As Joe Biden spends the weekend reviving his re-election campaign, senior Democrats are weighing the chances of his potential replacement.
Even Biden’s most ardent supporters are calling on the president to withdraw from the race after his disastrous debate with Donald Trump, in which he stumbled over his words and lost the thread of his thoughts.
Biden has insisted he is still the Democrat’s best bet to beat Trump, but there is still time to replace him as the party’s nominee — and the names of possible replacements are being circulated.
The Democratic National Committee’s official procedures for the 2022 convention, adopted in 2022, give the committee the authority to select a new nominee if one of the ticket’s members dies or withdraws.
Joe Biden will discuss his political future with his family after critics call for him to withdraw from the race following his disastrous debate against Donald Trump
The party’s presidential candidate will be formally nominated in August for the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where delegates remain obligated to support him — unless Biden himself announces he is leaving the race.
The Convention would then take responsibility for voting on an alternative, of which there are numerous options.
These are the odds to win the presidential election — that is, the amount of money you can win for every $100 you bet on each candidate — for some of Biden’s most popular replacements, according to Oddschecker.
Gavin Newsom – Odds +1150
The California governor, who is in the midst of his second and final term, has thrust himself into the spotlight of Biden’s campaign, leading many to question whether he wants the job.
His odds have risen to +1150, despite polls showing he would lose in a matchup against Trump.
Post-presidential debate polls conducted by Data for Progress Research asked more than 1,000 people who they would vote for in an election between Trump and leading Democrats.
Newsom, 56, the California governor and a top Biden surrogate, lost 44 percent to 47 percent to Trump in a hypothetical contest
Newsom, 56, lost 44 percent to 47 percent to 78-year-old Donald Trump.
His role as one of the Biden campaign’s top surrogates has made him a target of Republicans, who have repeatedly cited California as an example of Democratic mismanagement.
Newsom’s record in the Golden State includes a massive budget deficit and major cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles have been devastated by crime and homelessness.
Michelle Obama – Chances +1650
The chance that the former first lady will replace Biden has only increased after the debate. There have been rumors for some time that she is considering starting her own political career.
Oddschecker gave her a lead of +1650. However, an exclusive DailyMail.com/JL Partners poll of 1,000 likely voters in March found she would lose to the former president by three points in a hypothetical matchup.
The idea of Michelle Obama running for president has occasionally been floated by Democrats concerned about Biden’s advanced age and his ability to win a runoff election.
Michelle Obama’s chances of replacing Biden have increased after the debate and she has reportedly stepped back from campaigning for Joe Biden
They think her ease with voters, her star power and, at 60, her relative youth can keep the White House from falling into Republican hands.
Her potential candidacy has gained support among right-wing opinion makers, who touted her potential candidacy as a way to undermine Biden’s candidacy.
After the presidential debate, Republican Senator Ted Cruz said he thinks the former first lady could be the next presidential nominee.
“Nine months ago, I predicted in Verdict that the Dems would replace Biden with Michelle Obama. I think that’s going to happen,” Cruz said in X.
Michelle has stayed away from campaigning for Joe Biden due to her personal frustration with the family’s treatment of her friend Kathleen Buhle during her messy divorce from Hunter Biden, sources said.
Gretchen Whitmer – Odds +3300
The 52-year-old governor of Michigan, a crucial swing state for the 2024 elections, is considered a rising star in the party.
In the post-debate poll by Data for Progress research, Whitmer lost 44 percent to Trump’s 46 percent in a potential matchup. However, her betting odds on the election have risen to +3300.
Whitmer is highly popular in the swing state, which went red for Donald Trump by a 0.3 percent margin in 2020 and went blue for Biden by a 2.8 percent margin in 2020.
Whitmer is highly popular in her swing state, but lost 44 percent to 46 percent to Trump in post-presidential debate polls
“That woman in Michigan,” as Trump calls her, is a former prosecutor and mother of two who supports stricter gun laws and the repeal of the abortion ban.
In 2020, the FBI famously foiled a right-wing militia group’s plan to kidnap Whitmer after she antagonized conservatives with her heavy-handed response to the Covid pandemic.
Her memoir, which some cynically believe is perfectly timed for a possible presidential run, will be released next month.
Kamala Harris – Odds +3300
An obvious choice to replace Biden would be 59-year-old Vice President Harris, who is reportedly being called a “work in progress” by her president.
Harris is the natural successor to the presidency if Biden steps down during his term. But Democrats have criticized Harris’ performance for years and say she should not replace Biden before the election.
According to the Data for Progress poll, Harris loses 45 percent to Trump’s 48 percent, as does her current running mate, while her chances of winning the election are +3300.
Harris is reportedly ‘furious’ that she is not being considered as Biden’s replacement, the newspaper reports Politics.
Harris is said to be ‘furious’ that she is not being considered as Biden’s replacement
A Washington, DC-based political operative told DailyMail.com the “Kamala conundrum” resulted from Biden and Democrats playing the “dangerous game” of identity politics to boost their numbers within the black community.
“She could be great for the base, right?” he said. “But you still need independent voters who just don’t trust her.”
Other possibilities
Additional names being thrown into the ring of potential replacement candidates include rising party members and even former presidential candidates.
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and Senator Corey Booker of New Jersey both lost 44 percent of the vote, compared to 47 percent for Trump in the Data for Progress election.
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker all lost 43 percent to 46 percent in a duel against Trump.
Pritzker, a venture capitalist billionaire and heir to the Hyatt Hotel fortune, has the significant advantage of being able to pour a lot of money into a presidential campaign.
His odds, along with Shapiro’s, are +20,000, while Booker’s are +40,000.