One member of the Democratic National Committee has proposed a method to replace President Joe Biden, should he decide to not seek re-election.
Insiders told The Independent that they believe there is “no question” Vice President Kamala Harris would receive the baton if Biden chose not to run in November. The White House strongly denied that the president is considering bowing out of the race, however.
This scramble comes after Biden’s poor performance against former president Donald Trump during last week’s debate in Atlanta.
So far, no potential successors to Biden have called on him to step aside.
James Zogby, who worked on Jesse Jackson’s campaigns for president in the 1980s and whom Senator Bernie Sanders picked to work on the Democratic Party’s platform in 2016, sent a memo to DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison about how to potentially go about replacing Biden.
The memo, seen by The Independent, reads: “The central idea is to create a process that is open, transparent, and energizing, while, at the same time, legitimate and democratic.”
The plan would require Biden to announce he would not seek re-election and, while he could praise Vice President Kamala Harris, he would not anoint her as his successor. This would kick off a one-month process.
Under Zogby’s proposal, candidates would participate in televised events that would allow them to make their case to Democratic voters.
At the Democratic National Convention, the candidates would be formally nominated and votes would be taken among delegates, though it might take require more than one round to win a majority of the vote.
Zogby’s memo argues this would generate excitement among Democratic voters.
“For at least one month, national media will be focused on our candidates and our exciting process, drawing sharp contrast with the antics of GOP nominee,” the memo said. “Given that we can likely predict the pool of potential candidates (Vice President Harris, Governors, Senators, Members of Congress) – the debate they will have will no doubt be respectful and substantive.”
Zogby argues that the process would energize Democrats after the conventions and argued it would give Biden an off-ramp to say farewell.
“With President Biden having made this all possible, he will be seen as a true national leader who, because he cared more about saving democracy, put aside his personal ambition and his concerns with a replacement – and trusted the party and Democrats to build on his legacy,” the memo reads. “His final address to the Convention will be a crowning moment in his long and extraordinary career as a public servant.”
The move comes as multiple polls show Biden trailing Trump after the debate.
Read the full article here