Biden’s Unprecedented Withdrawal and the Democratic Party’s Next StepsBiden’s Unprecedented Withdrawal and the Democratic Party’s Next Steps US President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from the presidential race just over 100 days before the election is an unprecedented move in modern American history. As the Democratic Party begins the process of selecting a new nominee, it faces a unique set of challenges. Initially, party leaders planned to formally nominate Biden via a virtual slate at the August convention in Chicago. However, with Biden’s withdrawal, the delegates now have the responsibility of replacing him. The Democratic National Committee has stated that the process will be guided by established party rules. This last-minute change revives memories of the pre-primary era, where party bosses held sway over candidate selection through backroom deals. The last time a presidential candidate withdrew this late was in 1968, when President Lyndon Johnson announced his decision not to run for re-election amidst the Vietnam War. Vice President Kamala Harris is a logical choice to replace Biden. She has received the endorsement of the President and has vowed to “unite the Democratic Party and our nation to defeat Donald Trump.” Other potential candidates include former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and several state governors. While it is possible that a strong third-party candidate could emerge, it is unlikely that they would pose a significant threat to the two-party system. In 1992, independent candidate Ross Perot won nearly 19% of the popular vote but failed to secure any electoral votes. The Democratic Party now faces the daunting task of selecting a new nominee while navigating a polarized political landscape. The outcome of this process will have profound implications for the upcoming election and the future of the Democratic Party.
WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from the presidential race at such a late stage on Sunday — just over 100 days until the November 5 election — is unprecedented in modern US election history.
In the coming days, Biden’s party members will “engage in a transparent and orderly process to move forward as a united Democratic Party with a nominee who can defeat Donald Trump in November,” Chairman Jaime Harrison said in a statement.
Below is a look at what replacing the 81-year-old might look like.
To formally nominate a candidate, delegates from all 50 states, the U.S. capital, and overseas territories attend their party’s summer nominating convention to officially anoint a candidate.
Biden won the primaries overwhelmingly, and the party’s roughly 3,900 delegates heading to the convention, which begins Aug. 19 in Chicago, have pledged to support him.
Party leaders had previously planned to formally nominate Biden via a virtual slate of nominees ahead of the convention, citing potential legal challenges involving Ohio.
Now that Biden has left office, it is unclear if and when that early meeting will take place. Ultimately, naming his replacement will be up to the delegates.
“Our representatives are prepared to take seriously their responsibility to swiftly present a nominee to the American people,” Harrison said, adding that the “process will be guided by the Party’s established rules and procedures.”
This last-minute change could return American politics to the old days, when party bosses vied with each other to choose a candidate through smoky backroom deals and endless ballot measures.
On March 31, 1968, in the midst of the Vietnam War, then-President Lyndon Johnson made the shocking announcement that he would not run for re-election.
The move — though announced much earlier in the campaign than Biden’s — turned that year’s convention, also in Chicago, into a political crisis, with protesters in the streets and left-leaning delegates angry about the pro-war stance of the party’s chosen candidate Hubert Humphrey.
After this debacle, more states embraced the primary process and treaties became well-oiled affairs whose outcomes were effectively known in advance.
Immediately after Biden’s disastrous performance against Trump during a June 27 debate, which heightened concerns about his age and ability to defeat the Republican at the ballot box, Democrats rallied behind the president — at least when they spoke on the record.
All that faded as time went on, as more and more party leaders publicly questioned the viability of the incumbent president’s candidacy.
A logical — but not automatic — choice to take Biden’s place would be Vice President Kamala Harris, who quickly endorsed Biden on Sunday and vowed to take over.
“With this selfless and patriotic act, President Biden is doing what he has done his entire life: putting the American people and our country above all else,” she said in a statement.
“I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination…I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party – and unite our nation – to defeat Donald Trump.”
Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also supported Harris.
The 59-year-old was sent in to put out the fire after Biden’s disappointing performance during the debate. He admitted Biden had “started slow” against Trump but “finished strong.”
Otherwise, a number of strong Democratic politicians could be called upon – Governors Gavin Newsom of California, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania have been mentioned.
With Biden withdrawing, could a strong third-party candidate emerge? So far, no independent candidate has posed a threat to America’s dominant two-party system.
In 1992, Texas billionaire Ross Perot, running as an independent, won nearly 19 percent of the vote.
But in the end, because of the way the country’s electoral system works, he didn’t get any of the votes that matter most: those of the 538 members of the electoral college that ultimately determines the winner. –AFP
