Having received President Biden’s endorsement to run as the Democrat’s presidential candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris said she would seek the nomination, adding: “Together, we will fight. And together, we will win.”
Harris can unite the Democrats to beat Donald Trump. She has had critics for not being progressive, likable, or charismatic enough. However, she is articulate, moral, and thoughtful beyond what Trump has displayed. If she can focus her energies on reaching out to liberals and independents without scaring conservatives, she will win the election.
What should Joe Biden do now?
Biden’s endorsement of Harris was critical but was not enough. He must reach out to his 3,850 delegates, who were pledged but not legally bound to vote for him as the Democratic candidate. He must tell them that Harris will continue the values that led their administration to pass historically significant progressive legislation.
Biden needs to talk personally to the other politicians who were mentioned as possible candidates. He must ask them to support Harris and advise her on policy issues and campaign strategies. In other words, the Democrats must demonstrate similar party solidarity around Harris as the Republicans have shown toward Trump.
President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race demonstrates the core values that separate Donald Trump from Biden and those of the Democratic Party. The nation's welfare is more important than loyalty to any elected official, including the president.
What Kamala Harris must do now.
She must demonstrably respect all of the other potential presidential candidates. They must feel included in her campaign and, if she wins, have an opportunity to be included in her administration.
Harris must also contact Biden’s delegates, perhaps in a formal joint statement with Biden assuring them of her commitment to pursuing pragmatic progressive policies. This statement would be a perfect medium for Biden to release his delegates, encouraging them to vote for Harris.
Why Harris should be the Democratic presidential candidate.
Harris might not have been the best candidate if the Democrats had begun an effort to choose a candidate through the presidential primaries and caucuses. However, many Democrats resisted that, feeling comfortable with Biden continuing as president. Biden’s decline in health altered that acceptance.
But history cannot be rerun; the Democrats must accept the cards dealt.
Harris has access to the $95 million campaign fund. If she were not chosen, the Democratic National Committee would receive the funds and decide how to spend them. By inheriting the Biden-Harris reelection campaign infrastructure, she may have more state offices operating than what Trump’s campaign has currently. Any other Democratic presidential candidate would not necessarily obtain all Biden campaign offices.
Any other candidate wanting to be chosen must secure a minimum of 300 delegates, which no one has now. With no single state being allowed to provide more than 50 delegates, it would be difficult for any candidate to challenge Harris if she receives the bulk of Biden’s delegates.
Gavin Newsom, a top possibility to replace Biden, has yet to signal whether he plans to seek the presidency or vice presidency this year. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer intends to do everything she can to elect Democrats and stop Donald Trump. So, as of Sunday, the two top contenders are not pushing to be candidates.
Early polls show that Harris does slightly better against Trump than any other candidate. According to the Washington Post – ABC poll, she is also the clear favorite among other possible presidential Democratic candidates.
In response to the question, If Biden did step aside, who do you think should be the Democratic nominee for president in his place? (Among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents), Harris received 29%, Newsom came next with 7%, and Whitmer was at 3%.
Republicans were desperate to keep Biden as the Democratic presidential candidate.
Right after the debate, Bulwark’s reporter Marc Caputo reported that Trump’s team believed it was best for him to lie low to avoid interfering with the drumbeat of coverage of Biden’s debate implosion, initially believing that Biden wouldn’t be forced out. Even after the debate, a top Trump super PAC, MAGA Inc., bashed the idea that Biden could be replaced on the ticket because of campaign finance laws’ restrictions.
After the debate, Trump’s campaign fundraised off speculation that Vice President Kamala Harris could replace Biden: “Biden is dropping out!” and “President Kamala Harris?” read two fundraising email subject lines.
Speaking at the Republican Convention, Donald Trump's co-campaign manager, Chris LaCivita, said that choosing a candidate after the Democratic primaries was “literally a coup” in trying to halt an effort of Harris replacing Biden. He intends to bring that charge to the Democrats whenever they mention Jan. 6 and Trump's threat to democracy.
Republicans seem intent on keeping Biden in the race and not being replaced. Before Biden withdrew from the race, House Speaker Mike Johnson discussed a legal strategy to save Trump from running against another Democrat.
He said it might be against the legal electoral process in some states for the winner of a major party's primary election to be replaced on the ticket by another candidate. Johnson suggested that Republicans look into filing legal challenges in states where it could be contested.
Johnson tried another tactic on the day of Biden’s announcement. He said Biden must resign immediately. He conflated not running for president with not being fit to serve as president and then continued the narrative that the Democrats should not be allowed to choose someone other than Biden.
Democrats must be prepared to face an onslaught of Republican attacks on Biden being replaced. Johnson says they “invalidated the votes of more than 14 million Americans who chose Joe Biden as the Democrat nominee for president.”
In defending Biden as the presidential candidate, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez warned Democrats that some Republicans would legally challenge Biden's replacement, leading to “a presidential election being decided by Clarence Thomas and the Supreme Court,” like in 2000.
When she made that point, she accused “the donor class” and party “elites” of pushing Biden to leave the race. Expect the Republicans to cut and slice her comments into ads to push progressive Democrats not to trust their party’s leadership.
The Republicans face a more difficult election with Biden gone.
Republicans’ messaging about protecting our democracy reveals that they are not sure Trump would win the election against another candidate. They have spent the last year attacking Biden and only started mentioning Harris more frequently.
Republicans are now scrambling for a way to denigrate Harris personally. That will be a tricky maneuver. How do they avoid alienating Black and women voters? And since she is 19 years younger than Trump, they must be aware that he is now the doddering old man that he accused Biden of being.
Republican New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu’s prediction of what would happen to the Republicans if Biden dropped from the race is unfolding. Replacing Biden would not simply energize the Democratic Party; it would also win back some swing voters who dislike the elderly candidates currently on offer.
Trump may regret his comments about Harris made at his rally in Doral, Florida, two weeks before Biden passed the baton to Harris: “You have to give him credit for one brilliant decision—probably the smartest decision he’s ever made: He picked Kamala Harris as his vice president.” He’ll find out if he was right in November.
Nick Licata is the author of Becoming A Citizen Activist and Student Power, Democracy and Revolution in the Sixties. He is the founding board chair of Local Progress, a national network of over 1,300 progressive municipal officials.
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