Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison said on Sunday that the party will conduct a “transparent and orderly process” to select its next presidential nominee in 2024 following President Biden’s announcement that he will be stepping down from office.
“The nation owes a great deal to President Biden for the unparalleled progress he has made over the past four years,” Harrison said in a statement.
“The work we now have is unprecedented, but it is clear: over the next few days, our party will conduct a transparent and orderly process and move forward as a unified Democratic Party with candidates who can defeat Donald Trump in November,” Harrison said.
“This process will be governed by the party’s established rules and procedures, and our representatives are prepared to take seriously their responsibility to swiftly deliver a candidate to the American people.”
Harrison said the party will share next steps in the process in the near future.
Biden announced in a letter posted to social media on Sunday afternoon that he was withdrawing from the 2024 presidential race after coming under pressure for weeks from his Democratic colleagues following a dismal performance in the June 27 debate that raised concerns about whether he could beat Trump in November.
“Serving as President has been the greatest honor of my life, and while I intended to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and our country for me to step down and focus solely on fulfilling the duties of my presidency for the remainder of my term,” Biden wrote.
Biden then endorsed Vice President Harris as the Democratic nominee.
The incident occurred just a month before the Democratic National Convention in Chicago and days after the Republican Party formally nominated Trump as its candidate at its convention in Milwaukee.
The DNC had planned to hold a virtual roll call to formally nominate Biden in early August ahead of the Democratic National Convention.
