Democrats were in uncharted territory Monday as they raced against the clock to find a new standard-bearer after President Joe Biden’s stunning late exit from the 2024 race for the White House.
Vice President Kamala Harris was in pole position as the party promised a “transparent and orderly process” to replace the 81-year-old Biden, who bowed Sunday to Democratic concerns over his age and capacity to beat Republican Donald Trump in November.
The announcement set off a scramble to confirm a new candidate at the Democratic convention in Chicago on August 19 — and perhaps weeks sooner.
Democratic lawmakers and party elders, including at least a third of US senators, some key governors, and Bill and Hillary Clinton, have rallied behind Harris, who crucially also received Biden’s swift endorsement.
But many big names — from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and his influential predecessor Nancy Pelosi to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and former president Barack Obama — were initially holding back.
“We will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead,” Obama said in a statement in the wake of Biden’s announcement.
“But I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges.”
Full support
Harris — who is Black and South Asian, and the only woman vice president in US history — appeared to have no immediate rivals, and any challenger may have a very small window to pitch an alternative path forward.
Potential convention delegates were being told to expect a vote on August 1 to put Harris’s name formally atop the ticket, more than two weeks before the gathering, CBS reported.
Calls for an open convention in Chicago have been muted so far, with potential challengers such as popular California governor Gavin Newsom backing Harris.
“Yes, there’s a process to go through and, yes, she must earn it. But she earned in many ways when Joe Biden selected her to be his vice president,” former Missouri senator Claire McCaskill said on MSNBC.
The Democratic ticket has been in disarray since Biden’s dismal debate performance in June, with Republicans coalescing around Trump after the attempt on his life at a rally in Pennsylvania eight days ago.
