It’s safe to say that Thursday’s first presidential debate didn’t go as planned in the eyes of many Democrats and supporters of President Joe Biden.
In fact, alarm bells have been going off ever since in what many in Biden’s own party classified as a shaky performance as he shared the debate stage with presumptive Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump.
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But what other options do the Democrats have now? Biden already won primary elections around the country and easily accumulated the necessary delegates to be the presumptive nominee when the Democrats hold their convention in August.
Despite that, it hasn’t stopped many in the party from scrambling for alternatives, even as time is short.
For Democratic supporters who want a different nominee besides Biden, replacing him would have to consist of certain steps.
Biden could pull out of the race before convention
There has been no indication Biden is willing to do this, but it would be the first and most necessary step, according to Reuters.
At that point, Biden would release his delegates and other Democratic candidates could compete for the nomination.
Of course, many neutral or Independent voters would have a much shorter time frame to get acclimated to another candidate.
If Biden chooses to stay in the race, then, according to the AP, Democratic rules state that “Delegates elected to the national convention pledged to a presidential candidate shall in good conscience reflect the sentiments of those who elected them.”
If Biden did pull out of race, Democrats would have to sort through a messy process for new nominee
Should those in the party who want a different nominee succeed in convincing Biden to drop out, finding a new nominee would be a complicated process.
Some names that have reportedly already been tossed around as potential Biden replacements are Vice President Kamala Harris, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Illinois Gov. J. B. Pritzker and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.
According to the Reuters article, candidates would have to get 600 convention delegates to be nominated.
It would lead to candidates lobbying individual state delegations at the convention for support, according to AP.
The last time that happened at a Democratic convention was in 1960 when John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson each lobbied for votes, according to AP.
If no candidate gets a majority of delegates, there would be a brokered convention where delegates negotiate with party leadership to choose a nominee, according to Reuters.
That could lead to new rules being established and several rounds of voting. In other words, it would be messy.
Biden could pull out of race after convention
Another option for the party is for Biden to officially be nominated in August at the convention, but then step aside after it’s all over.
At that point, the next nominee would be pretty much in the hands of the 435-member Democratic National Committee.
The members would meet in a special session but have to come up with rules for the nominating process. There would likely be speeches and pitches from several candidates.
In short, coming up with a candidate besides Biden will require arm-twisting to convince him to drop out, complicated nomination procedures to select a new candidate and incredible unification throughout the party.
In the coming weeks, Democrats will have to decide which is worse, going through all the chaos of selecting a candidate or reaffirming all their faith in Biden.