President Joe Biden on Sunday confirmed Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor, 30 minutes after announcing he would not run for reelection.
Biden’s endorsement of his vice president underscores the future dilemma facing the party with no de facto nominee about four weeks until the Democratic National Convention, and his intention to try to unite a disorganized Democratic Party.
Biden Said In endorsing Harris, he said:
Fellow Democrats, I have decided not to seek the nomination and to focus all my efforts on my duties as President for the remainder of my term. My first decision as the party’s candidate in 2020 was to select Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it was the best decision I have made. Today, I want to fully endorse and support Kamala to be this year’s party’s nominee. Fellow Democrats, now is the time to unite and defeat Trump. Let’s do it.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024
Potential candidates to replace Biden in the 2024 presidential election include Harris, two-time lost presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.), Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-Ill.) and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-Mich.).
Fernand Amandi, a former pollster for President Barack Obama, released an internal study on July 9 that found Harris and Clinton to be better candidates than Biden.
The Amandi poll, conducted by Bendixen & Amandi, found Harris leading Trump by one point, 42 to 41 percent, while Clinton leads Trump by two points, 43 to 41 percent.
The poll showed Newsom trailing Trump by three points (37-40 percent), while Whitmer trailed by four points (36-40 percent).
