The fire continues to grow among Democrats over Joe Biden’s victory in the US presidential election. Since her disastrous debate against Donald Trump on June 27, her form has raised questions even within her own camp. Voices among Democrats have begun to publicly call for his ouster.
For now, the White House is doing everything it can to prevent the debate about this possibility from growing, but without success. But who could replace him in the November election? An overview of the names in circulation.
Kamala Harris
The choice of Kamala Harris seems quite obvious. The vice president, already expected to succeed Joe Biden in the event of death or incapacity, would be chosen by Democrats if the president were to step down.
A serial pioneer, this daughter of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother was the first woman and first black to become California’s attorney general, and later the first senator from South Asia. From his career as a magistrate, he retained a reputation for the toughness he could bring to a campaign where questions of crime weighed heavily.
However, some progressives criticize his harsh punishment for minor crimes, particularly those that affect minorities. At 59, he suffers from anemic popularity ratings, which could rally Democrats around another candidate.
Gavin Newsom
No rule provides that a running mate should automatically replace an existing candidate. This is why the name of California Governor Gavin Newsom has also been emphasized.
The 56-year-old Democrat, a former mayor of San Francisco, led the nation’s most populous state for five years, turning California into a sanctuary for abortion rights. The man with the well-combed locks has confirmed for now that Joe Biden’s “talks” about his fitness are “not doing our democracy any good”. But he maintains only relative secrecy about his presidential aspirations.
In recent months, the governor has ramped up his foreign trips, aired spots promoting his record without interruption and invested millions of dollars in political action groups.
Gretchen Whitmer
Another possible Democratic candidate: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The 52-year-old official leads Michigan, which has a large working-class population and large black and Arab communities, many voters that Joe Biden is currently unable to attract. A staunch opponent of Donald Trump, he is known to have been the target of a planned kidnapping by far-right militants. The state he presides over will be one of the most contested states in November’s presidential election, a strong argument for his nomination as the party’s nominee, according to his supporters.
Josh Shapiro
At 51, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro heads the largest “swing state,” meaning a state whose political colors fluctuate depending on elections that will play a decisive role in November.
He was twice elected attorney general of Pennsylvania before approaching the post in 2022, clearly defeating a far-right challenger backed by Donald Trump. In this role, the official denounced the sexual abuse of thousands of children by Catholic priests and sued Purdue Labs, the maker of the powerful opiate OxyContin.
A gifted orator and staunch centrist, Josh Shapiro has given himself a gubernatorial slogan: “Get Shit Done”, which can be more loosely translated: “Move the rain forward”.
Other names
Names of Governors of Illinois, JP Pritzker; From Maryland, Wes Moore; and from Kentucky, Andy Beshear; are in circulation, but their prospects seem very limited at present. Both are former candidates for the 2020 presidential election, as are Senator Amy Klobuchar or Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
“Alcohol enthusiast. Twitter ninja. Tv lover. Falls down a lot. Hipster-friendly coffee geek.”
