Kamala Harris, the current US vice president, announced her intention to run as a contender for the Democratic presidential nominee after Joe Biden withdrew his candidacy for the 2024 election and bestowed his endorsement onto her. Being the first woman, and of both Black and Asian heritage, to hold the position of vice president, Harris is seen as a unifying figure within the key demographic of the Democratic party.
Several high-profile Democrats and liberal groups pledged their support to Harris quickly after Biden’s declaration, including ex-President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, who was the Democratic contender in the 2016 election. Two potential rivals for the nomination, California Governor Gavin Newsom and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, have opted not to compete against Harris, a report by CBS News states.
After a series of escalating requests from his Democratic colleagues for him to withdraw, Biden made his decision public, signalling a reversal of his previous position. His poor performance in a debate in June created political worries, with concerns that he might not be able to triumph over the Republican candidate, Donald Trump.
While backing Harris emphatically, Biden’s endorsement came just weeks ahead of the convention scheduled on August 19th in Chicago. This turns the spotlight onto the potential disruption if other candidates decided to join the fray.
Biden, who is currently 81 years old and isolating after a positive Covid-19 result, shared on X that he would remain president until his term concludes in January 2025. He vowed to address the country this week and would shift his focus to his presidential obligations for the rest of his term. Jaime Harrison, Democratic National Committee chair, suggested that information on the upcoming steps and the nomination procedure will be shared soon.
This marks the first occasion over the last fifty years that a sitting US President has surrendered their party’s nomination.
Mr Biden’s campaign was on shaky ground following an underwhelming debate against Mr Trump (78) on June 27th. Mr Trump, who at times found it difficult to coherently complete his arguments, was given his party’s nomination in a convention the previous week.
Internal opposition within Mr Biden’s party built up momentum over the last week, as over an eighth of the party – 36 congressional Democrats – publicly urged him to terminate his campaign. These lawmakers expressed their fears that he might not only lose the White House race, but also compromise their potential to gain control of any Congressional chamber in the upcoming year. This would mean Democrats would lose any substantial power in Washington.
There was uncertainty regarding whether other notable Democrats would contend with Ms Harris for the party’s nomination. Ms Harris was largely considered by many party officials as the preferred pick. However, there was also uncertainty about whether the party would open up the nomination process.
Public opinion surveys indicated that Ms Harris does not statistically perform any better than Mr Biden in a match-up against Mr Trump. Congressional Republicans contended that Biden should step down from the office instantaneously, which would hand the White House over to Ms Harris. This would put Mike Johnson, the Republican speaker for the House of Representatives, next in the succession line.
“Considering he is struggling to run a presidential campaign, how can he effectively govern right now? With only five months remaining in this administration, it’s genuinely worrying and poses a risk to the nation,” Mr Johnson told CNN prior to Mr Biden’s announcement.
In another interview with ABC, Mr Johnson hinted that Republicans are likely to set forth legal challenges against Democrats’ attempts to replace Biden on the ballot.
Mr Biden’s team originally thought a strong performance at the June 27th debate would diminish concerns about his age. However, it had an adverse effect. Donors began to withdraw their support and fans of Ms Harris started rallying behind her. Top-flight Democrats, including previous House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi – a long-standing ally – informed Mr Biden that he stood no chance of winning the election. – Reuters/Bloomberg.