Biden dropped out of 2024’s election. What will happen now?
In the last few weeks, President Joe Biden has received countless calls to drop out of the presidential race. While he said that he wanted to be the leader of the country for a second time, he shocked the nation with his last decision.
After many weeks of resisting the calls to step down, on July 21st, he announced to the American voters that he’d withdraw from the presidential race. As the Democratic Party’s nominee, he has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, but he will serve out the remainder of his term as the head of the nation.
With only one month until the Democratic National Convention, the decision puts the party in unfamiliar territory. What is going to happen now? Will Kamala Harris be nominated as the official candidate of the Democratic Party? Could America have a Madam President? How will the presidential race unfold? We’ve talked to various political analysts, and here’s what we found out:
What now?
On July 21st, President Joe Biden published a letter on his social media platforms, explaining that he is stepping out of the presidential race. He stated that he’s content with the things he’s managed to get done during his mandate, such as lowering prescription drug costs for seniors and passing the first gun safety law in 30 years. He acknowledged the population’s help and stated that he couldn’t have done it without them.
While many people appreciated his sincerity and praised him for stepping out while he could, especially since he suffers from multiple health issues, others said it was a wrong decision, and some people are happy that now Trump has a higher chance of ruling the country once again. Whatever side you’re on, everyone’s curious about one thing: what will happen now?
However, Joe Biden isn’t the first incumbent US president to abandon his re-election campaign. In 1968, Lyndon B. Johnson did the same thing. Since Election Day is closer and closer, it’s therefore uncertain how to nominate a fresh candidate at this moment.
According to sources, Mr. Biden had already won over 3,800 pledged delegates in Democratic primary competitions (3896, to be more exact). That is significantly more than what is required to guarantee his party’s candidacy.
Even if they previously opted for a Biden-Harris ticket, the delegates will finally choose which candidate to support at the Democratic nominee’s convention next month. Ms. Harris is the front-runner now that Mr. Biden has endorsed her, but it’s unclear what will happen when he releases his delegates.
Will there be an open convention?
The next president of the country is a topic that interests the entire country and even the entire world. Sources say that the Democratic National Convention is expected to begin on August 19th.
What’s interesting is that the Democratic Party might host an open convention for the first time since 1968 if they don’t manage to come together to support a new presidential candidate. This would mean delegates could choose who to vote for among multiple candidates if they came forward.
For their names to appear on the ballot, candidates must obtain the signatures of at least 300 delegates, with no more than 50 of them coming from a single state. The first round of voting would be conducted among the 3,900 pledged delegates, which includes supporters of the Democratic Party.
If no candidate secures a majority of the votes in the initial round, there will be additional voting rounds. These additional voting rounds would include superdelegates, also known as party leaders and elected officials, and they would cast votes until a nominee was selected. To make sure a candidate secures a party nomination, they need 1,976 delegates’ votes.
Who will challenge Kamala Harris?
As more people urged Mr. Biden to leave the race in recent weeks, several potential replacements appeared. One example is Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan’s Democratic Governor.
Even though she’s been floated as a candidate, she said she wouldn’t consider running for the presidency if Biden stepped out of the race. However, she might have changed her decision because, on July 21st, a few minutes after Biden’s public announcement, she stated that she was willing to do anything she could to “elect Democrats and stop Donald Trump.”
In addition to that, a few other candidates who were tipped to succeed Ms. Harris have come around, including Josh Shapiro, the governor of Pennsylvania, Gavin Newsom of California, and Pete Buttigieg of the Department of Transportation.
If Ms. Harris ends up winning the nomination, some of these people might be taken into consideration for the vice presidential position. Would you like something like that? Let us know in the comments below!
How does the winning candidate choose their vice president?
According to CNN, this is typically a less formal process than choosing a presidential nominee, with the nominee’s choice being accepted as their running mate.
If Kamala Harris is the Democratic nominee, some of the well-known Democrats—including Mr. Shapiro—as well as other candidates, such as Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona and Governor JB Pritzker of Illinois, are being considered as potential running mates.
Who supported Joe Biden’s decision?
As previously said, the president’s decision to step out of the race was equally appreciated, supported, and critiqued by people worldwide. For example, Keir Starmer, the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister, stated that he respects Biden’s decision and is keen to work together for the rest of his mandate.
He added that he knows Mr. Biden had a wonderful career as a politician, and he’s confident the president’s decision was taken with the Americans’ best interests in mind.
Other politicians who showed support for Joe Biden’s decision were Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk, the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Petr Fiala, Italy’s foreign minister and deputy PM Antonio Tajani, Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro, and Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelensky.
What happens with the money pledged to Joe Biden?
Something a lot of people were curious to discover after Biden’s announcement is what happens to the money pledged to him. Since Kamala Haris was part of the same electoral ticket as the actual president, campaign finance experts think that if Harris becomes the Democratic nominee, the approximately $100 million gathered might go directly to her.
Republicans, on the other hand, have hinted that they want to contest this money transfer, pointing out that Mr. Biden wasn’t yet officially nominated by his party at the time of his withdrawal from the presidential contest. However, we still can’t be certain what will happen with all the money in case someone else, other than Kamala Harris, is chosen as the nominee of the Democratic Party.
Do you have any other questions regarding what will happen to the 2024 presidential race now that Joe Biden is no longer part of it? Let us know in the comments below because we’ll try to answer all of your questions ASAP.
Did you find this article helpful? Who do you think will be the Democratic Party’s official candidate for this year’s presidential race? Share your thoughts with us. If you find this article helpful and you’d like to check out something else from Trending, Now, here’s a good post for you: How Can Trump’s Assassination Attempt Shift Project 2025’s Future?
