Right after President Joe Biden’s awkward and shaky performance at the debate with former President Donald Trump on Thursday night, some Democrats started to question whether he should actually be replaced as the Democratic candidate for the 2024 election.
As it turns out, there is a process for doing so, but it would turn out to be quite messy. For answers on how that would unfold, Reuters decided to contact Elaine Kamarck, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, but also a Democratic National Committee member and the author of “Primary Politics”, which tackles the subject of the the presidential nominating process.
In all honestly, what options do Democrats actually have?
As she explained, the Democratic Party didn’t have a real Plan B for Biden for this presidential candidate. The truth is he ran virtually unopposed for the party’s presidential nomination this year. He won’t be officially nominated until later this summer, so there’s still plenty of time to make adjustments and to decide on a handful of other scenarios that would enact one.
For instance, Biden could decide himself to step aside before he even gets nominated. He could also be challenged by others who would try to win over the delegates he has gathered. Or, he might decide to withdraw after the Democratic convention in Chicago in August, leaving the Democratic National Committee to elect someone who would run against Trump in his place.
What happens next?
For now, the process largely depends on Biden. He would need to agree to step down or even face a challenger later in the process who would then try to force him to do so. As far as we can tell, Biden didn’t show any indications of agreeing to step aside, and no opponents have challenged him directly.
As a matter of fact, some of his top potential replacements, whether we’re talking about Vice President Kamala Harris or California Governor Gavin Newsom, spoke quite passionately in his defense after the debate. This also served in a surrogate role that showcased their full support, while also contrasting their smooth delivery with his faltering one, especially on the Atlanta debate stage.
What happens if Biden decides to step down?
President Joe Biden spent the last several months gathering as many as 4,000 Democratic delegates by constantly winning primary elections in the U.S. states and territories. Those delegates are expected to vote for him, but the rules don’t necessarily bind or force them to do so.
Delegates can also vote with their conscience, which also means they might throw their vote to someone else. However, if Biden decides to “release” his delegates by stepping aside, we might be talking about a competition among other Democratic candidates to become the nominee.
Who would replace him?
There are several candidates who might be able to step into the fray, but there’s obviously no number one. Harris could definitely be at the top of the list, but she also is known to have had her own issues after a rocky start in the job, but also poor polling numbers.
The U.S. Constitution also dictates that the vice president becomes president only if the president dies or becomes fully incapacitated, but it still doesn’t weigh in on an inter-party process for deciding on another nominee.
California Governor Newsom, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker have also been considered as potential replacements, but they are also avid Biden supporters and campaign surrogates who are also working to help him get elected now.
How would a nominee be chosen?
There are high chances to organize a free-for-all of sorts that would take place between the Democratic heavyweights who want to get “the job.” Moreover, potential candidates would need to get signatures from 600 convention delegates to get nominated.
It is also expected to see around 4,672 delegates this year, which would also include 3,933 pledged delegates and 739 automatic or superdelegates. However, if no one gets a majority, then we might be dealing with a “brokered convention,” where the delegates would act as free agents and negotiate with the party leadership and come up with a nominee.
Then, rules would be established and there would be roll call votes for all the names placed into this nomination. It might take several rounds of voting for someone to get a full majority and become the next nominee. For example, the last brokered convention when Democrats failed to nominate a candidate on the first ballot was back in 1952.
What happens if Biden steps down after the convention?
If President Biden decides to step down after the August convention, the 435 members of the Democratic National Committee would then have to choose another candidate. The members will meet in a special session to select the next nominee.
Who are these 435 DNC members?
The members are divided equally between men and women, but also as various constituency groups including labor leaders, LGBTQ representatives, and racial minorities. Out of all of them, 75 are appointed at-large by the chair, while the rest of them are elected in their respective states.
Who might be able to nominate an alternative in that case?
To effectively nominate a candidate who would replace Biden on the ballot, that person would need to have the support of the minimum number of DNC members, maybe around 60, even if the exact number would be yet to be determined by the DNC’s rules committee, which would also lay out the rules for the proceedings before they even start.
There would also be a series of nominating speeches and seconding speeches. Multiple candidates might be nominated before the list is even whittled down.
How would these votes be counted?
The DNC would probably hold its meeting in Washington and the votes could be counted there. Ballots might be coded, signed, and collected by hand.
While the Democrats worry, Biden runs from door to door
President Joe Biden is currently on a quest to revive his mismanaged re-election effort, while the members of his party still debate whether or not he should still be a candidate. The president’s halting debate performance against former President Donald Trump raised concerns about his physical and mental capacity to run. In fact, a prime-time interview with ABC in recent days fueled further speculation that he could be able to sustain this race.
As it turns out, the Democratic majority believes that Biden should drop out. Sources said that plenty of them expressed concern about his chances of winning the November elections.
Potential in a fresh start
Amid the fallout of Mr Biden’s terrible debate performance, asking the president to step aside could potentially bring immediate relief. Some Demamongocrats, which also include supporters of the president, expressed their concerns about his age and mental acuity, pointing out that they have become difficult to overcome.
The debate raised plenty of questions among the American people about whether the president has the capacity and vigor to defeat Donald Trump. As many believe, current president Joe Biden should assess whether or not he is able to sustain this race and four more years at the White House.
If you found this article interesting, we also recommend checking: Giuliani Told to Post Bond in Arizona Election Case After Alleged Evasion
