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President Joe Biden’s re-election bid has the strong support of the majority of elected Democrats.
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Biden is committed to the race, but there is public speculation about whether he will remain in the race.
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In the unlikely event that Biden drops out of the race, a number of Democrats would be in contention to lead the party.
After President Joe Biden announced his re-election bid last April, the vast majority of Democratic leaders rallied behind his candidacy, which was not surprising for an incumbent.
But Biden has one of the most unusual backgrounds of any president in U.S. history: He has been a fixture in Washington for more than 50 years as a senator from Delaware, vice president and now president. And if he is reelected to a second term this fall, he would be 82 at the time of his inauguration in January 2025 and 86 at the end of a second term.
Biden’s age has become a cause for concern among many voters, including some who are inclined to support him over former President Donald Trump. Concerns were amplified after special counsel Robert Hur released his report about the investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents, in which no charges were recommended but the president’s acuity and memory were questioned.
Despite everything, Biden defended his candidacy for re-electionargued that his age is an advantage, countered the special counsel report and articulated why he should be re-elected – pointing to accomplishments like the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the Inflation Reduction Act and publicizing the low national unemployment numbers.
What does all this mean? Biden is unlikely to drop out of the race, especially since he dominated the Democratic presidential primaries and is committed to a rematch with Trump. But speculation about whether he will be eliminated from the competition continues to swirl.
In the event that Biden withdraws after winning the overwhelming majority of the 3,936 delegates needed to secure the Democratic nomination, a new candidate will have to be selected at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August of this year. But it would be a complicated process, given that the primaries have already been completed.
Virtually every top Democratic governor or senator supports the president’s re-election bid and has long rejected the idea of replacing him at the ballot box this year.
But who could be Biden’s successor if such a scenario occurred?
Vice President Kamala Harris
Harris, in many ways, would be a natural successor to Biden.
As vice president, she worked closely with Biden on matters as varied as Right to vote It is foreign policy. Previously, she was San Francisco District Attorney, California Attorney General, and California Senator and is a historic figure in her own right as the first Black, Indian, and female Vice President.
And she became the face of the administration’s challenge to the massive amount of Abortion restrictions created by the Republican Party following the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
But Harris previously launched a 2020 presidential bid that looked promising but failed to resonate with voters over time. (She ultimately ended her campaign before the primaries and caucuses began.)
As vice president, Harris was highly praised by Biden. But his office faced difficulties with turnover and reports of dysfunction at the beginning of his term. She has also had to deal with suboptimal approval ratings, which has raised concerns among some Democrats about her electability as the party also looks to 2028 — when she would be a pioneering potential, given its positive ratings among black and young voters.
Governor Gavin Newsom of California
Governor Gavin Newsoma former mayor of San Francisco who was also lieutenant governor of California, leads the nation’s most populous state and in recent years has become one of Biden’s most prominent Democratic surrogates.
California is often used as a foil by national Republicans to contrast the conservative policies of states like Florida and Texas. But Newsom was candid not just in promoting the Golden State, but also in promoting Democratic policy positions and legislative victories – and he is not afraid to take his arguments directly to the Republican Party.
As governor, Newsom has taken more moderate positions in recent years on issues involving labor and combating homelessness in your state.
Newsom’s political trajectory could collide with that of Harrisher fellow Bay Area native, but they have long had a strong working relationship, and the governor had high praise for her work with Biden.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer from Michigan
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a two-term governor of battleground Michigan, is used to tough political fights. And over the course of her administration, she has won many of those battles: In recent years, Democrats have performed strongly in the Wolverine State, holding every top statewide office and flipping control of the state legislature in the 2022 midterm elections.
When Whitmer ran for re-election in 2022, against Republican Tudor Dixon, she won by nearly 11 points, reflecting her broad appeal to the electorate in a state where margins are often narrow.
This fall, Michigan is expected to be one of the closest states to the country in the presidential race. And Whitmer, a former state lawmaker and former prosecutor, is expected to be a critical voice for Biden’s campaign in Michigan.
The governor encouraged Biden to speak more forcefully about abortion rightsan issue that galvanized many voters — but especially women — across the country after Roe was overturned.
In a potential field without Biden, Whitmer’s Midwestern background, strong alliance with organized labor and moderate appeal could make her a strong candidate. But she would also be a new face in a contest that will likely feature Trump on the Republican Party’s side.
Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota
Senator Amy Klobucharwho has served in the Senate since 2007, ran for president in 2020 and had a surprisingly strong result in the New Hampshire primary – besting even Biden and Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts at the time.
But her campaign failed to gain the momentum needed in the South Carolina primary to continue her candidacy, and she dropped out of the race.
Still, Klobuchar would be a candidate to watch in the open field as she has increased her national presence in the primaries and could point to a long-standing record of bipartisan accomplishments representing Minnesota in the Senate.
Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey
Senator Cory Booker he also ran for president in 2020, ending his campaign in January of that year.
But the former Newark mayor has been a national figure for years and is seen as a likely 2028 contender.
He could easily boost a potential 2028 Campaign in South Carolinawhile campaigning across the state in 2019 and 2020.
In the scenario where Democrats had to choose a candidate other than Biden, he would likely be part of the conversation.
Governor Roy Cooper of North Carolina
Gov. Roy Cooper isn’t a big name among Democratic voters outside of North Carolina, at least not yet. The former state lawmaker, former North Carolina attorney general and current two-term governor rose through the ranks of government and, along the way, navigated political divisions that would plague most politicians.
In a Republican-leaning state where Democratic candidates have to compete on tricky terrain, Cooper, a moderate, emerged victorious.
Democrats have not chosen a Southern governor as their presidential candidate since Bill Clinton in 1992. Looking ahead, likely to 2028, Cooper is someone who is poised to be on the minds of many in the party.
Governor Wes Moore of Maryland
Governor Wes Moorean Army veteran who is also a Rhodes Scholar, was first elected to government in 2022. He has focused heavily on combating issues such as child poverty and housing affordability, two of the most vexing public policy challenges for leaders at the state and federal levels.
One of Moore’s main impulses is to reshape the way patriotism is defined in politics, as he told Business Insider during his first campaign for governor that a party or movement could not claim the idea as their own.
“I refuse to allow anyone to try to take that away,” Moore told BI in an October 2022 interview, “or claim that they have a greater stake or some greater claim than I do or my family or people I served with or my community members.”
The governor, seen by many as a potential 2028 candidate, has been a strong political ally of Biden and Harris.
While Moore may be relatively new to elected politics, his profile only continues to grow within the Democratic Party.
Correction: February 23, 2024 – An earlier version of this story misstated one of President Joe Biden’s arguments about why he should be reelected. He praised the low national unemployment numbers, not the low national employment numbers.
Read the original article at Business Insider
