After a disastrous performance in Thursday night’s presidential debate, President Joe Biden Faced with a flood of calls To step aside from Democratic pundits and strategists and make way for another Democratic nominee with genuine doubts that he is fit to defeat former President Donald Trump in November.
Biden’s time in the debates was full of sloppiness, rhetorical errors, off-topic and extended pauses to collect his thoughts. He spoke quietly and in a scratchy voice—her Aides say he had a cold. Overall, his performance only added to the existing fuel Concerns about his age And Ability to perform his duties.
To be clear, Trump’s performance was also terrible; It was completely false and inconsistent as well. He made clear again that he poses a serious threat to US democracy — which is, in part, why some Democrats say Biden must step down and allow a stronger candidate to lead the party in November.
Replacing Biden as the Democratic nominee will be difficult, but not impossible, as my colleague Christian Paz writes. At the convention this summer, Biden will have to instruct himself to vote for someone else and hand over his campaign funds. No party leader can force him out.
Friday, Biden notified That he doesn’t want to drop out and remains committed to a second debate in September. But if Biden changes his mind, there is a list of potential candidates who could replace him — the most obvious being Vice President Kamala Harris.
Harris would be the most practical alternative to Biden
Voters are already reeling from the idea that Harris is just one 81-year-old heartbeat away from becoming president. Just over one-third of voters in September said so CBS News/YouGov poll that they thought Biden would finish a second term.
Against other Democratic presidential contenders, he performed well. A June Morning Consult/Politico Poll 21 percent of registered voters would nominate him if Biden didn’t run — more than any other candidate.
He would be the easiest person to replace, as he could also pick up the campaign where Biden left off. Unlike other potential contenders to replace Biden, he can begin using his campaign funds immediately because he is already on the presidential ticket. Otherwise, Biden would have to transfer his funds to the Democratic National Committee, which would spread them to other candidates.
The Biden campaign is trying to raise Harris’ profile by sending him on a tour of the country to speak about abortion rights, a key issue that has contributed to Democratic victories in elections from North Carolina to Kansas since the Supreme Court overturned it. Roe v. Wade. And since Trump’s criminal convictions, he’s vindicated Able to go aggressiveUtilizing his experience as a former San Francisco District Attorney and California Attorney General.
These facts, however, may not be enough to overcome the fact that Harris is unpopular, even relative His predecessors as Vice President. His net disapproval rating is currently around 49 percent, according to FiveThirtyEight’s voting average. It’s better than Biden The disapproval rating is 56 percent – But he too Historically unpopular, and Harris will run on the same record as Biden. Moreover, the Morning Consult/Politico poll found that only a third of voters and 3 in 5 Democrats believe he will win an election as the Democratic nominee.
That’s partly a result of the White House’s failure in the first half of Biden’s presidency to give him the kind of exposure that would have boosted those numbers, instead giving him a portfolio that included the ever-present issue of immigration. That alleged contribution Tensions between his office and the White House.
Attacks on Harris – the first woman, first black woman and first South Asian vice president – have also been tinged with sexism and racism, as the former White House Chief of Staff Ron Klein mentioned
So to replace Biden with Harris, the Democratic establishment would have to go all-in on him like they haven’t yet.
Other potential contenders to replace Biden
If not Harris, a Biden replacement could come from among the talent Democrats are eyeing for 2028: California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.
However, when asked if they would be willing to step down, they have so far demurred — as expected given their all-powerful Biden surrogate.
In the Morning Consult/Politico poll, Newsom and Buttigieg are tied for second place behind Harris as the Democratic presidential contenders with 10 percent support. Whitmer came in third with four percent support. (Pritzker was not polled.) So are Newsom, Whitmer, and Pritzker Strong approval ratings in their states.
Gavin Newsom
Newsom’s recent spat with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has raised his national profile. Her record includes further protections of reproductive rights in California, Clearing homeless campsimprove Gas powered vehicles, Expanding health care for undocumented immigrantsImposition a Death penalty suspendedmake law Police reform, and more. But his tenure as governor has not been without challenges: he has faced Multiple recall campaignsAnd the state is suffering from a multibillion-dollar deficit that required deep budget cuts this year
Gretchen Whitmer
Whitmer led the Democrats to win majorities in both chambers of the Michigan legislature in the midterms. Since the year, he has worked Abortion rights up arrow, Expand LGBTQ rightsimplementation Strict gun safety measuresto accept Aggressive climate action, The Institute is a free public preschooland opposite principles such as a “Right to Work” Act which hurts union membership and was previously implemented by the Michigan GOP.
JB Pritzker
Pritzker, who has a multibillion-dollar fortune, may have the strategic advantage of being less dependent on donors to pay for a bid for president. He balanced his state budget and enacted a progressive agenda that included a $45 billion infrastructure plan, raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025, expanding Medicaid coverage to undocumented seniors, making the state 100 percent clean by 2050. Converting to energy and more. His state will host the Democratic National Convention this summer.
Pete Buttigieg
Buttigieg made his mark during the 2020 presidential campaign, originally coming in third behind Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT). As Secretary of Transportation, he oversaw the implementation of a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill passed in 2021, seeking to improve road safety and address Pandemic Supply Chain Disruption. But he has come under heavy scrutiny for a series High-profile train derailment and comprehensive Flight delays and cancellationsAlthough efforts have been made since then Holding airlines accountable.
But the public is still largely unfamiliar with these rising stars of the Democratic Party. With elections just months away, it may be too late to introduce them now, even leaving aside the complicated logistics of the convention. But voters may be content to cast their ballots for someone who isn’t Biden or Trump: the former, a typical Democrat There was a remarkably good turnout than Biden against Trump.
