President Joe Biden’s presidential debate performance, which many said was disastrous due to his mental errors and inability to dispel age-related concerns, immediately had Democrats speculating on whether he should be replaced as the Democratic presidential nominee.
While Biden has enough delegates to be named the Democratic nominee at the Democratic National Convention, the Democrats could opt for an “open convention” in which delegates vote for their nominee choice. If that happens, barring something else drastic, here are some of their choices.
Vice President Kamala Harris
Vice President Kamala Harris would be the closest extension of the Biden administration given her position as vice-president. She’s much younger than Biden at 59 years old and likely propelled Biden in part to his 2020 win because she motivated black voters.
One direct way Harris could become president is the 25th Amendment, which deals with presidential succession. Harris, along with members of Biden’s cabinet, could invoke it in order to remove Biden as president and appoint Harris.
Democratic Govs. Gavin Newsom, Gretchen Whitmer, Wes Moore, and Josh Shapiro
All four Democratic governors rumored to be good candidates to replace Biden have commonalities: Relative youth, their positioning as political moderates, and their governance of swing states or states with high electoral vote counts, excluding Moore in both cases.
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) appears to have the most support of the four as he governs one of the most prominent states, California, and is considered a moderate compared to many of the state’s Democrats. He’s one of the most well-known Democrats since his 2019 election, and other politicians, such as Ronald Reagan, have run successful presidential campaigns after being governor of California.
Similarly, Govs. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI), Wes Moore (D-MD), and Josh Shapiro (D-PA) have seen rapid rises in support. None of the four ran for the 2020 nomination and appear unlikely to drop their governorships, which won’t end until 2026.
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg
Pete Buttigieg, secretary of transportation, could be another internal Biden administration choice for president, given his rise from mayor of South Bend, Indiana, to a major presidential candidate in 2020. He’s the only Biden cabinet official, excluding Harris, to mount a serious presidential campaign as he finished fifth in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary popular vote.
Biden then appointed him secretary of transportation with an 86-13 Senate vote, 36 Republicans voted yes, to confirm him. Buttigieg is fourteenth in the order of presidential succession.
He recently resurfaced in the public eye after his contentious debate against Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), prompting some social media users to call for him to be president.
Sen. Bernie Sanders
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), former presidential candidate, is an obvious choice given the large amount of support he drummed up in both the 2016 and 2020 Democratic presidential primaries, though ultimately falling short to Hillary Clinton and Biden, respectively. However, he’s a year older than Biden at 82 years old, making it unlikely he could dispel any age-related concerns. Sanders does seem sharper than Biden, though, exemplified in a quick response to a reporter’s question about the 2024 presidential election.
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton, former Democratic presidential nominee, faced former President Donald Trump before and won the popular vote in 2016. She didn’t run in the 2020 Democratic primaries and she wouldn’t completely dispel Biden’s age-related concerns, given she turns 77 years old this fall. Some have endorsed her possible candidacy, but she’s given no indication that she will run again.
Michelle Obama
This choice appears unlikely as former first lady Michelle Obama has never sought political office, but if she did, she’d likely receive widespread support due to her husband’s electoral success and her profile as a politically involved first lady.
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It’s been rumored that Obama expressed frustration with the Biden family over Hunter Biden’s contentious divorce with her friend, Kathleen Buhle. If that’s true, Obama could be less committed to Biden as the Democratic candidate and a bit more likely to run. However, she’s given no indication that she will.
