Democrats could take a three-step political process to replace President Joe Biden on their 2024 ticket, top editors at Politico outlined in February, perhaps anticipating Biden’s poor debate performance on Thursday.
Reported alternatives include Vice President Kamala Harris, two-time failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, former First Lady Michelle Obama — who battles mental health issues — and Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA).
The challenge of replacing Biden is not easy. An alternative candidate does not appear obvious. Harris’s approval rating is lower than Biden’s. Election denier Clinton already lost to former President Donald Trump once, and Michelle Obama does not appear interested in the job.
The three-step political process, according to Politico’s Charlie Mahtesian, a senior politics editor, and Steven Shepard, a senior campaign and elections editor and chief polling analyst, does not include a “late-entering white knight candidate” due to filing deadlines.
The deadlines for primary access passed in the spring. All that some Democrats can hope for now is that Biden voluntarily steps aside at the Democratic National Convention (DNC).