New situation for the Democrats in the USA – not since 1968 has a president abstained from re-election

Several political commentators make a point that it is not obvious that Kamala Harris will be chosen as the Democrats’ presidential candidate, although it may be likely.

At the national meeting in Chicago in August, there will be voting, possibly in several rounds, before a candidate is left as the winner. For a politician with ambitions, who sees an opportunity for attention in all the country’s media, it is enough to have signatures from 300 delegates, however no more than 50 from a single state, to announce his candidacy, writes BBC.

The last time a sitting president declined re-election was in 1968 when Lyndon B. Johnson made it clear that he would not continue in the White House. His vice-president Hubert Humphrey, with Norwegian ancestry, became the party’s candidate in 1968, but lost to Richard Nixon.

Transfer

The election campaign has lasted for quite some time, and Biden has secured almost 3,900 delegates, far more than the 1,976 needed. But Biden’s candidates cannot be transferred to Harris with the stroke of a pen, even though the president has pointed to her as his successor.

Harris now gets the job of ensuring that she actually has these delegates behind her – plus the 700 so-called superdelegates. This includes party leaders and a number of elected representatives, as well as former presidents, vice-presidents and other political heavyweights.

If, contrary to conjecture, competitors should appear, there will be as many voting rounds as necessary to ensure a majority. Everyone must participate here, including the so-called superdelegates, who are delegates by virtue of their position and background in the party.

Collection behind Harris

The probability that candidates will appear during the national meeting itself has decreased as potential competitors have in turn lined up behind Harris.

Among the other names that have been mentioned as possible Biden replacements are a number of governors: Gavin Newsom (California), Gretchen Whitmer (Michigan), JB Pritzker (Illinois) and Josh Shapiro (Pennsylvania).

But in the short time that has passed since Biden’s announcement, many party leaders and key supporters have left the ranks. Politicians at state level and in Congress, well-known faces in cultural life and donors with fat wallets have been quick to support the vice president.

Want a vote

But there are still several big names who have not publicly backed Harris. Former President Barack Obama and former Speaker of Congress, Nancy Pelosi, are among them. Several American media believe that these two in practice directed the end game for Biden.

Pelosi on Sunday advocated some form of internal vote to ensure Harris greater legitimacy and a more secure platform than simply “inheriting” the candidacy. Pelosi has the support of several key people in the party and envisions a kind of primary election where the members in all the states will have their say, and where the outside world will be convinced that Harris is the best candidate, reports the AP news agency.

But it is highly unclear whether this is how the next few weeks will play out. In any case, the Democrats have a bad time: with advance voting not far away, the party must reorganize its strategy, where Kamala Harris will be profiled against Donald Trump, and the entire party machinery must be mobilized, from the grassroots upwards.