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By Daniel Bush
White House Correspondent
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Vice President Kamala Harris became President Joe Biden's likeliest successor as soon as he dropped his bid for a second term Sunday. Now she must quickly unify the Democratic Party behind her, squash any potential challengers and pick a running mate — with just four weeks left before the party's convention in August.
Assuming she secures the nomination, Harris will have less than 100 days to make her case against former President Donald Trump, in an election that was trending in Trump's direction even before Biden's politically fatal debate.
But before she can focus on Trump, Harris has to consolidate support for her candidacy — and while most Democrats believe she will be the eventual nominee, the next few days and weeks will be a critical period for the vice president and her allies.
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Biden endorsed Harris soon after announcing that he was dropping out of the race, in an effort to quickly cement Harris as the Democratic presidential nominee.
"I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year," Biden said Sunday in a statement on X, shortly after announcing his decision not to seek a second term in the White House.
Bill and Hillary Clinton threw their support behind Harris in a joint statement Sunday as many Democrats moved swiftly to show their support for the vice president. "Now is the time to support Kamala Harris and fight with everything we've got to elect her," the Clintons said.
Despite the high-profile endorsements, Biden's announcement sparked speculation that other Democrats might call for a primary-style election to pick his replacement, either in the lead-up to the Democratic National Convention or in an open convention at the party gathering in Chicago in late August.
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Former President Barack Obama pointedly did not endorse Harris in a statement praising Biden for his decision to suspend his campaign.
"I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges," Obama said in a statement.
Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a Democrat-turned-independent, was reportedly considering rejoining the Democratic Party to mount a challenge to Harris, but he said Monday morning he would not seek the nomination. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has also been floated as a potential challenger, though he issued a statement endorsing Harris.
The unprecedented situation represents a remarkable turn of events for the 81-year-old Biden, who will end his decadeslong career in politics with a humiliating withdrawal amid questions about his age and mental acuity.
Biden's withdrawal puts Harris in a bind as her allies consider how best to elevate the first woman and person of color to serve as vice president. Some Democrats weighing the party's options are privately worried about the optics of handing the nomination to Harris without some sort of open process that allows voters to weigh in.
On the other hand, most party insiders believe that bypassing Harris would anger key segments of the party's base.
"It's looking like Kamala Harris," said Aaron Regunberg, a member of a group called Pass the Torch that called for Biden to drop out. Going forward, he said, Democrats should focus on building "a ticket that can win the presidency."
Practical campaign logistics will likely outweigh other considerations in choosing the ticket, several Democratic sources told Newsweek.
As part of the Biden campaign, Harris can use the campaign's existing war chest to run against Trump. Other candidates would not have access to the money, and would have to build a campaign operation from scratch, election and campaign finance analysts said.
Conservative groups and some Republicans in Congress have also questioned the legality of Democrats replacing Biden so late in the election cycle.
But both parties have rules in place that allow them to change their nominees. Doing so would not violate any laws, and because states will not start printing ballots until after the DNC, Democrats have several more weeks to decide on the final ticket, according to David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation & Research.
"There are no legal issues with the Democratic Party picking its nominee" this late in the election, Becker said. Democrats can choose who to put on the ballot, and "it's very likely that the party will consolidate around a ticket in the coming days," he added.
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As Harris moved to shore up her own support, speculation is mounting around her choice of a running mate.
The reported shortlist includes several Democratic governors, among them Andy Beshear of Kentucky, Roy Cooper of North Carolina and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania. Other wild card options being tossed around in Democratic circles include Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Democratic governors Gavin Newsom of California and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan—who were rumored as possible Biden replacements—are unlikely choices for Harris if she secures the nomination, Democrats told Newsweek.
Several Biden campaign officials declined to comment on Harris' potential selection of a running mate.
"I am honored to have the President's endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination," Harris said in a statement. She did not mention the issue of choosing a running mate.
Democrats outside the campaign said Harris is likely to pick a white man who can appeal to moderate voters.
"She'll be seeking to balance the ticket," said Kait Sweeney, a Democratic strategist. "I think she would go for someone who is popular, has governing experience, and has a track record winning over moderate and Republican-leaning voters in suburban areas."
For all the attention swirling around Harris' potential VP pick, Democratic and Republican strategists predicted the choice won't have a significant impact on the election. With Biden out, the race will focus on the top-of-the-ticket battle between Trump and Harris, assuming she gets the nomination.
There have been few head-to-head polls of Trump and Harris, making it somewhat difficult to gauge a potential general election matchup.
But Harris has generally trailed Trump in surveys where pollsters have asked voters about her. The vice president also has low approval ratings, and as the presidential candidate would be tied to Biden and policies that are unpopular on the right.
The Trump campaign stepped up its attacks against Harris in recent weeks as talk mounted that Biden might step down, portraying her as a radical leftist unfit to be president.
The shakeup in the race comes at a time of deep political division in the country, just eight days after Trump survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. Trump sent several fundraising messages after Biden dropped out, calling on supporters to donate to his campaign.
"Crooked Joe Biden just dropped out of the race," Trump said in one email, adding: "The Democrat Party is in shambles."
Still, some Republicans acknowledged that the race may be closer now that Biden is no longer the Democratic nominee and Democrats start shifting the focus from questions around Biden's age back to a referendum on Trump.
"This race is going to be tight. Trump is the favorite but he is no longer a fait accompli," said one Republican, who asked for anonymity to offer a candid assessment of the race. "Now that Biden is out, many Democrats who were angry and embarrassed by Biden will come home to Harris or whoever the nominee is."
Some Democrats praised Harris' response Sunday and her overall performance in recent weeks, as she came under increasing scrutiny amid the speculation that Biden might drop out.
"She's been undercounted, but she has the energy and the discipline to beat Donald Trump," said Sweeney. Democrats "are very confident in Kamala Harris."
Others lamented that the party waited this long. "This process should have happened at the start of the year," said David Dixon, a longtime Democratic activist in North Carolina who is backing Harris to replace Biden.
"We could have had all of this settled long before now," he added. "Instead, [the party is] going into the DNC in a month with a lot of confusion."
Update 7/22/2024 10:48 a.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional information.
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