The recent presidential debate didn’t go down well with many a Democrat as well as Joe Biden supporters in general, the feeling is that all is not well in the Democratic camp.

After his somewhat disastrous performance at the debate, rumour has it that there is a possibility that he will step down as the presidential candidate although there is no precedent for this. Biden will only become the party’s official candidate when he is endorsed at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago which takes place between August 19 and 22.

Although there is no formal mechanism to replace him, he can choose to step aside and allow the delegates in the primaries to vote to nominate a candidate at the Chicago convention.

According to a Date for Progress flash poll, only 51% of Democrats think Biden should remain the party’s candidate.

Although there is no clear contender, here are some possibilities as to who could replace him:

Gavin Newsom

The popular governor from the state of California, won a lot of accolades for his debate with Florida governor Ron DeSantis last year.

However Newsom signed a budget on Saturday to close an estimated $46.8 billion deficit through $16 billion in spending cuts, raising taxes on some businesses.

“Thank to careful stewardship of the budget over the past few years, we’re able to meet this moment while protecting our progress on housing, homelessness, education, health care nad other priorities that matter deeply to Californians,” said the governor.

These deficits however may not be a good thing for Newsom as he builds his national profile as a contender for the country’s top post.

JB Pritzker

Another front runner for the presidential candidate is JB Pritzker. The governor of Illinois is also one of the wealthiest politicans among the contenders. His wealth comes from running the Hyatt Hotels Corporation which has been part of the family business.

Gaining popularity for his strong stand on gun control and being a pro choice advocate, he is well known for his heated debates with Ron DeSantis and Texas governor Greg Abbott.

Gretchen Whitmer

The Michigan governor is also on the shortlist as a possible presidential candidate. Her mandate has always been stricter gun control, changing abortion laws and backing universal preschool.

During the pandemic, Whitmer drew some flak for her strict restrictions and social distancing policies which were thought to be overly rigid by many Americans. She later became the center of a kidnapping plot by militia which was foiled.

In a CBS report Whitmer told reporters that the difference between Donald Trump and Joe Biden could not be clearer. While Biden’s focus was on lowering families costs and building an economy that works for the working people as well as restoring reproductive freedom for women, Trump is a convicted felon whose focus is only on himself.

Kamala Harris

Although Harris seems like the obvious pick seeing as she is vice president to the current administration, Harris has poor polling approval and there are suggestions that she will not do well if she were to stand against Donald Trump. But that does not rule her out as a possible choice for Democrats. Additionally if Biden resigns right now, Harris is automatically president.

The post Best man for the job? Who could possibly replace Joe Biden among the Democratic Party candidates appeared first on The Independent News.

US President Joe Biden’s family members privately criticised his top campaign advisers for his poor performance at the CNN debate with Republican challenger Donald Trump on Thursday (June 27). The family, meeting at Camp David during the weekend, wanted the advisers to be fired or demoted.

However, Biden is not expected to fire or demote anyone immediately.

The Biden family urged the president to continue his campaign. First Lady Jill Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, were the loudest voices urging the president to carry on.

Top Democrats reject calls to replace him

Top Democrats also rejected calls to replace him after the debate, which was watched by 52 million and ignited calls for him to quit the race.

A CBS/YouGov national survey conducted after the debate found that 72% of the voters and nearly half his own party do not believe Biden has the mental or cognitive health to serve as president.

Forty-nine per cent of the voters also do not believe that former president Trump has the mental or cognitive ability to be commander-in-chief again.

The Biden family complained that the president was not coached to be more aggressive, that he got bogged down in defending his record rather than outlining his vision for a second term, and that he was overworked and not well-rested.

Biden acknowledged he had not performed well at the debate. The next day, at a campaign rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, he said, “I don’t debate as well as I used to,”

The family blamed, among others, Anita Dunn, the senior adviser close to the president; her husband, Bob Bauer, the president’s attorney who played Trump in rehearsals at Camp David; and Ron Klain, the former chief of staff who played a key role in preparations for the debate.

However, Biden campaign spokesperson Kevin Munoz said: “The aides who prepped the President have been with him for years, often decades, seeing him through victories and challenges. He maintains strong confidence in them.”

Biden allies and staffers have said the president was ill and over-prepared and that the CNN moderators failed to fact-check Trump.

Top Democrats on Sunday (June 30) ruled out the possibility of replacing President Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee.

Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia, one of several Democrats seen as a possible replacement for Biden, said the president should stay in the race.

Senator Chris Coons of Delaware, a leading Biden surrogate, also wanted Biden to carry on.

“I think he’s the only Democrat who can beat Donald Trump,” Coons said.

Source: Politico, Reuters, USA Today

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