US Election 2024 - Will Joe Biden be nominated sooner? Democrats criticize 'power play of first priority'
Days after the attack on former President Donald Trump, the unrest around US-President Joe Biden only subsides slightly. Originally, Biden was supposed to be officially nominated as a candidate by the Democrats in mid-August at the party convention. However, the party leadership confirmed plans to Biden on July 21st through a "virtual roll call vote" for early nomination. There is now intraparty opposition to this.
Democrats aim to prevent early Biden nomination
Three Democrats in the US House of Representatives are reportedly protesting against an early Biden nomination through a letter. The offices of Representatives Susan Wild, Mike Quigley, and Jared Huffman have confirmed that they believe it is a bad idea to suppress the debate about Biden and prematurely end any changes on the ballot. This could deeply undermine the morale and unity of the Democrats. A copy of the letter was obtained by the news agency Reuters.
The party leadership justifies the move by wanting to ensure that Biden is on all ballots. For example, there were issues with deadlines in Ohio, which have since been resolved. In the "New York Times," a Democrat called the idea a "power play of first order" – without mentioning his name.
Since months, there has been a debate about Biden's mental and physical health. This debate gained momentum after the TV duel between Trump and Biden at the end of June. Biden had stumbled over his words several times, lost his train of thought mid-sentence, and was sharply criticized, even within his own party. Several representatives had then called for Biden to drop out of the campaign, which he had previously refused. Even major donors and prominent party supporters like actor George Clooney went public with demands.
No shift in voter sentiment according to poll
The shootings at Trump over the weekend briefly silenced the discussion about Biden. Results from a new Reuters/Ipsos poll show that the past few days had no influence on the poll numbers of both candidates. Among registered voters, Trump received 43% and Biden 41%. US polls vary depending on the provider and are often conducted by phone, so the data is often inaccurate.
Biden had already won the primaries of his party in the states – without significant competition – months ago. He must, like Trump in this week, still be officially nominated as a candidate for the actual presidential election in early November by delegates from all states.
In response to the opposition from three Democratic representatives, including Susan Wild, Mike Quigley, and Jared Huffman, who believe an early "virtual roll call vote" for Biden's nomination could suppress debate and undermine party unity, the US-President-elect Joe Biden is set to be officially nominated in August as originally planned by the Democrats. Despite the ongoing debate about Biden's health, sparked by his performance in the TV duel with Donald Trump, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll indicates no significant shift in voter sentiment between Trump and Biden, with 43% supporting Trump and 41% backing Biden among registered voters.
