Press
After the TV debate with Donald Trump, a debate has erupted about the candidacy of another Democrat as US President.
Washington – In view of the devastating reactions, a debate has broken out about a last-minute candidate change among the US Democrats. “The question is: what are the Democrats doing? I think there is panic at the moment,” said Sudha David-Wilp of the US foundation German Marshall Fund Berlin on ZDF.
Primary election victory for Biden: Decision only at the party convention in Chicago
Joe Biden clearly won the Democratic primaries and secured the necessary delegate votes for the nominating convention in August. However, the candidate will not be officially chosen until this convention in Chicago. If Biden were to then announce on his own initiative that he would not run again – for health reasons, for example – a change of candidate would be possible.
The delegates would then no longer be bound by the outcome of the internal primary in their state, but would be free to make their own decision. The position would be open to all possible top candidates from the respective party, and various alternative candidates would certainly publicly announce their ambitions. The delegates would then choose the new presidential candidate at the party convention. Political scientist David Barker from the American University in Washington says: “That would be pretty much the most exciting thing that anyone who follows US politics has ever experienced in their lives.”
US elections: Kamala Harris less popular than Trump or Biden
But the search for an alternative will be difficult: The natural choice would be Vice President Kamala Harris. But the 59-year-old is even more unpopular than Trump or Biden: Only 36 percent are in favor of her, according to a recent poll by USAToday and Suffolk University are satisfied with their work.
US election: Alternatives to Biden’s candidacy
Another favorite would be Gavin Newsom (56), the governor of California. With his liberal views (commitment to illegal immigrants, opposition to the death penalty, commitment to universal health insurance) he is considered too left-wing by many voters in the USA. Governor JB Pritzker also has a chance as a Biden alternative from Illinois. The 59-year-old comes from an entrepreneurial dynasty and, with a fortune of around 3.2 billion US dollars, is currently the richest person in the United States who holds public office.
Alternatives to Biden: Whitmer, Polis and Shapiro in the race
Gretchen Whitmer (52) completely restored the unions’ right to strike as governor of Michigan and has thereby gained popularity among traditional workers. During Trump’s term in the White House, right-wing militia members planned to overthrow Whitmer and kidnap her before the 2020 election, which the FBI prevented. Jared Polis (49) from Colorado is the first US governor who is openly gay. Josh Shapiro (51), who has only been governor of Biden’s home state of Pennsylvania for a year, is clearly ahead of Biden and even more clearly ahead of Trump in terms of popularity in polls in the always hotly contested key state.
Pete Buttigieg has lost his chance to be a candidate
Pete Buttigieg, the 42-year-old Democratic hopeful from the US state of Indiana, has lost reputation as Secretary of Transportation under Biden: After a train accident in the state of Ohio in 2023 in which toxic chemicals were released, he reacted too hesitantly. A mistake for which he later even had to publicly apologize.
US election 2024: Michelle Obama does not want to return to the White House
Michelle Obama is also mentioned again and again, of course. But the former First Lady has repeatedly and credibly stressed that she has no ambitions to return to the White House. (Klaus Rimpel)
#Democrats #panic #replace #Biden