WASHINGTON.- Joe Biden, President of USAannounced that he is withdrawing from the presidential race after several weeks of speculation about his mental faculties and state of health.
Even members of the Democratic Party had called for him to drop out of the race, despite his victory in the party’s primary elections, which guaranteed that he would be awarded the presidential nomination.
Just over three months before the November 5 election, Democrats must choose a new presidential candidate, but how will that process be carried out?
Here we explain the details.
Who are the Democratic candidates?
Following Joe Biden’s resignation, at least five Democratic activists have been mentioned as possible presidential candidates, including the current Vice President, Kamala Harris, who confirmed that she would seek the nomination.
Other names that have been mentioned are: Gavin NewsomGovernor of California; Gretchen Whitmer, Governor of Michigan; JB PritzkerGovernor of Illinois and Josh Shapiro, Governor of Pennsylvania.
In his statement on Sunday, Biden endorsed Kamala Harris as a possible Democratic nominee, but this does not guarantee that she will be chosen.
READ ALSO: Biden resigns, who will be the Democratic presidential candidate now?
This was Biden’s election as presidential candidate
In early 2024, American citizens participated in the primary elections, a process in which Democrats and Republicans in each state choose who they want to represent their party in the presidential elections.
The candidate with the most votes in each state wins the votes of that state’s delegates in the National Convention of the parties.
Biden won the majority of delegates in the Democratic primary elections, 3,939, who were required to vote for the still-president during the open Democratic convention, according to the party’s statutes.
Only 40 delegates were left free to vote for the candidate they wanted.
How will the Democratic candidate be chosen after Biden resigns?
Traditionally, presidential candidates receive their official nominations during their parties’ national conventions.
However, this year the Democratic National Committee had planned to hold a virtual vote in early August to determine the nominee, ahead of the convention scheduled for August 19-22 in Chicago, Illinois.
It is not yet known whether the plan is still in place, as the measure had previously been criticized for a possible lack of transparency.
If the online vote is suspended, the candidate will be chosen at an open convention, where delegates would be free to vote for whomever they wish after Biden, who received 87% of the votes in the primaries, steps down.
For this to happen, Biden would have to formally “release” delegates from their initial commitment or ask them to endorse his running mate, Kamala Harris.
Open conventions in the USA
The last open conventions took place in 1952, EFE reports.
Adlai Stevenson II (Democratic Party) and Dwight D. Eisenhower (Republican Party) were the last presidential candidates from their respective parties to win their nominations at such conventions.
An open convention would occur if there were more candidates besides Harris and they had the ability to garner significant delegate support.
At the open convention, candidates negotiate with delegates on-site, agreements are reached in closed-door meetings, and the various groups that make up the Democratic Party can be seen competing for power.
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2024-07-31 17:26:59
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