The first presidential debate
After the first debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, Democrats are in a state of panic. The current American president has had an unfavorable performance in this confrontation with the Republican candidate. Biden, for his part, has shown indecision, weakness and confusion. Biden’s age appears to have affected his performance, while Trump has emerged victorious in the debate. Faced with this defeat, the Democrats are considering a possibility that until now seemed unimaginable: dispensing with Joe Biden as a candidate. However, is it possible to do so just five months before the presidential elections?
The process of electing Democratic candidates
Changing candidates at this stage of the presidential race would not be easy, but it would not be impossible either. To understand how Democrats operate in electing their presidential candidate, it is important to know the Democratic primary system. In this system, states hold elections to elect candidates, but do not directly select the final candidate. Instead, they elect delegates who will vote for the candidate at the Democratic National Convention, which will be held this year in August in Chicago. The candidate who has obtained the majority of delegates from across the country will become the official candidate (https://rereferencesbibliograficas.com/como-parafrasear/).
At this point, Biden is not yet officially the Democratic nominee, but most states have already held their presidential primaries and most delegates have been selected for the incumbent president. Under Democratic rules, delegates Biden has won are required to vote for him, unless Biden himself decides to drop out of the presidential race. So far, the Democrat has made it clear that he has no intention of doing so, but will this defeat be a turning point? (https://rereferencesbibliograficas.com/como-parafrasear/)
Is it possible to change the rules?
The process of choosing presidential candidates is in the hands of the political parties, so they are the ones who establish the rules. In theory, there is a possibility that the Democratic National Committee, which is the party’s leadership, could meet before the convention and change the way the candidate is chosen. However, this is highly unlikely, since it would be internal chaos (https://rereferencesbibliograficas.com/como-parafrasear/).
Can delegates change their vote?
Currently, Democratic rules state that delegates chosen to the national convention must reflect the sentiments of those who elected them. However, there is a gray area when it comes to delegate commitment. Under Democratic rules, delegates are committed to voting for a particular candidate, but are not required to do so. In theory, many delegates could decide to ignore this commitment and change their vote. However, this would be highly unlikely, as Biden has won approximately 95% of the delegates in this year’s primaries. To prevent their campaign from being formalized, more than half of the delegates would have to agree, which is very difficult to achieve (https://rereferencesbibliograficas.com/como-parafrasear/).
Kamala Harris’s role
In Biden’s candidacy, Kamala Harris is his running mate. However, if Biden decides to withdraw from the presidential race, this does not automatically mean that Harris will take over her role. The American president does not have the authority to appoint his successor in the campaign. Biden could endorse Harris, but this decision would be more anecdotal than binding.