US President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw his candidacy just over 100 days before the presidential election is unprecedented in recent US history. But what is actually happening now?
In the coming days, members of Biden’s Democratic Party will begin a “transparent and orderly process” to select a nominee, according to its chairman, Jaime Harrison.
For the official nomination, delegates from all 50 US states, the capital Washington and the overseas territories attend the nominating convention in August. Biden won the primaries by a large margin. The 3,900 delegates who are going to the convention in Chicago, scheduled for August 19, are actually obliged to vote for him.
High-ranking Democrats had planned to have Biden nominated in an online vote before the convention. After Biden’s withdrawal, it is unclear whether this meeting will take place. The nomination of the replacement candidate is ultimately in the hands of the delegates.
Quick search for a replacement for Joe Biden
“Our delegates are prepared to take seriously their responsibility to quickly present a candidate to the American people,” party leader Harrison stressed, adding that the process will be governed by the party’s established rules and procedures.
The late candidate change could take US politics back to a time when party bosses struggled to choose a candidate in smoky back rooms and endless rounds of voting.
On March 31, 1968, then-President Lyndon Johnson shocked the public by announcing that he would not run for re-election. The move, announced much more in advance of the election than Biden’s withdrawal, turned the party convention into a political crisis. There were protests in the streets and the party left was angry about the nomination of Vietnam War supporter Hubert Humphrey. Following this debacle, the states took the primary process more seriously and the results of the nominating conventions have since been essentially predetermined.
An obvious, if not a foregone conclusion, choice to succeed Biden would be Vice President Kamala Harris, who backed Biden shortly after his withdrawal announcement. Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were also quick to speak out in favor of Harris.
Not only Kamala Harris would be an option
In addition to the vice president, a whole range of Democratic politicians could be encouraged to run. Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania have been mentioned in the past. Another candidate considered to be a promising candidate, California Governor Gavin Newsom, spoke out in favor of Harris as a presidential candidate on Sunday.
Biden’s withdrawal from the race could theoretically open the door for a third-party candidate. So far, however, the two dominant parties in the US political system are not threatened by an independent candidate. In 1992, billionaire Ross Perot from Texas received almost 19 percent of the vote as an independent. However, due to the electoral system, he ultimately did not receive one of the votes that really count in a presidential election in the US, namely those of the so-called Electoral College, whose 538 members ultimately decide on the winner.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
