Biden already earned a majority of delegates. Could Democrats still nominate someone else?
President Joe Biden said he is committed to staying in the 2024 race, despite swirling speculation that he may end his bid for the White House after Thursday's ridiculed debate performance against former President Donald Trump.
"I don't debate as well as I used to. But I know what I do know: I know how to tell the truth," Biden said at a North Carolina campaign rally Friday. "I know how to do this job."
Support from his inner circle and vows he will still beat Trump in November haven't stopped calls from major newspaper editorial boards, Democratic donors, and party strategists for Biden to make way for another nominee.
As it stands, the Democratic party does not appear to have an obvious backup plan if Biden were to step aside. He ran virtually unopposed in the primary.
However, he is still the party's presumptive nominee and won't be confirmed until the Democratic National Convention, which will take place in Chicago from August 19 to 22. Only then could party leaders take drastic action if they decide they actually want to replace him.
More: How much did debate hurt Biden's re-election bid? New poll offers insight.
How are presidential nominees usually selected?
Each election cycle, states hold presidential primaries. A certain number of delegates are allocated to a candidate based on the number of votes they receive in each state.
Once the primary elections are over, the delegates meet for their party's nominating convention, where they vote to confirm a candidate, usually in alignment with the voters they represent. Candidates need 1,976 delegate votes to win the nomination.
Over the last several months, Biden has won his party's primaries across the country and accrued nearly 4,000 Democratic delegates. Trump has earned 2,265.
There are no signs the GOP or Republican delegates are questioning their support for Trump, making him a shoo-in for confirmation during the party's convention in Milwaukee from July 15 to 18.
The same could easily be true for Biden, but if Democrats decide they want to go with another candidate, they have rarely traversed alternate paths forward.
What could happen at the DNC?
The most seamless scenario for the Democratic party to select another candidate at the DNC would involve Biden choosing to step aside voluntarily. If he did, it is assumed his delegates would be free to support another candidate of their choice, even if they were not on primary ballots.
This process would take the party back to its historic roots, where potential candidates such as governors or senators interested in being president would try to win each state delegation's support.
If Biden does not step aside and party members decide they want to select another candidate, they technically still could. Tradition directs delegates to support the candidate who won their primary, but according to party rules, they are only obligated to support them in "good conscience." In this unlikely scenario, delegates could vote for another candidate even with Biden still in the race.
What if Democrats want to replace Biden after the DNC?
The process would be more streamlined if Democrats wanted to replace Biden on the November ticket after the DNC. At that point, the Democratic National Committee would hold a special meeting called to order by its chair to determine the party's nominee.
This scenario becomes more difficult the closer the decision is to Nov. 5. To win the White House, a candidate will want time to campaign and for their name to be printed on ballots, which, in some cases, need to be sent out 45 days before Election Day.
Reuters contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Can Democrats replace Joe Biden on the November ticket?
