politics
WASHINGTON (AP) — Shortly after President Joe Biden announced Sunday that he was withdrawing his re-election campaign, Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison had a message: There might be no automatic coronation for his successor.
“In the coming days, the party will begin a transparent and orderly process to move forward,” Harrison said in an announcement. “This process will be governed by the party's established rules and procedures. Our delegates are ready to take their responsibilities seriously and quickly present a nominee to the American people.”
The comment reflects the undeniable fact that while Vice President Kamala Harris is emerging because the clear favorite for the party's nomination – which Biden and lots of Democrats already support – it's not that easy. And right away, the party isn't gifting away many details about what’s going to occur next.
Harris must formally secure the nomination of the roughly 4,700 delegates to the Democratic National Convention – including those that have pledged support for Biden, in addition to elected officials, former presidents and other party elders often called superdelegates. She spent a part of Sunday calling elected officials and delegates to solidify their support.
Biden won the Democratic primaries in every state, and Harris was on the ballot as his running mate. His nomination of her as his successor while withdrawing from the race further strengthens her position, as does the support of party heavyweights similar to Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina. Other leading Democrats openly supported the vp even before Biden abandoned his re-election bid, urging him to “pass the torch” to her after his dismal performance in the talk against Republican nominee Donald Trump last month.
“People are going to voice their opinions, and they should. I think we're seeing strong unity behind the vice president,” said Rahna Epting, executive director of the progressive organization MoveOn. “And that's important because, as we've seen throughout the Biden debate, there's momentum that can be built one way or the other, and it's important for us to build momentum toward unity.”
Ken Martin, president of the Association of State Democratic Committees, which represents the 57 parties within the states and territories, said Harris was the plain alternative: “Having served alongside President Biden, she is ready from day one as a candidate and as our next president.” She was also endorsed by the 1.75 million-member American Federation of Teachers union.
But democratic rules simply state that delegates must vote “in good faith” for the candidate they’re representing. No mechanism is provided for defectors. And some within the party favor an open nomination process.
There is a vigorous debate amongst lawmakers, major donors and former high-ranking officials from the Biden, Obama and Clinton administrations about learn how to proceed, a Democrat with close ties to the Biden administration said on Sunday.
The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity to debate internal conversations, argued that Harris would profit from a contested mini-primary before the Democratic convention because it might help her establish her credibility as a powerful candidate and blunt criticism that she was undemocratically elected, an accusation the Trump team has already tried to make use of against her and that would play an enormous role within the battle for undecided voters in swing states.
Such a scenario, nonetheless, could end in Democrats going into their convention with out a clear candidate, perhaps selecting that candidate in a series of doubtless chaotic floor votes. That could mean that the Democratic frontrunners searching for to switch Biden would should resort to lobbying in individual states – a process not seen since 1960, when Johnson and John F. Kennedy jockeyed for support on the Democratic convention in Los Angeles.
If that happens, Harris may very well be joined by many other leading Democrats vying for the nomination, including California Governor Gavin Newsom, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and California Rep. Ro Khanna – although a lot of them announced shortly after Biden's announcement that they might officially support Harris.
Meanwhile, the White House shouldn’t be very confident that Harris could grow to be a serious challenger, in line with an individual aware of the deliberations who requested anonymity to debate the private talks.
Other candidates who’ve been mentioned as possible candidates – including Shapiro and North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper – have also endorsed Harris, and given Biden's support and the expected fundraising advantage she would have over another candidate, a run is unlikely.
Making matters worse, the DNC had planned a virtual vote to decide on its candidate before the convention to comply with Ohio's voting eligibility rules. The original deadline for voting in that state was August 7, and although lawmakers have since passed a law removing that deadline, it doesn't take effect until September 1.
DNC lawyers say which means the party could face legal trouble in Ohio if it doesn't announce its nominee before the state's original deadline. But the convention's rules committee has said it won't set a date for the virtual roll call — which could last several days — before Aug. 1.
Some Democrats fear a series of further legal challenges from Republicans, including New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who had defended Biden's continued presence within the race, arguing that replacing him could “trigger a presidential election that will be decided by Clarence Thomas and the Supreme Court” – as happened within the 2000 presidential election and the controversial recount of votes in Florida.
At the convention's Rules Committee meeting this week, members could set rules for a virtual roll call and process for nominating Harris, but they might also create a more open process for choosing a nominee, in line with an individual aware of the method who spoke on condition of anonymity to debate internal deliberations.
“Here in Chicago, our mission remains the same. During the convention, we will have the opportunity to show the country and the world who Democrats are and what we stand for,” Democratic National Convention Chairman Minyon Moore said in an announcement.
Harrison, the chairman of the DNC, kept away from supporting Harris in an announcement and said only: “Soon the American people will hear from the Democratic Party what will happen next and how the nomination process will proceed.”
A dejected Harrison also attended a virtual meeting of the Congressional Credentials Committee on Sunday, telling members, “I'm emotional.”
“I still support my president,” Harrison said of Biden. “And we will get through this, my friends, as we always do.”
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