On the afternoon of Sunday, July 21st, political shockwaves were sent through the United States in a figurative sense after the incumbent 46th president of the United States Joe Biden announced he would be suspending his re-election campaign less than four calendar months from the November general election. Biden stated that while he had made this difficult decision, he would not be resigning from the presidency and would finish out his term of service. The unprecedented political move has left the Democratic party in an uncertain position. Biden immediately endorsed his Vice President, Kamala Harris, as his replacement, and other prominent Democratic leaders like Bill and Hillary Clinton, Gavin Newsom, Josh Shapiro, and Phil Murphy have all followed suit. In the 24 hours that have passed since Biden made his announcement, Harris raised over $50 million in funds for a campaign. Harris has claimed she seeks to “earn” the party nomination.
There have been many rumors as to whom Harris may pick as a Vice Presidential running mate. While the question is legitimate, it is not yet even certain that Harris will be the party nominee. An open process at the DNC could mean that many other candidates could be in the running for the nomination. Regardless, several names have been circulated- the governor of Michigan Gretchen Whitmer, and the governor of Pennsylvania Josh Shapiro are two choices that have been promoted.
One political journalist from the media outlet CBS named Margaret Brennan stated that according to several inside sources, it would be “political suicide” for any Democrat to challenge Harris for the nomination. Biden had immediately endorsed Harris after announcing his intentions to step aside. The Democratic National Convention is set to begin on August 19th (nearly a month away). The Democratic national chair, Jaime Harrison, said the party will move forward with its plan to select a nominee in the upcoming week as was planned before the announcement.