Just a few months before the November election against former President Donald Trump, President Joe Biden abruptly announced his departure from the presidential race, raising questions about the Democratic nominee.
This choice was made in the face of mounting pressure from party organizers, officials, and funders who have grown less confident in Biden’s candidacy. President Biden announced his withdrawal of his candidacy on social media platform X.
“Serving as your President has been the greatest honor of my life,” he stated in the post. Even though I had intended to run for reelection, I think it would be better for my party and the nation if I stepped down and spent the balance of my term concentrating only on my obligations as President. I’ll go into further depth about my choice when I meet with the Nation later this week.”
In addition, Joe Biden announced that he will be speaking to the country about his decision to leave later this week.
The 81-year-old president made his declaration after an especially subpar debate performance last month and a string of erratic public appearances that raised questions about his age and ability to serve for an additional four years. While he is still in office, Biden’s withdrawal represents a remarkable development in an already heated election season.
Up until this point, Joe Biden has maintained his resolve, saying he would only withdraw from the campaign in the most extraordinary of situations, like a life-threatening illness or supernatural intervention. But just before he was supposed to appear in Nevada, he tested positive for COVID-19, which caused him to abruptly withdraw from the electoral race.
Who is going to be the next Democratic contender?
With Joe Biden’s retirement, the Democratic Party enters a new phase. Its national convention is scheduled to begin in Chicago on August 19. Formerly pledged to Biden, delegates are now free to explore other options. The roughly 4,000 Democratic delegates are scheduled to convene in the coming month to choose a new nominee. Having worked under Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris is the early favorite in this close contest.
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Just four months before the election, Harris, who is 59 years old, has the largest national profile of any prospective Democratic contender thanks to her background as Joe Biden’s running mate. This makes her an attractive option for delegates looking for continuity. Political observers suggest that she will also profit from the massive fundraising efforts made by the Biden campaign, which as of late May allegedly had over $91 million in cash on hand.
Notwithstanding these benefits, Harris’s nomination is by no means assured. Other well-known individuals are also being discussed as possible candidates, such as Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and California Governor Gavin Newsom.
The difficult challenge for any new nominee will be to quickly introduce themselves to the public and develop a campaign plan opposing Trump in a short amount of time.
