What was once considered unfathomable has become reality. The Democrats are seeking a new presidential candidate.
On Sunday afternoon, President Joe Biden announced his decision to end his reelection campaign following weeks of public, internal pressure from fellow Democrats over concerns he could not beat former President Donald Trump and that his candidacy would hurt down-ballot Senate and House races.
So what happens now that Biden is out?
Vice President Kamala Harris is the likeliest Democrat to replace Biden at the top of the ticket, though her nomination is far from a guarantee. Unlike the Presidential line of succession which is laid out in the United States Constitution, there is no requirement to name the vice president as the party’s nominee if the president bows out.
Harris' chances received a major boost minutes after the shocking announcement when Biden pledged his full endorsement to her candidacy.
With Biden off the ticket, the delegates that he's collected throughout the year during various state primary races are now released. Nintey-five percent of the 3,979 pledged delegates were required to vote for Biden but are now free to vote for whomever they choose, though it’s likely they will pick the candidate the Democratic Party endorses.
In the case the party cannot coalesce around one person, several other politicians are likely to vie for the party’s support. In addition to Harris, some of the other likely names would be California Governor Gavin Newsom, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Maryland Governor Wes Moore.
According to DNC rules, only the pledged delegates will take part in the first round of voting, but if one candidate cannot secure a simple majority, an additional 771 superdelegates who are unpledged will join the vote as well. Rounds of voting will continue until one candidate wins the nomination for the general election.
As of now, the Democratic National Committee has scheduled a virtual roll call for the first week of August to nominate its presidential ticket. If anything changes, the nominee will be chosen at the convention, which is scheduled to begin on Aug. 19, in Chicago.
So, what happens to all the money Biden’s campaign has raised?
There’s a debate whether Harris would have direct access to the money if she’s nominated after Biden drops out because her name is on the donations as the vice president. There would be legal challenges from Republican-backed lawyers to contest that.
To avoid legal issues, the Biden campaign could mark the funds as “excess” and contribute them to the Democratic National Committee or a PAC that would use it to support whomever the national party supports.