BIDEN THEIR TIME Gavin Newsom & Gretchen Whitmer top names to replace Joe Biden as GOP laughs off Kamala Harris but fears Michelle Obama
AS Democrats plead with Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 election, a few big names have topped lists of who might replace him to challenge Donald Trump.
Members across the Democratic party, including long-time supporters, senators, and fellow public officials, have urged Biden, 81, to step aside and let someone else be named nominee.
However, the president continues to affirm that he is the man for the job.
On Friday, Biden released a statement following former President Trump's speech at the RNC on Thursday night.
"Last night the American people saw the same Donald Trump they rejected four years ago. For over 90 minutes, he focused on his own grievances, with no plan to unite us and no plan to make life better for working people," Biden wrote.
"He avoided mentioning his Project 2025 agenda, but still proudly flaunted the worst of MAGA extremism. Americans know exactly where he wants to take this country. They know that he inflicted pain and cruelty on the women of America by overturning Roe v Wade.
"They know that he destroyed our economy once and will inflict pain on the middle class, that he wants to gut the checks and balances of our Constitution and rule as a dictator on day one.
“Donald Trump’s dark vision for the future is not who we are as Americans. Together, as a party and as a country, we can and will defeat him at the ballot box.
"I look forward to getting back on the campaign trail next week to continue exposing the threat of Donald Trump’s Project 2025 agenda while making the case for my own record and the vision that I have for America: one where we save our democracy, protect our rights and freedoms, and create opportunity for everyone.
"The stakes are high, and the choice is clear. Together, we will win."
SOMEONE NEW
Supporters have started to flounder and want to place their vote for a more confident candidate.
After the disastrous presidential debate, California Governor Gavin Newsom, 56, was repeatedly mentioned as a frontrunner to replace Biden on the campaign trail.He spent the evening in the CNN spin room during the event and people were wondering what he was doing there.
Newsom said he was at the debate to support the president as he went up against Trump.
"Biden is confident," Newsom told reporters. per Bloomberg.
"He’s got a record and he’s got a vision for the future."
Possible replacements for the Democratic presidential candidate
Several names have been floated for who will replace Joe Biden now that he has sensationally dropped out of the 2024 race.
- Gavin Newsom: California's governor, who has been a staunch supporter of President Biden
- Kamala Harris: Current Vice President to Joe Biden. Many have deemed her the natural successor, however, she has low approval ratings
- Gretchen Whitmer: Current Michigan governor who has labeled herself as a "progressive" Democrat
- Hillary Clinton: Former Secretary of State and failed 2016 presidential candidate. She has denied the rumors, stating she will back Biden.
- J.B. Pritzker: Governor of Illinois and cofounder of the Pritzker Group, a private investment firm
- Josh Shapiro: Governor of Pennsylvania and former attorney general for the state
After Biden's poor debate performance, attendees speculated that the governor could be on standby as the new Democratic nominee.
Rumors have circulated that Newsom is running a quiet campaign in the background in case the president drops out of the race suddenly.
Despite speculation, Newsom affirmed he would not be the Democratic nominee in November.
"I would never turn my back on President Biden. I don’t know a Democrat in my party that would do so," Newsom told Metro following the debate.
"And especially after tonight, we have his back.
"We run, not the 90-yard dash. We are all in. We’re going to double down in the next few months. We’re going to win this election."
ANOTHER OPTION
Newsom isn't the only governor floated as being in line for the 2024 Democratic nominee spot.
Gretchen Whitmer, 52, the governor of Michigan since 2018, has garnered support in the wake of Biden's mess.
Whitmer holds the position of vice chair of the Democratic National Committee and is known for the drastic measures she took during the pandemic.
Similar to Newsom, the Michigan governor has denied wanting to take Biden's spot on the ticket in November.
"It’s a distraction more than anything," she told the Associated Press.
"I don’t like seeing my name in articles like that because I’m totally focused on governing and campaigning for the ticket."
She added about the presidential debate, "I think everyone has acknowledged it was not his finest 90 minutes.
"That said, this is a man I’ve known for a long time and has decades of public service receipts that he’s delivered to people."
VP TO PRESIDENT?
If Biden were to drop out at any moment, his most likely replacement would be Vice President Kamala Harris, 59.
Six in 10 Democrats think Harris would do a good job, while about two in 10 Democrats don't think she would, per a poll from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Another 2 in 10 Democrats said they didn't know enough to form an opinion.
According to someone familiar with Newsom and Whitmer, both governors would not be interested in serving with Harris if they were asked to be her running mate, per Fox affiliate WJW.
Despite Democrats thinking Harris would succeed in the role, Republicans don't think she has what it takes.
"I don’t think they have any option other than to try to make Kamala Harris better than she is," Senator Kevin Cramer of North Dakota said about the Democratic party, per Intelligencer.
Cramer argued the vice president cannot take on the tasking role because "she’s got the same number of votes on presidential primaries as I have: none."
Instead, another woman came to mind as a potential candidate to make the ticket — Michelle Obama.
The former First Lady, 60, has continued to leave an impression on the Democratic party.
At the RNC, Donald Trump Jr. asked the arena, "Who is really running the country?" and attendees shouted "Obama!”
Cramer gave his opinion on what Michelle's candidacy would mean for the party.
"I don’t think I’d be revealing any sort of polling secrets if I said Michelle Obama would probably be the one person that could step in and keep the party united and probably provide a little bit of a moving start because of her obvious notoriety," Cramer said per Intelligencer.
One American said they would like to see Michelle become president because the US is in "dire need of a viable presidential candidate."
"I admire her for her intelligence and her values. I am sure she would not stand if she did not believe it was the right thing to do. She has plenty of other, worthwhile, projects in her life," Irene Tuckett told the Telegraph.
She added: "In spite of the naysayers, it is a fact that America is in dire need of a viable presidential candidate who is neither a failing old man nor a deluded egotist."
Another said Michelle would, "bring some energy, good sense and honesty to the office."
John Anderson told the Telegraph he thought the former First Lady would be "good for the White House" because she would unite the country against and cease the "Trump threat."
"She has relative youth on her side and she might begin to heal wounds for a large segment of the American population, black or white," Anderson went on.
Though her name still swirls in 2024 election conversations, the former First Lady made her position clear in March.
"As former First Lady Michelle Obama has expressed several times over the years, she will not be running for president," Crystal Carson, director of communications for her office, told NBC."Mrs. Obama supports President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ re-election campaign."
Many other people could replace Biden in the 2024 presidential election this November including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Governor of Illinois JB Pritzker, Governor of Pennsylvania Josh Shapiro, Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, and Minnesota Representative Dean Phillips.
How could Biden be removed from race?
Calls for Joe Biden to end his reelection campaign have mounted since his poor presidential debate night performance on June 27
After the debate, the 81-year-old president's cognitive health concerns were once again a pressing topic among news outlets and his allies in the Democratic Party.
What has Joe Biden said about his future in the race?
- Biden has remained defiant and shot down calls for him to step aside in the upcoming presidential election.
- The Biden administration was forced to deny reports that the president confided to a close ally that he is considering withdrawing from the race.
- In a July 5 interview with ABC News, Biden said that "no one is more qualified" to win the race than him, adding only the "Lord Almighty" could convince him to resign.
- On July 8, Biden sent a scathing letter to Congressional DNC members who have called on him to step down.
- "I want you to know that despite all the speculation in the press and elsewhere, I am firmly committed to staying in this race, to running this race to the end, and to beating Donald Trump," the president wrote.
- Biden proceeded to slam "elites" in a live interview with MSNBC, daring any challenger to run against him.
How could Joe Biden be removed from the ballot?
- Since the June 27 debate night, a growing number of Congressional Democrats have called on Biden to end his reelection campaign.
- So far, five out of the 213 DNC members in Congress have publicly called for Biden to quit the race.
- As Biden continues to emphasize his status in the upcoming election, many are wondering whether the 25th Amendment should be used to oust him.
What is the 25th Amendment?
- The 25th Amendment of the Constitution states the vice president shall replace a president if they die in office or resign or if members of the president's cabinet declare the president is unable to fulfill the duties of their office.
- Labor Secretary Julie Su, who would need to invoke the 25th Amendment, called the idea "absurd."
No comments: