Under intense pressure from within the party to force him to resign, the current US President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the presidential election early this morning and expressed his full support for Vice President Kamala Harris to become the Democratic presidential candidate in 2024. Harris then He also stated that he would actively seek support within the party to win the nomination.
According to the rules of the Democratic Party, the party representative votes won by Biden in the primary election cannot be transferred directly to Harris. Instead, they will be decided by the votes of nearly 4,000 party representatives. The Democratic Party may hold it online as early as early August. Harris had earlier publicly appealed to the party representatives Announced support for her before the National Congress.
Democratic presidential candidate voting process
Biden received 3,896 party delegate votes in the primary election held earlier this year, exceeding the 1,976 party delegate vote threshold required to win the primary election. However, after Biden withdraws, these 3,896 party representatives will be free to vote. If no candidate passes the threshold in the first round, 749 super party representatives will be able to vote after the second round until there is a candidate. until a majority of votes are obtained.
However, although Harris is currently the most likely candidate for the Democratic Party, Harris is not the only choice within the party. The following are other major possible candidates for the Democratic Party compiled by AFP. It should be noted that those within the Democratic Party who intend to run must first obtain approval. A candidate must receive at least 300 party delegate votes to participate in the primary election, of which no more than 50 party delegate votes can come from the same state.
california governor newsom
The 56-year-old California Governor, Gavin Newsom, is the former mayor of San Francisco. He has governed California for five years and made it one of the most accessible places in the United States to receive abortions. However, Newsom had previously firmly supported Biden and denied There are rumors that he intends to replace Biden, and he has previously stated that he will not challenge Harris.
After Biden withdrew from the election, Newsom also expressed his support for Harris Harris to run on behalf of the Democratic Party this morning.
Michigan Governor Whitmire
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, 52, is another possible candidate. Michigan has both a large working population and large African-American and Arab-American communities, all of which Biden is striving to win over. Michigan will be one of the key states that will determine the outcome of the presidential election on November 5, and her supporters believe this is a strong argument for her nomination.
Whitmer also announced that she would not run after Biden expressed his support for Harris.
Pennsylvania Governor Shapiro
Pennsylvania, led by 51-year-old Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, is the largest swing state in the November election. He overwhelmingly defeated his conservative opponent in November 2022 and became the governor of Pennsylvania in January 2023. A former Pennsylvania attorney general twice before, he is a good speaker and an avowed centrist, qualities that may help him get through.
Shapiro today expressed his gratitude to Biden for his leadership and also expressed his support for Harris.
Other potential candidates
Other candidates who have been named include Illinois Governor JBPritzker, Maryland Governor Wes Moore, and Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear. However, AFP pointed out that so far, their candidates have not been nominated. Opportunities are quite limited.
Senator Amy Klobuchar and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who competed with Biden for the presidential nomination in the Democratic primary in 2020, have also been mentioned as possible candidates. However, Klobuchar and Buttigieg Zhu Ji has stated today that he will support He Jinli.
But even if most of the strong contenders decide not to run, it does not mean that the party will definitely support He Jinli. In the past few weeks, some Democrats, including lawmakers and donors, have also been concerned about Harris' low approval ratings during her tenure as vice president. Some people are calling for an open election rather than making do with it. For example, former President Obama did not publicly express his support for Harris, but said he "believes that procedures can be drawn up to select outstanding nominees."
Could Obama’s wife Michelle also be in the running?
Interestingly, Reuters released a poll last week, which showed that Michelle Obama, the wife of Barack Obama, had extremely high support and would be a strong candidate to defeat Trump. However, Michelle Obama Cher has repeatedly said she has no intention of becoming president.
But at present, it seems that Harris still has the best chance of successfully seeking the Democratic nomination as important figures in the party have quickly expressed their support.
