President Biden’s campaign is trying hard to quell speculation that he may drop out of the 2024 race following his poor debate performance last week.
Most top Democrats have expressed support for Biden to remain in the race, while members of his family, including first lady Jill Biden, have said they also want him to remain the candidate, casting doubt on Biden’s potential replacement.
But if Biden steps aside, several prominent Democrats could be waiting in the wings as possible successors.
Here are Biden’s top possible replacements:
Kamala Harris
If Biden decided not to seek re-election, Vice President Harris would be the most obvious choice to replace him. Harris has defended Biden and emphasized his ability to serve another term in recent days, as have most other top Democrats who could be considered.
Serving in the nation’s second-highest office has given her some experience in executive government, and Biden’s selection of her as his running mate has already made her a top possible candidate for the 2028 nomination.
With the presidential primaries concluded, Harris is also the only possible candidate who could claim some prior electoral mandate for the nomination, with the country indirectly electing her first in line to the presidency four years ago and Democratic voters supporting Biden this year. with the knowledge that she is his running mate.
But Harris has some vulnerabilities. Her favorability rating has often been even lower than Biden’s, although she has improved somewhat over the past two months and has a higher net approval rating than Biden, according to FiveThirtyEight.
She could also be dogged by criticism of the Biden administration’s policies, such as immigration, which she was vocal about. leading an initiative.
Still, Democrats could take a hit by passing up the first Black woman vice president as their nominee when they have the opportunity, because Black voters will be a key constituency. A Last month’s survey showed Harris would perform better with black voters than Biden.
Gavin Newsom
If Harris were passed over, California Gov. Gavin Newsom would almost certainly be at or near the top of many Democratic delegates’ list to be the nominee.
Newsom has become one of the nation’s most prominent Democrats in recent years, in part because of his defense of Biden and his running with prominent Republicans, most notably Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).
Despite continued speculation that Newsom had presidential ambitions, he has repeatedly denied interest in running for president in 2024. After Biden’s debate, he appeared in the spin room to argue against dropping Biden just because of a performance and called talk of Biden’s replacement as “useless.” and unnecessary” at a fundraiser for the president on Friday.
But if Biden were to step aside, Newsom would likely receive significant calls to throw his hat in the ring.
He would be able to run as two-term governor of one of the world’s largest economies and tout many accomplishments during his left-leaning tenure in the solidly blue state. He also overcame an attempt to recall him and is seen as a strong possibility to run in 2028.
Gretchen Whitmer
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer first took office in 2018, driven by the slogan “Fix the Damned Roads,” which placed a pragmatic focus on repairing the state’s infrastructure. Since then, she has become a rising liberal star in the Democratic Party.
His easy reelection victory in 2022 brought with it Democratic majorities in the state House and Senate, marking the first time in decades that Democrats have had a power trio in Michigan. She also won re-election along with the passage of a ballot measure enshrining the right to abortion in the state constitution, an initiative she championed.
Whitmer managed to score important victories, including the repeal of the decades-old state ban on abortion and a “right to work” law to support unions.
Still, Whitmer has been one of the clearest choices that she is not looking to replace Biden and fully supports him.
Reported politician Whitmer called Biden campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon on Friday to make it clear that she was not responsible for her name being put forward as a possible replacement and is willing to help Biden with the campaign. She appeared in an advertisement supporting the Biden-Harris ticket which she posted on Sunday on her account on the X social platform.
Pete Buttigieg
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was relatively unknown when he began his run for president in 2020, but he gained traction and popularity as “Mayor Pete,” having served as mayor of South Bend, Indiana.
Buttigieg became a close supporter of Biden throughout 2020, culminating in his selection as Transportation secretary, making him the first openly gay Cabinet secretary. His success raised speculation that he might seek another presidential run in the future.
In particular, he had a breakout moment in 2021 when Congress passed and Biden signed the bipartisan infrastructure bill into law.
Buttigieg’s youth would also represent a stark contrast to Biden, despite having less experience than some other rumored possibilities. But he struggled in 2020 to rally minority, and especially black, support, and may face controversy over the administration’s handling of the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
Josh Shapiro
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro gradually rose to higher positions in his home state before being elected the state’s attorney general and eventually governor in 2022. He developed a reputation throughout his career as a more moderate Democrat, but he was elected after running on key liberal issues like protecting abortion rights and raising the minimum wage.
His ability to comfortably win the governorship in the battleground by nearly 15 points, as well as his youthful energy, have sparked rumors that he could be a future face of the party, possibly running for the Oval Office in four years.
But he would also likely receive some attention this year if Biden ends his presidential bid. He has been one of Biden’s top surrogates and has called on his fellow Democrats to do the work necessary to elect Biden, saying “wringing their hands” and “worrying” are not the answer.
“Democrats, stop worrying and get to work. We all have a responsibility here to do our part,” Shapiro said during a Friday interview on MSNBC.
JB Pritzker
As governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker is already expected to receive some attention next month as the governor hosts the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. This, along with his growing national profile, could yield some support for his name to be put into the nomination race.
Pritzker is in his second term as head of the heavily Democratic-leaning state and has been an ardent supporter of Biden during the 2024 campaign. Also a top Biden surrogate, he defended the incumbent following special counsel Robert Hur’s report on the Biden’s handling of confidential documents and rebuffed Democrats who planned to vote for anyone other than Biden in November.
Pritzker also received attention after his abortion advocacy group announced a $500,000 investment in efforts to enshrine the right to abortion in the Florida state constitution.
But as with other Biden surrogates rumored to be future presidential candidates, Pritzker remained behind Biden.
As the debate was wrapping up on Thursday, Pritzker discussed on X the choice was “clear” in choosing Biden over Trump, saying: “Voters face a difficult choice in November. A president with the experience to fight for working families across the country against a convicted felon with 34 counts who only cares about himself.”
Andy Beshear
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) won a stunning reelection victory in his ruby-red state last year, improving his margin by a few points from his first election in 2019.
This put his name in the national debate as someone who may have a future in the party, although his mandate will be limited in the next elections. The governor is very popular, he is only in his 40s and he managed to win twice as a Democrat statewide, in a state that has not voted for a Democrat in a presidential election since the 1990s.
Beshear addressed the possibility of Biden being replaced on Monday, telling reporters he will support Biden as long as the president remains the Democratic nominee.
“The debate performance was difficult. It was a very bad night for the president, but he is still the candidate. Only he can make decisions about his future candidacy. So as long as he stays in the race, I support him,” he said.
When asked if he could replace Biden, Beshear said talking about serving is “flattering” but is a “reflection of all the good things that are happening in Kentucky.”
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
