As President Biden continues to face questions about whether he should stop fighting for a second term, there are growing signs that many members of the Democratic Party are willing to entertain the idea of Vice President Harris at the head of the presidential ticket, a potentially significant shift, The Washington Post reports.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) is signalling to party members that Harris would be the best option to head the ticket if Biden decides to step down, according to two people familiar with the idea, who spoke on condition of anonymity so as not to reveal details of private conversations.
Rep. James E. Clyburn (N.C.), a senior House member and longtime friend of Biden, has publicly said he would support Harris if Biden steps aside, adding that his fellow Democrats “should do everything they can to support her whether she’s in second place or at the top of the ticket.”
Tim Ryan, a former congressman and presidential candidate from Ohio, said in an op-ed that while he likes Biden, Harris should be the Democratic presidential nominee after Biden stumbled during a high-profile debate last week. Several other possible contenders, including Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and California Governor Gavin Newsom, probably won’t enter the race this year and would back Harris if Biden ruled himself out, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.
That Democrats are increasingly rallying around Harris as a potential candidate – almost always with the caveat that Biden is the choice for now – indicates that they envision a world without Biden as the party’s standard-bearer, even as they try to blunt longstanding worries about Harris’ ability to win the White House on her own.
That could remove one of the main obstacles Democrats have long seen to the idea of replacing Biden: the fear that it would lead to a damaging political free-for-all, with the party’s most promising stars battling for the nomination.
Many Democrats also feared Harris would be a weak candidate, in part because of her unsuccessful presidential campaign in 2020, when she was forced to drop out without reaching a single vote. But choosing someone to replace Harris, the first woman of colour to serve as vice president, seemed politically untenable.
Now some party members are reconsidering the idea that Harris would flounder as the Democratic nominee, especially compared to Biden, given his difficulties.
A CNN poll released on Tuesday showed voters favouring former President Donald Trump over Biden by six percentage points, 49 percent to 43 percent, the same as before the debate. But Harris is performing better, trailing Trump 47 percent to 45 percent, which is within the margin of error.
And some say Harris may appeal to those Democratic supporters whose enthusiasm for Biden has waned – black voters, young people and women. Some progressives say she could win back some voters frustrated with Biden’s handling of the Israel-Gaza war.
Donald Trump also believes Harris will replace Biden in the presidential race, the Daily Beast reports.
Trump said, sitting in a golf cart:
He just quit, you know-he’s quitting the race. I got him out of the-and that means we have Kamala.
World media agree that Joe Biden performed poorly at the first debate with former US President Donald Trump, which took place on the night of June 28 in Atlanta. The president constantly stammered and paused, not always clearly formulating a thought, and after the event the TV camera caught the moment when Biden’s wife Jill helped him down the stairs.
