By As polling continues to move away from Joe Biden and the president quarantines out of illness, Democrats have pushed back plans to nominate the president for a second term, signaling that anti-Biden forces may be marshaling enough strength to dump him.
Biden had previously been accused of trying to pull a fast one on his party in order to quash the rebellion he currently faces, but the mood of the party. has apparently shifted.
“Top party officials announced on Wednesday that the virtual roll call for Mr. Biden would take place during the first week of August, an accommodation to Democrats who had protested about plans that would have started the voting as soon as next week.
Mr. Biden’s weak debate showing, his uneven public appearances and his struggles in the polls have raised deep worries within his party. Nearly two-thirds of Democrats want him to quit the race, according to a survey released on Wednesday by The Associated Press and NORC. Congressional Democrats have also warned that Mr. Biden’s sagging political standing will make it far harder for them to win down-ballot races in November.
Anxiety over Mr. Biden’s weakness atop the ticket has brought new scrutiny to a D.N.C. nominating process that had been in place since May but had received little attention outside party insiders.
The D.N.C. faced a flood of criticism when it was revealed on Tuesday that the party could begin anointing Biden its standard-bearer as soon as Monday. Jaime Harrison, the party’s chairman, engaged in social media battles about the process as he sought to defend and explain the D.N.C. rules,” according to DNYUZ.
Chuck Schumer has also jumped on the anti-Biden bandwagon and told the president he needs to go.
Exclusive reporting by ABC’s @jonkarl: During Schumer’s one-on-one meeting with Biden on Saturday, “Schumer forcefully made the case that it would be better for Biden, better for the Democratic party, and better for the country if he were to bow out.” pic.twitter.com/eI08ychFt8
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) July 17, 2024
The Washington Examiner writes that there are four new, non-Kamala candidates being floated as potential replacements for Joe Biden.
Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD)
Moore, a first-term governor in Maryland, has been considered a rising star in the Democratic Party after being elected two years ago. He has made national headlines and garnered praise for his response to the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore earlier this year.
Josh Shapiro (D-PA)
Shapiro, another first-term governor, hails from a key battleground state where he enjoys a high approval rating from both Democrats and Republicans. A Philadelphia Inquirer–New York Times-Siena College survey from May found that nearly one-third of people who plan to support Trump have a positive rating of the Democratic governor.
Mark Kelly (D-AZ)
Kelly, a former astronaut who is married to former Rep. Gabby Giffords, was first elected to the Senate in 2020 in traditionally Republican Arizona and won a full term in 2022. He has not been listed as one of the main contenders to replace Biden, but his electoral strength in Arizona, a key swing state, could help his case.
Andy Beshear (D-KY)
Beshear is one of the few Democratic governors in a heavily Republican state. He won reelection in November 2023, despite a challenge from a Republican candidate who was considered a rising star in the party.
Two leading non-Kamala candidates, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and California Governor Gavin Newsom, have been campaigning for Biden recently.
Earlier this month, Whitmer called the Biden campaign to “reassure” the president that she was not “working behind the scenes to secure the nomination.”
The governor warned Biden’s team that something would have to change if they wanted to win Michigan, however, which raised some eyebrows. New Conservative Post wrote, “While the Democrat reaffirmed her commitment to Biden’s candidacy, the conversation with Team Biden revolved around more despairing news for the president. Whitmer allegedly said that the president’s poor debate performance has likely made Michigan unwinnable for him.
Wink, wink, nod, nod, who wants to guess if she offered a solution to that problem? Does Gretchen Whitmer know anyone whom Biden wanted as his running mate over Kamala Harris who could help him in the Great Lakes State?”
As for Newsom, the California governor has expressed “unwavering support for Biden.”
During a press conference, Newsom said, “This is a profound and consequential moment. This is an all-in moment for all of us. This is serious for this state. No state has more to lose in this context.”
The Hill noted that “governor was quick to defend Biden when asked by one reporter on Wednesday about a Sacramento Bee article quoting former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) as saying Biden should “do whatever he decides to do.”
Acknowledging that he had heard from his staff members about the article but didn’t have all the context, Newsom described Pelosi’s comments as “unsurprising.”
“It is obviously the decision of the president of the United States,” the governor said before pointing to the “unprecedented crowds of support” the president claims to have.
[Read More: Biden Gives The Only Way He Drops Out]
