Nearly a week after President Biden’s disastrous performance in the presidential debates, several current and former House Democrats have signaled their support for Vice President Kamala Harris to succeed the 81-year-old President if he chooses to step down.
Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pennsylvania), a member of the House progressive “Squad,” appeared on the radio show “Mornings with Zerlina” on Wednesday and warned Democrats, and potentially President Biden, that time is running out to decide whether to change course.
“If the president decides this is not the way forward, we must act quickly. There is no time for a primary. That time has passed,” Lee said. “The vice president is the obvious choice. She’s right there.”
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If President Biden leaves office, Vice President Kamala Harris is seen as a likely candidate to succeed him. (AP Photo/Molly Gash)
Lee also warned of the political consequences of avoiding Harris, pointing to high voter turnout among black women.
“We’re intentionally trying to exclude an entire demographic, and I personally think that’s very dangerous to do that,” she warned.
This came a day after Rep. Jim Clyburn of California, a longtime Biden ally whose support was crucial to Biden’s bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, refrained from expressing concern about the president’s feasibility, but added that he would support Harris as a candidate if Biden were to pull out.
“I want this race to remain Biden-Harris,” Clyburn said on “MSNBC Report.” “The party should not marginalize Harris in any way. Whether she’s in second place or first place, we should do everything we can to back her up.”
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Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pennsylvania, argued in support of Harris on Wednesday. (Getty Images)
Tim Ryan, a former Democratic congressman from Ohio who challenged Biden for the 2020 presidential nomination, also wrote an op-ed in Newsweek magazine titled “Kamala Harris Should Be the Democratic Nominee for President in 2024.”
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded to speculation about Harris on Wednesday by insisting Biden would not back down, and declined to comment on details of the private lunch between the two, which took place earlier in the day.
“One of the reasons Mr. Trump chose her as his vice president is because she truly is the future of the party. He is incredibly proud to have partnered with her and to continue to partner with her to deliver an unprecedented record for the American people,” Jean-Pierre said.
Questions about Biden’s physical and mental health came to the forefront during Thursday’s debate in Atlanta.
of The dam broke on Tuesday afternoon. Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) was the first sitting Democrat in Congress to call on Biden to drop out of the race.
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Rep. Jim Clyburn, a district attorney, also said Harris should succeed Biden. (Brian Stokes/Getty Images)
Hours later, two of the election’s most vulnerable Democrats, Reps. Jared Golden (D-Maine) and Marie Grusenkamp Perez (D-Wash.), came out publicly to say Biden would likely lose to Trump.
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“He’s definitely not backing down,” a Biden campaign spokesman told Fox News Digital.
But if that were to happen, Harris’ supporters point out that she would inherit the Biden-Harris campaign’s massive $240 million coffers.
Other names being mentioned as possible candidates to replace Biden include California Governor Gavin Newsom, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker.
