Harris is not there yet - we go on like this
US-President Joe Biden will not run again for the White House. His potential successor could be his Vice President Kamala Harris. But other Democrats are also considered possible candidates. The decision lies with the 3900 delegates who will vote in the middle of August.
Biden's decision to withdraw his candidacy less than 100 days before the presidential election is unprecedented in the younger history of the USA. In the coming days, members of Biden's Democratic Party, according to their chairman Jaime Harrison, will launch a "transparent and orderly process" to determine a candidate or a candidate.
Delegates from all 50 US states, the capital Washington, and the overseas territories participate in the official nomination at the convention in August. The event will take place from the 19th to the 22nd in Chicago, Illinois. Biden won the primaries with a large lead. The 3900 delegates, who will travel to Chicago for the convention starting on the 19th, are actually bound to vote for him.
Ballot chaos or new beginning?
High-ranking Democrats had planned to nominate Biden online before the convention. After Biden's withdrawal, it is unclear whether this meeting will take place. The nomination of the backup candidate ultimately lies in the hands of the delegates.
"Our delegates are ready to take their responsibility seriously to present the American people with a candidate quickly," Harrison emphasized and added that the process would follow the established rules and procedures of the party. Late candidate switches could take US politics back to a time when party bosses fought in smoky backrooms and endless voting rounds to determine a candidate.
On March 31, 1968, President Lyndon Johnson shocked the public with his announcement that he would not run again. The step, announced with much more lead time before the election than Biden's withdrawal, turned the convention into a political crisis. There were protests on the streets, and the party left was angry about the nomination of Hubert Humphrey, a supporter of the Vietnam War. In the wake of this debacle, the states took the primary process more seriously, and the results of the nominating conventions have been largely predetermined since then.
Biden's Heirs: Who could follow?
An obvious, if unannounced, succession for Biden would be Vice President Kamala Harris, whom Biden strengthened with his withdrawal announcement. Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton quickly spoke out in favor of Harris.
Besides the Vice President, a whole series of Democratic politicians could be encouraged to run. The governors of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer, and Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro, were mentioned in the past. Another promising candidate, California Governor Gavin Newsom, spoke out for Harris as a presidential candidate on Sunday.
Biden's exit from the race could theoretically open the door for a candidate from a third party. However, the two dominant parties in the US political system currently face no threat from an independent candidate.
1992, Ross Perot from Texas became an Independent candidate and garnered almost 19% of the votes. However, due to the electoral system, he did not ultimately receive any of the votes that matter in a U.S. Presidential election, namely those of the so-called Electoral College, whose 538 members ultimately decide the victory.
- With Joe Biden announcing he won't seek re-election, speculation surrounds his potential successor, such as Vice President Kamala Harris, who could potentially emerge as a strong contender during the party congress in August.
- The decision to nominate a new candidate lies with the 3900 delegates, who will convene in Chicago for the Democratic Party convention, where Kamala Harris could cement her position as the United States Presidency Election 2024 frontrunner.
- If Harris doesn't secure the nomination, other prominent Democrats like Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro could become contenders, as the United States of America prepares for another turbulent and critical election.
- Independent candidates like Ross Perot faced challenges in the past, but they were unable to bypass the two-party system and secure the votes needed to win the United States Presidency, as seen in the 1992 election.
