With calls growing for him to drop out and reports of family preparations surfacing, questions over who could replace President Joe Biden in the 2024 presidential race took on a new sense of urgency this week.
But who would be the potential contenders to replace him if that were to happen?
Reports that members of Biden’s family were discussing what an exit from his campaign might look like punctuated a week of heightened concern from Democrats.
As more Democratic members of Congress called for him to step out of the race Friday — bringing the total since his disastrous debate against Trump to at least 30 — Biden remained isolated at his beach house in Delaware after being diagnosed with COVID-19. The president, who has insisted he can beat Trump, was huddling with family and relying on a few longtime aides as he tries to resist efforts to shove him aside.
Concerns have mounted among party leaders, donors and even officials who are part of his re-election effort with every day that has passed since a devastating debate three weeks ago. At the same time, Democrats are watching Republicans rally around Trump, who just survived an assassination attempt and accepted his party’s nomination Thursday night.
Among the democrats expressing worries to allies about Biden’s chances were former President Barack Obama and Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, who has privately told Biden the party could lose the ability to seize control of the House if he doesn’t step aside.
Rep. Sean Casten of Illinois wrote in an op-ed that with “a heavy heart and much personal reflection” he, too, was calling on Biden to “pass the torch to a new generation.”
Biden said Trump’s acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention showcased a “dark vision for the future.” The president, seeking to move the political conversation away from his fate and onto his rival’s agenda, said Friday he was planning to return to the campaign trail next week and insisted he has a path to victory over Trump, despite the worries of some of his party’s most eminent members.
“Together, as a party and as a country, we can and will defeat him at the ballot box,” Biden said. “The stakes are high, and the choice is clear. Together, we will win.”
Earlier in the day, his campaign chair, Jen O’Malley Dillion, acknowledged “slippage” in support for the president but insisted he’s “absolutely” remaining in the race and the campaign sees “multiple paths” to beating Trump.
“We have a lot of work to do to reassure the American people that, yes, he’s old, but he can win,” she told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” show. But she said voters concerned about Biden’s fitness to lead aren’t switching to vote for Trump.
Meanwhile, the Democratic National Committee’s rulemaking arm held a meeting Friday, pressing ahead with plans for a virtual roll call before Aug. 7 to nominate the presidential pick, ahead of the party’s convention later in the month in Chicago.
It’s a pivotal few days for the president and his party: Trump has wrapped up an enthusiastic Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Thursday. And Democrats, racing time, are considering the extraordinary possibility of Biden stepping aside for a new presidential nominee before their own convention.
But there is also time to reconsider.
Here’s a look at some of the top names who could replace Biden on the ticket:
Kamala Harris
Should Biden change his mind, Vice President Kamala Harris is considered best positioned to replace him.
Harris would have a head start over several of the most discussed Democratic alternatives. She’s already been on a winning presidential ticket with Biden, has years of goodwill banked with core party constituencies and would likely control a huge campaign fund amassed by the Biden reelection.
A number of delegates have already suggested they’d be loyal to Harris.
Biden picking Harris could limit potential chaos and avoid floor fights that do lasting damage to whoever emerges to take on Republican Donald Trump.
“Harris makes the most sense to carry on the Biden legacy,” said Andrew Feldman, a Democratic strategist who works closely with various state parties and stressed that the question was purely hypothetical since Biden insists he won’t bow out.
Feldman added that the Biden administration’s agenda “has been tremendously popular in terms of the issues that they’ve championed” and that the president and Harris have “been doing that in partnership.”
A new poll from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that about 6 in 10 Democrats believe Kamala Harris would do a good job in the top slot. About 2 in 10 Democrats don’t believe she would, and another 2 in 10 say they don’t know enough to say.
Alvin Tillery, director of the Center for the Study of Diversity and Democracy at Northwestern University and a Democratic pollster, said Harris is the only candidate with the name recognition required to compete against Trump.
“(Of the) five other successor candidates, only one has the name recognition to win nationally: Kamala Harris,” Tillery told NBC Chicago.
Gavin Newsom
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been one of the top names consistently thrown out as a potential replacement outside of Harris.
Newsom, a big-state governor with big ambitions who is as comfortable talking policy as he is mixing it up with leading Republicans, emerged as President Joe Biden’s most prominent battleground-state soldier.
He has also brushed aside questions about whether he would seek the party’s nomination at next month’s national convention should Biden leave the race.
But he may not have the name recognition like Harris.
The poll from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that Newsom is seen, overall, slightly more negatively than positively.
About one-third of Democrats say Newsom would make a good president, and half don’t know enough to say.
Former New Hampshire State House Speaker Steve Shurtleff said he’s “very impressed” by Newsom and sees him as top-tier presidential prospect. But Shurtleff, once Biden’s chief supporter in the state, now believes the president must step aside and wondered aloud whether Newsom is picking the wrong side in what he described as “a profile-in-courage moment” for party leaders.
“He’s shown that he’s been very loyal to the president and the administration. And that, I think, could hurt him,” Shurtleff said of Newsom.
J.B. Pritzker
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has also been floated among the potential replacement candidates, particularly after he received a high-profile endorsement from actor George Clooney.
The Hollywood star and major Democratic donor, in an op-ed published in the New York Times, floated Pritzker as a potential contender for the ticket.
Clooney also said the party should hear from Vice President Kamala Harris, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and several others as they evaluate whether to proceed with Biden as the nominee.
Pritzker has repeatedly said his belief is that Biden is the best candidate for the party in 2024.
“I’m supporting Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for president. I’m going to work my tail off to make sure that they win,” he said.
The Illinois governor has been an active fundraiser for Democrats, and continues to appear at events across multiple states as he aims to build his national profile.
His wealth also makes him a particularly intriguing candidate for the ticket, as he is currently America’s wealthiest elected official and has previously used his money to bolster his campaign.
Gretchen Whitmer
Democrats circulated several high-profile names as potential presidential alternatives, including Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the co-chair of the Biden-Harris campaign.
Whitmer, however, shut down the possibility of stepping into the race this year in an interview with The Associated Press before a book launch earlier this month.
When asked if she would consider becoming a candidate this year if Biden were to step down, she responded with a definitive, “No.”
“It’s a distraction more than anything,” said Whitmer. “I don’t like seeing my name in articles like that because I’m totally focused on governing and campaigning for the ticket.”
Her swift ascent over two decades — from law school graduate to Michigan’s governor — has established her as a prominent figure within the Democratic Party.
Her status was solidified in 2022 with a decisive reelection and her party’s success in flipping both chambers of the state legislature, granting Democrats full control for the first time in nearly four decades.
Josh Shapiro
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has also been part of the replacement debate, though he has previously said he would continue to back Biden for the nomination.
He’s also the governor of an important swing state for Democrats in 2024.
Two swing districts in a swing county may very well decide which party controls the House in the swing state of Pennsylvania, one of several where pivotal legislative battles are playing out in the shadow of the presidential campaign.
Shapiro has maintained his support for Biden following the debate performance that sparked initial election concerns.
Shapiro acknowledged that Biden had a bad debate, but said it doesn’t change the fact that Trump was a bad president. Democrats, including Biden, need to be crisper in delivering that message, he told CNN at the time.
“I would say to all those folks who are out there worrying right now, ‘start working and stop worrying,’” Shapiro said.
Other names to note
This list mentions only some of the high-profile names being discussed should Biden drop out, and some could be considered for other roles on the ticket, such as vice president.
A few other names that are worth mentioning include: Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
In the event Biden withdraws from the race, it is likely more names will surface.