Several prominent Democrats whose names have been floated as possible replacements for President Biden if he ends his re-election campaign are treading carefully and considering their own political futures as speculation about Biden’s future grows.
Democratic figures including Vice President Harris, California Governor Gavin Newsom, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear have been rumored as possible replacements in recent days following poor performance of Biden in the debate last week.
Yet they have all been quick to declare their support for the incumbent, even as some Democrats call for Biden to withdraw, reflecting the complex political reality they face as they seek to potentially lead the party in 2028.
“You can easily look very bad if you appear overeager,” said TJ Rooney, former chairman of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party. “Or you’re sitting at the dining room table looking at the turkey but you’re drooling at the mouth. That’s never a good look.
Many Democrats say the party’s rising stars are behaving well so far.
“They are handling this appropriately,” said Jamal Simmons, former communications director for Vice President Harris. “Everyone supports the president until he makes another decision.”
Harris is Biden’s obvious heir should he decide to step down. Critics argue that her low approval ratings could hurt Democrats’ chances, but a CNN poll released Tuesday found that Harris actually fares better in a head-to-head matchup with Trump than Biden.
Rep. Jim Clyburn (DS.C.), a key Biden ally, said that while he still supported the president, he would support Harris if Biden resigned.
“This party should in no way do anything to get around Ms. Harris. We must do everything we can to support her, whether she is in second place or at the top of the table,” Clyburn told MSNBC on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Newsom has been among the most prominent Democrats in recent years, having gained a reputation for being a fierce defender of Biden and for being willing to spar with top Republicans across the country. His increasingly high profile raised some speculation early in the 2024 cycle that he was interested in running for president if Biden resigned.
He has repeatedly denied any interest in running this year, regularly naming Biden as the Democrats’ nominee. He was one of the first Democrats to defend Biden in the press room after the debate and has stood behind him ever since.
Newsom said at a fundraiser Friday that “all this other talk” — an apparent reference to discussions about replacing Biden — is “pointless and unnecessary.”
“You don’t turn your back because of a presentation. What kind of party does that? Newsom said in a interview on MSNBC after the debate.
Whitmer, another rising star, has also been a source of speculation in recent days. In a statement responding to a Politico story reporting that she called Biden’s campaign to express her support for the president but warned that he could lose Michigan, the governor said she fully supported the president.
“I am proud to support Joe Biden as our candidate and I am 100% with him in the fight to defeat Donald Trump,” she said. “Not only do I believe Joe can win Michigan, but I know he can because he has the recipes.”
Whitmer, who was elected to the position in 2018, was among the women considered to serve as Biden’s 2020 running mate. Since then, she has shown her political strength, leading Michigan Democratic candidates to victory in what was supposed to be a year difficult for the party in 2022. Additionally, Whitmer launched her Fight Like Hell PAC, which supports Democrats running for federal office.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D), also considered one of the party’s most prominent rising stars, spent the weekend campaigning for Biden in the critical swing state of Wisconsin.
“One of the feelings we had while we were in Wisconsin was invigorating,” a Maryland Democratic operative told The Hill. “People in that state are still excited.”
“Every room we entered was packed, and honestly the only time we heard about the debate was from the reporters who were there,” the agent said. “The guy at the place was talking about how much Trump lies.”
When asked by reporters in Wisconsin why he supported Biden after the debate, Moore noted that Biden had a “difficult debate, but no one can argue that Donald Trump had a good presidency.”
“This is a decision now, it’s a binary choice,” Moore said, referring to the Biden-vs.-Trump showdown.
Some Democrats have also pointed to Josh Shapiro, another rising star and governor of the critical swing state of Pennsylvania, as a potential replacement.
While Shapiro acknowledged that Biden had “a bad debate,” he also remains in line and supports the president.
However, the efforts come as Democrats and voters generally continue to express concerns about Biden’s mental acuity and ability to serve as president for another four years.
On Tuesday, Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D) of Texas became the first House Democrat to call on Biden to resign from the Democratic ticket. And post-debate polls did not bode well for Biden.
Only a few polls were released in the days following the debate, but some showed Trump maintaining his lead or gaining a few points over Biden.
The same CNN poll released Tuesday showed that 75 percent of registered voters said Democrats were more likely to defeat Trump with someone else as their candidate.
Also of note, a poll from New Hampshire’s Saint Anselm College showed Trump leading Biden by 2 points after their last poll in the state had Biden up by 10. The state has leaned Democratic in the most recent national elections, not voting on a Republican presidential candidate. since 2004.
A Harvard CAPS/Harris poll showed no change in Trump’s lead before and after the debate, but he still leads Biden by 6 points in a matchup that includes third-party and independent candidates.
The fallout from Biden’s performance, along with some of the poll numbers released, did little to stifle talks about other possible replacements for Biden.
And for the first time this cycle, many Democrats appear to publicly acknowledge the possibility of a contested convention.
“I hope President Biden is still the Democratic Party nominee,” Simmons said. “If for some reason he is not the Democratic Party nominee, we should think very seriously about having a contested convention.”
Simmons argued that a contested convention would allow Democrats to see candidates, who have not been consistently on the campaign trail this cycle, “in action.”
“If there are negatives about these candidates, it would be much more useful to learn those negatives before the candidates are chosen than to let Donald Trump reveal the negatives about the candidates later,” he said.
When asked if there was a risk in having a competitive and contested convention, Simmons responded, “Everything is a risk.”
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
