Who can replace President Biden in the race for President

2024-07-12 20:26:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The President of the United States Joe Biden is rejecting the calls of some important officials of his party to give up the race. The calls began after the first debate with presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump last month, where he performed poorly. Voice of America correspondent Scott Stearns reports on potential candidates who could replace Mr. Biden if he decides to withdraw from the race for a second term. President Joe Biden is sure to win.

"I think I'm the most qualified person to run for president," Mr. Biden said.

After struggling in the debate late last month, some party officials are calling for him to withdraw from the election race.

But after months of caucuses, Democrats can't force him out, says University of Virginia Center for Politics director Larry Sabato.

"There is only one way for a candidate to leave. The nominee must decide not to run before the convention. He must create the possibility for the National Democratic Committee to decide during the assembly", says Mr. Sabato.

If Mr. Biden retires, Vice President Kamala Harris leads the Democratic slate to replace him.

Mrs. Harris showed her loyalty by offering support to the President.

"Let's not forget that only one of the candidates has the support of his vice president and that is Joe Biden," said Mrs. Harris emphasizing the decision of former vice president Mike Pence not to support Mr. Trump's candidacy.

Still, Ms. Harris' candidacy could help with independent voters, says University of Southern California political science professor Christian Grose.

"If you look at the polls, what shows that Ms. Harris may have a better chance than Mr. Biden is the fact that there are more independents who are undecided about her right now. She can convince them, while Mr. Biden may not be able to do it for himself," says Mr. Grose.

In the unofficial list of people who can replace Mr. Biden is the governor of California, Gavin Newsom.

He says he supports Mr. Biden as he attended the president's campaign rally in Michigan last week.

"Results are what matter and he has provided them. We don't need an actor, we need a commander-in-chief," says Mr. Newsom.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has also been mentioned as a possible replacement for Mr. Biden. She also says she supports the president.

Mrs. Whitmer was re-elected in a key state for the election. She continues to gain popularity due to her support for labor unions and efforts to combat gun violence.

"Week after week in America, we see grim news because of gun violence that has caused tremendous pain all over the country," Ms. Whitmer said.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is less well-known nationally, but he is a popular politician in a Southern region dominated by Republican politics.

JB Pritzker, the governor of Illinois, home to this year's Democratic convention, is wealthy and would be able to self-fund much of what would be a last-minute presidential race.

Former first lady Michelle Obama, who has repeatedly refused the opportunity to run, is also on the list. She, however, remained the favorite of many voters. A Reuters-Ipsos poll last week showed that while candidates Biden and Trump were tied, Michelle Obama was a tenth ahead of Mr. Trump. Analyst Larry Sabato says there's no way she'll run.

"She's too smart to want to come back after eight years in the White House, much less become president. We can speculate on names, but what matters is who has great ambitions or the ability to raise money and the ability to secure a majority in the convention," says Mr. Sabato.

If Mr. Biden stays in the race, speculation about other names may continue until the Democratic Party convention held in August in Chicago./VOA