Who could replace Joe Biden after disastrous presidential debate?
A number of Democrats could potentially be chosen to replace President Biden after he sparked alarm over his mental state at Thursday’s first presidential debate — but the process would be winding and arduous.Even those close to the 81-year-old president have publicly expressed concern over his performance against Donald Trump based on Biden’s mumblings, freezes, facial expressions cough and sometimes incoherent arguments.
With a little more than four months to go before the election, the Democratic Party’s situation is largely dependent on whether Biden decides to remain in the election, if his pledged delegates stay loyal to him at the Democratic National Convention in August or if the Democratic National Committee decides to rewrite its convention rules.A handful of high-profile Democrats could still rise to the top of being chosen as the Democratic nominee, depending on those situations.
Names leading the pack include Vice President Kamala Harris, California Gov.Gavin Newsom, Illinois Gov.
JB Pritzker, Michigan Gov.Gretchen Whitmer and former first lady Michelle Obama.But there could be many more possibilities.
A recent Politico poll found that a plurality of voters, 21%, thought Harris should be the 2028 candidate.Another 10% said the same about Newsom and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, while an overwhelming 41% said they didn’t know who would be best to replace Biden in the next election.Kamala HarrisThe president’s campaign has stressed that he’s still running.
But if Biden did decide to step down, he could not simply choose his successor.The decision would be up to the DNC to elect a new presidential and vice presidential pick.
Harris could be considered a good choice because of her proximity to Biden but would be plagued by her underwater approval ratings.She’s averaging a 39.4% disapproval rating, according to FiveThirtyEight.
And despite the Politico poll showing she was a top pick for 2028, only 34% told the outlet they t...