OPINION | This article contains commentary that reflects the author's opinion.
Top editors at Politico outlined a potential three-step political process for Democrats to replace President Joe Biden on their 2024 ticket, given concerns about his age and mental acuity.
The editors discussed potential alternatives such as Vice President Kamala Harris, Hillary Clinton, and Michelle Obama.
The process suggests Biden voluntarily stepping aside before the Democratic National Convention, delegates nominating a new candidate at the convention, and the addressing of logistical challenges.
“For those curious, Democrat Party has multiple easy ways to get rid of Biden and replace him with a potentially less senile/less corrupt candidate,” Federalist editor-in-chief Molly Hemingway wrote on X. “The challenges are basically just political, not procedural.”
1. Biden Must Voluntarily Step Aside Before Democrat National Convention: Politico writes, “Biden would announce he would not accept the nomination and release his delegates to back a different nominee. He could insist he’s still fit to serve out another term but that he accepts the public’s concerns with a president who would be 86 at the end of a second term.”
2. Delegates Nominate a New Candidate at Convention: Politico reported, “Heading into the convention, Biden would still remain a kingmaker. If the rest of the primaries went as South Carolina and Nevada have, the vast majority of delegates to the convention would be pledged to Biden. They aren’t legally required to support the president — or anyone he’d potentially endorse to replace him on the ticket — but these individuals would’ve been vetted by the Biden campaign, and many would likely follow his lead if he backed a candidate.”
3. Recognize the Democratic Nomination: Politico added, “A late Biden departure from the ticket would pose a logistical nightmare for the states. Overseas military ballots are set to go out in some places just a couple of weeks after the convention ends, and in-person early voting begins as soon as Sept. 20 in Minnesota and South Dakota. Yes, Americans technically vote for electors, not presidential candidates — but any post-convention effort to replace Biden would likely end up in court if votes have already been cast with the name ‘Joseph R. Biden Jr.’ on the ballot.”
However, the challenge of replacing Biden is not straightforward, as potential alternative candidates have their own drawbacks, and Biden himself remains insistent upon running for a second term.
“Would you be running if Trump wasn’t running?” one reporter questioned the President in December.
“I expect so,” Biden said. “But he is running, and — I just — I have to run.”
“If Trump wasn’t running, I’m not sure I’d be running,” Biden added, noting that Democrats “cannot let him [Trump] win.”
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