2024 election: Democrats promise ‘orderly process’ to replace Biden, but questions remain

WASHINGTON (AP) — The president Joe Biden he stop one’s reelection campaignDemocratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison conveyed the message that there will be no automatic coronation of a successor.

“Over the next few days, the party will undertake a transparent and orderly process to move forward,” Harrison said in a statement. “This process will be governed by party rules and procedures.” Our Representatives “We are prepared to take seriously our responsibility to swiftly deliver a nominee to the American people.”

The comment was made by the Vice President Kamala Harris While Trump has emerged as the overwhelming favorite to be the party’s nominee, things aren’t that simple, and so far the party has not provided many details about how it plans to proceed.

Some members of the Democratic National Committee had already begun privately discussing contingency plans before Biden decided to step down on Sunday. Democratic National Conventionopens in Chicago on Aug. 19. They plan to meet virtually on Wednesday to discuss next steps.

Harris needs to formally win the nomination from about 4,700 supporters. Democratic Convention Delegates That includes not only those who have pledged their support for Biden, but also elected officials, former presidents and party elders known as superdelegates.

Wearing a sweatsuit and eating an anchovy pizza dinner with staff at the vice presidential residence, Ms. Harris spent more than 10 hours on Sunday calling more than 100 party leaders, lawmakers, governors, union leaders and advocacy and civil rights leaders, as aides said she was spreading the message that she was seeking the Democratic nomination.

Biden won the Democratic primaries in every state and Harris was named as his running mate. Biden’s decision to drop out of the race and nominate Harris as his successor further strengthens her position, as does the support of other leading Democrats in the party. Even before Biden gave up on reelection, other leading Democrats had openly endorsed him for vice president and urged him to “pass the baton” to Harris. Dismal debate performance Against the Republican candidate Donald Trump last month.

“People will speak out, and they should, and I think there’s a lot of support for the vice president,” said Lana Epting, executive director of the progressive group MoveOn. “As we saw in the aftermath of the Biden debate, momentum is being generated either way, and it’s important for us to build momentum toward unity.”

Ken Martin, president of the National Association of State Democratic Committees, which represents 57 state and territory parties, said Harris was the obvious choice. “Her experience working alongside President Biden makes her ready to serve as our candidate and president-elect from day one.” Harris has also been endorsed by the 1.75 million-member American Teachers Union.

But Democratic Party rules state that delegates may only vote “according to their conscience” for the candidate they were elected to represent, there is no provision for defections, and some in the party support an open nomination process.

A Democratic lawmaker with close ties to the Biden administration said lively discussions are underway among lawmakers, major donors and former officials from the Biden, Obama and Clinton administrations about how to move forward.

The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal conversations, argued that a small primary before the Democratic convention would be beneficial for Ms Harris because it would help her establish herself as a front-runner and defuse criticism that she was nominated undemocratically. Trump campaign They are already trying to use it against her, which could have a major impact in the battle for undecided voters in battleground states.

But in that scenario, Democrats might go to the convention without a clear nominee and choose a candidate in a series of potentially confusing floor votes. That could force potential Democratic contenders to replace Biden to visit state delegations and lobby them, something not seen since 1960, when Lyndon B. Johnson and John F. Kennedy held their conventions in Los Angeles and competed for support.

If that were to happen, Harris would be joined by a host of other prominent Democrats vying for the nomination, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and California Rep. Ro Khanna, many of whom have said they would support Harris.

Meanwhile, within the White House, it is unlikely that Harris will be seriously challenged, said a person familiar with the deliberations who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.

Other candidates being mentioned as potential contenders, including Shapiro and North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, have also endorsed Harris, making her unlikely to run given Biden’s endorsement of her and that she is expected to have a fundraising advantage over anyone running.

The Democratic National Committee had planned to hold a virtual roll call to select candidates before the convention to satisfy Ohio’s voter eligibility rules. The state’s original deadline to cast ballots was Aug. 7, but the state Legislature later approved a law nullifying it, but it doesn’t take effect until Sept. 1.

DNC lawyers have said the party could face legal action in Ohio if it fails to nominate its candidate by that state’s original deadline, but the convention rules committee has said it will not set a date for a virtual roll call, which could take place over several days, before Aug. 1.

Some Democrats fear legal challenges from a host of other Republicans, including New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has defended Biden continuing to run, arguing that replacing him could trigger a “presidential election decided by Clarence Thomas and the Supreme Court,” as happened in the 2000 presidential election and with a contested recount in Florida.

At a meeting of the convention’s rules committee on Wednesday, members could establish virtual roll call rules and procedures for nominating Harris or create a more open process for selecting a candidate, according to the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

Democratic National Committee Chairman Harrison declined to endorse Harris in a statement, saying only that “the American people will hear soon from the Democratic Party about next steps and the path forward in the nomination process.”

A somber-faced Harrison also took part in an online meeting of the tournament qualification committee on Sunday, telling members he was “emotional”.

“I still support the president,” Harrison said of Biden, “and I know, my friends, we will get through this, just like we always have.”

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Associated Press writer Colleen Long contributed to this report.