden). I know Trump feels the same or worse, but Biden is so far right on that issue that I was like I can’t vote for him no matter what. I have one issue, one political platform that I care about above all else: Israel-Palestine. Personally for me, other than student loans, I haven’t really felt politically very affected by whatever decisions he was making.

“I talked to an older friend of mine, a liberal, NPR-type-of-guy, very knowledgeable in all of the stuff I have ignored. He was throwing out a few names like Gretchen Whitmer and Gavin Newsom. The thing that leaves me hanging is I don’t know anything about these candidates. I sympathize, but I’m opposed to people who say vote blue no matter who. … You have to make an informed choice and a choice with your heart.

“It definitely interests me. I’m engaged now more so, but I need to know what the deal is. I don’t know anything about where they stand.”

“I’m going to need to do more research,” said India James. Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer

India James, 24, front-of-house worker at Portland bakery

“I felt indifferent. I was a little surprised.

“Age has always been a downside with him, and I felt like the last debate was elder abuse. It just felt like, ‘What are you doing?’ It feels like the healthiest decision for him, but I’m also not a huge fan of his. I think it will impact my decision. I just think I’m going to need to do more research about whoever the Democrats put up.”

“(My vote) was going to be Republican either way,” Diego Resendez said, citing his religious beliefs. Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer

Diego Resendez, 19, tourist visiting from San Antonio

“Personally, I don’t really follow politics as much as I used to back in freshman year of high school. We need a leader. I’ve heard how (Biden) is. He’s super old, so I don’t think he’s fit enough to run the country. Then again, I don’t really follow the politics. I just want a leader who can really lead the country and not only help the country itself by helping with the homeless and the people in need but also help people outside of the country.

“Even with him stepping down, I was probably still going to vote Republican, even though I’m moderate. I choose Republican because I’m a devout Catholic, and my morals align with more right-leaning candidates. One example is abortion. I’m more right-leaning when it comes to abortion, so even with him stepping down, it was going to be Republican either way.”

“I wish they made this decision sooner,” Lindsey Stevens said. Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer

Lindsey Stevens, 28, of Portland working in health care

“I haven’t really decided how I feel. I think probably overall it’s a good thing.

“I don’t know a ton of the ins and outs politically as to what it actually means of him stepping down. I just know I was a little concerned about him holding on for this long.

“I’m not voting for Trump, so I would vote for whoever the other candidate is. Out of everybody else that they could have had, Kamala is a strong candidate. … I wish they made this decision sooner so they could have given her more time to put together a platform. It’s happened, so this is something we have to work through.”

“I’m having a little bit of hope,” said Monica Davis, right, with Ian Clayton. Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer

Ian Clayton, 34, and Monica Davis, 28, of Biddeford, both registered Democrats

Clayton: “I think that it was turning into a scenario where it didn’t look like Biden was going to be able to win, and as someone who didn’t want to vote for Trump that left me without a good feeling going into the election.”

Davis: “For me, it’s good news. We were honestly debating whether or not we wanted to vote because it was so terrible, both choices, but I’m having a little bit of hope. We knew we were going to vote, but just felt pretty sad about it and the choices were pathetic. It doesn’t feel good to vote for someone you can’t really get behind. But obviously (Biden) was the lesser of two evils so we were going to have to because we feel that it is our duty.”

“It does feel like 2016 all over again,” said Mary Ignatiadis. Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer

Mary Ignatiadis, 29, and Ryan Trott, 36, of Berwick

Ignatiadis: “It does feel like 2016 all over again. I think most of the country is going to look and see a highly educated woman who doesn’t know how to talk to normal people in a pantsuit. I think she’s immensely qualified, but do I think the Democratic Party is going to be able to get other people to see that? Probably not. Maybe the Democratic Party is banking on her identity as a Black woman to be able to bring out key voting blocks in swing states, I don’t feel like that’s a good bet.”

Trott: “My initial reaction was ‘Finally, about time.’ It feels like the Democratic Party as a whole didn’t allow us as a country and as a group of people to decide for ourselves whether or not we were going to have (him) as our candidate. It does feel like someone who lives in rural Maine doesn’t have a voice. Do I feel that there’s any real change (with) pulling Biden out and putting our vice president into the light as a candidate? No, I still feel like I don’t have any voice in that.”

“I feel like I hear a lot of people say, ‘We’re just going to pick the lesser of the two evils.’ We have 330 million people in this country and these are the best people we can come up with?”

“I don’t know that I feel any differently about the candidacy. It’s the same group of people, the same party, we’re just going to choose a different vice president. I don’t know that I have any more confidence in the way that our country is headed without a change in people up top. If you just see it as a continuation of where we’ve been, then I think that that’s going to be hard for people to really get behind and support and be like, ‘Oh, here we go another four years of the same thing with just a different face.’ It doesn’t change my expectation of the outcome regardless of what my voting plans are.”