US President Joe Biden announced Sunday that he will not be seeking reelection in the 2024 presidential race.
He later tweeted his support for his VP Kamala Harris.
Biden’s decision follows weeks of mounting pressure from within his own party and from key Democratic donors urging him to step aside for the sake of the party’s future. This announcement marks a significant shift in the political landscape as the Democratic Party must now quickly organize to select a new nominee before August 7.
“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” Biden said in a statement posted on social media.
“I will speak to the Nation later this week in more detail about my decision.”
Biden’s reelection campaign has faced increasing scrutiny and concern following a widely criticized debate performance. Unlike the chorus of support he received after his State of the Union address, Biden’s debate with former President Donald Trump raised alarms about his ability to lead the country.
On July 2, Texas Representative Lloyd Doggett became the first Democrat in Congress to call for Biden to withdraw from the campaign. After a week of increasingly more skepticism from Democrats, Vermont Senator Peter Welch became the first Democratic senator to publicly call for Biden to withdraw, citing Biden’s debate performance and the potential risk of a Trump reelection.
Actor George Clooney, who campaigned with Biden weeks prior, also called for him to step down. It marked a notable shift for Biden’s prospects as the candidate and opened the floodgates for others to come forward. Afterward, anonymous sources said former President Barack Obama was encouraging Biden to step down.
Biden’s campaign initially dismissed the idea of him stepping down, but the chorus of calls from within his party grew too loud to ignore.
With Biden stepping out of the race, the Democratic Party is now faced with the task of selecting a new nominee. Democrats will have to choose one by August 7 or face being kept off the ballot in Ohio. The easiest solution is to replace Biden with Vice President Kamala Harris. She can access his war chest since she’s already on the FEC filings and the Biden campaign was reportedly conducting polling on her ability to win in November ahead of Biden’s announcement.
The first immediate effect of Biden dropping out would be the reopening of the Democratic primary. Without Biden as the presumptive nominee, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) would need to facilitate a swift and organized process to nominate a new candidate. The pursuit could become contentious, as various Democratic leaders and potential candidates could step forward to vie for the nomination.
Potential candidates to replace Biden would likely include Harris, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and California Governor Gavin Newsom. Whoever the candidate is needs to garner enough delegates to avoid a contested convention and become the nominee before August 7.
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