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Vice-president Kamala Harris is the leading contender to replace Joe Biden and is on his campaign slate.
If Joe Biden endorses Kamala Harris, the Democratic delegates may follow, but they are not required to do so
Biden will no longer run for a second term, a decision coming just months before the November election
President Joe Biden will no longer run for reelection, he announced on Sunday, July 21, after mounting pressure and speculation over his fitness to serve for four more years.
Biden announced his choice in a lengthy letter which he addressed to “my fellow Americans.”
The stunning decision comes just months before the November 2024 election, and follows the assassination attempt against his Republican foe, Donald Trump. Days later, Biden pulled out of a speaking commitment after he tested positive for COVID-19 on July 17. Biden, 81, had previously said that he’d drop out of the election should a medical emergency emerge.
A new Democratic candidate has not yet been identified. In his letter, Biden said he would speak to the nation about his decision in more detail later this week.
Biden formally announced that he would run for reelection on April 25, 2023, promising at the time that Vice President Kamala Harris would remain alongside him on the ticket after their first term together.
His performance at the first 2024 presidential debate was what first heightened voters’ doubts about his cognitive health, and quickly sparked the initial calls for a new Democratic candidate.
Keep reading for more information and live updates about what this means for Biden, Harris and the 2024 election.
Donald Trump, 78, Will Now Remain Oldest Presidential Nominee in U.S. History
Donald Trump is the oldest presidential nominee in history at 78 years old, a fact unchanged by President Joe Biden’s decision to end his 2024 reelection campaign.
With much of the debate leading up to Biden’s campaign end centered on his age — now 81 — and ability to serve until he turned 85, Trump would also be in this 80s by the time his term in office ended, should he be elected.
Both Trump and Biden were their parties’ oldest nominees in history. Still, Trump has frequently attacked Biden over his age — a mere three years older — throughout this election cycle.
Pete Buttigieg Calls Biden ‘Among the Best’ Presidents as Some Republicans Call for Him to Resign
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg has shared compliments to Joe Biden as the president announced the end of his campaign.
In a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), Buttigieg wrote, “Joe Biden has earned his place among the best and most consequential presidents in American history. I am so proud to serve under his leadership, and thankful for his unwavering focus on what is best for our country.”
Biden said he was ending his campaign so he could focus on closing out his final term as president. Some Republicans, though, think the end of Biden’s reelection bid should also mark a resignation from his presidency.
Wrote representative Elise Stefanik in an X message, “If Joe Biden can’t run for re-election, he is unable and unfit to serve as President of the United States. He must immediately resign.”
Donald Trump Claims Biden ‘Was Not Fit to Run for President’ in Truth Social Post
In his first reaction to the news that Joe Biden is ending his campaign for reelection, his opponent, former President Donald Trump said that Biden “was not fit to run for President, and is certainly not fit to serve – And never was!”
In his Truth Social post, Trump claimed, “We will suffer greatly because of his presidency, but we will remedy the damage he has done very quickly. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
If Kamala Harris Is the New Democratic Candidate, Who Will Be Her Running Mate?
Joe Biden has endorsed his vice president, Kamala Harris, to be the Democratic candidate for president in 2024. While she is not officially the nominee, there is already a slate of potential new vice presidential candidates to join her ticket.
Some names to likely get buzz? Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear or Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly. Read about them and other potential vice presidential candidates.
Dr. Jill Biden Reshares President Biden’s Letter with Heart Emojis
Dr. Jill Biden refrained from issuing a lengthy statement on social media immediately after her husband, President Joe Biden, shared news of his plans to end his reelection campaign.
Instead, the first lady shared a double heart emoji alongside a retweet of the president’s lengthy letter to Democrats on Sunday.
Biden Endorses Vice President Kamala Harris as Democratic Candidate
On the heels of his announcement that he’ll no longer seek reelection, President Joe Biden endorsed his Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic candidate for president.
Biden said on Twitter that he is not running to instead “focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term.”
“My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made,” said Biden. “Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this.”
Harris has not yet addressed the endorsement.
President Joe Biden Announces His Decision Not to Run for Reelection in Letter to the American People
On Sunday, July 21, President Joe Biden released a letter to the American people, announcing his decision not to run for reelection. Below is his statement in full:
Over the past three and a half years, we have made great progress as a Nation.
Today, America has the strongest economy in the world. We’ve made historic investments in rebuilding our Nation, in lowering prescription drug costs for seniors, and in expanding affordable health care to a record number of Americans. We’ve provided critically needed care to a million veterans exposed to toxic substances. Passed the first gun safety law in 30 years. Appointed the first African American woman to the Supreme Court. And passed the most significant climate legislation in the history of the world. America has never been better positioned to lead than we are today. I know none of this could have been done without you, the American people. Together, we overcame a once in a century pandemic and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. We’ve protected and preserved our Democracy. And we’ve revitalized and strengthened our alliances around the world.
It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.
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I will speak to the Nation later this week in more detail about my decision.
For now, let me express my deepest gratitude to all those who have worked so hard to see me reelected. I want to thank Vice President Kamala Harris for being an extraordinary partner in all this work. And let me express my heartfelt appreciation to the American people for the faith and trust you have placed in me.
I believe today what I always have: that there is nothing America can’t do – when we do it together. We just have to remember we are the United States of America.
Could there be an ‘open’ party convention in August?
An “open convention” takes place when there is no predetermined nominee because no candidate has a clear majority of delegates. This would attract enormous attention, with the risk of highlighting strong divisions between different personalities and ideological factions in the party, not least divisions over the war in Gaza. That would contrast with the slick, tightly co-ordinated Republic convention in Milwaukee, which anointed Trump and his chosen vice-president JD Vance.
Past open conventions have triggered chaos, most notably at the DNC in 1968, which also took place in Chicago. Lyndon Johnson, the sitting president at the time, pulled out of the race and Robert F Kennedy, who hoped to replace him, was assassinated. Hubert Humphrey won the party’s backing against a backdrop of protests over the Vietnam War, and then lost the election to the Republican Richard Nixon.
Who is the most likely replacement for Biden?
Harris is in the leading position to replace Biden and is on his campaign slate, although she is not much more popular than the president in the polls. A senior Democrat fundraiser said Harris was “highly likely” to be Biden’s replacement if he stepped down, both because few others had been “fully vetted or have a team in place”, and due to the sensitivities of pushing aside a black, woman candidate.
Those tipped as rival contenders include Californian governor Gavin Newsom and Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer, both of whom have cultivated a national presence in recent months.
Others from traditionally Republican states such as Andy Beshear of Kentucky and Roy Cooper of North Carolina – with whom Harris has campaigned recently – are longer shots. So are transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg, commerce secretary Gina Raimondo and Ohio senator Sherrod Brown. Josh Shapiro, governor of Pennsylvania, and JB Pritzker, of Illinois, have also been mentioned.
Any replacement candidate would need to consider their own running mate picks in an effort to broaden their appeal to a wider range of voters.
Who gets the money Biden has raised?
Biden and Harris share a campaign committee that raised $270m (€247m) in the second quarter of this year. If Harris remains on the ticket as either the presidential or vice-presidential candidate, she retains her access to the unspent funds.
Federal contribution limits cap candidate-to-candidate transfers at $2,000 per election, so if Biden stepped aside, his campaign would have to offer to refund the money to donors, who could then use it to contribute to the new candidate’s campaign, according to the Leadership Now Project.
The Biden campaign could also transfer an unlimited amount to the DNC, which can spend up to $32mn in co-ordination with the new nominee’s campaign, according to FEC rules. Campaign experts say the transfer of any remaining funds could not be given directly to the candidate but could be spent in alignment with their campaign, much as super Pac fundraising groups work.
After a recent drop in campaign contributions by leading donors as concerns over Biden’s campaign intensified, some Democrats believe a replacement candidate could energise donors and boost funding in an effort to defeat Trump. – Financial Times.