The effort to remove President Joe Biden from the top of the ticket gained steam after last month’s disastrous debate performance.
Some political donors and Hollywood celebrities appear to be the most vocal, though news accounts say there’s action behind the scenes.
The fear is Biden can no longer be counted on to beat former President Donald Trump in November. The first way to deal with that prospect is to get Biden to step aside.
Will he do it? We’ll see. If not, Democrats may opt to forcefully wrestle the nomination away from him at their convention in August, a difficult task given he already has the delegates to win.
There are no easy answers, and the fallout of Biden dropping from the presidential race is largely unpredictable.
Here are some ways a Biden departure could impact the race for the White House.
Democrats could reset their message
In the aftermath of Biden’s debate performance, where he was sometimes incoherent and struggled to deliver his message, Democrats insisted he had a bad night and he’s still the better choice over Trump.
That talking point hasn’t obscured questions about Biden’s mental and physical fitness for office. With Biden out of the race, Democrats could remove the president’s age and health from the national dialogue and focus on issues and agendas.
Namely, they could focus on Trump. His critics have said the former president’s debate performance was highlighted by distortions and untruths. A new nominee would help put Trump’s weaknesses in focus.
Right now, the national dialogue is about Biden. Democrats want the negative focus on Trump.
In the weeks since the debate, Biden has been more visible, given media interviews and even staged a Thursday news conference after the NATO Summit in Washington.
It may be too late, and many Democrats probably don’t want to chance another debate debacle.
A new nominee would have challenges
A new candidate could bring excitement at the start, but there’s no guarantee it would be sustainable.
Biden already has a national operation in place and the advantages of being an incumbent.
Another nominee would have to build a machine on the fly, raise lots of money and develop a message.
In the past, most campaigns began in earnest around Labor Day when voters began anticipating November elections. Now they start much earlier, and it’s unclear what would happen to the money Biden has already raised.
One theory supporting removing Biden from the ticket involves picking a candidate who would have an easier time beating Trump. But who would that be?
Many of the Democrats named as potential successors have strengths and weaknesses.
This far into the cycle, the question is how much momentum another candidate would have to match up against Trump.
A nomination fight could energize or split the party
A few names are floating around as possible replacements for Biden.
Vice President Kamala Harris, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and even U.S. Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Whitmer and Shapiro could help win battleground states, and they would offer the contrast to Trump the party wants.
But a nomination fight could lead to hurt feelings, especially if Harris is passed over by delegates at the convention.
Harris, who is Black and of South Asian descent, is the first woman to serve as vice president.
Black voters could be upset if she isn’t selected. Such a division would make it more difficult for the party’s nominee to defeat Trump. Biden loyalists may also favor Harris.
Others in the party may question Harris’ ability to beat Trump and opt for someone else.
Whatever the case, the party’s first big test will be to unify after what could be a dramatic and historic Chicago convention.
