(NewsNation) — Democrats would need to clear several hurdles to replace President Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee as party members reportedly panic about his debate performance.
As for Biden, sources told NewsNation the president has no intention of dropping out of the race, further complicating Democrats’ potential next steps.
There is reportedly panic within the Democratic Party following Thursday’s debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.
The 90-minute showdown left some Democrats anxious about the November election over their ability to reelect Biden. The president’s performance Thursday fueled concerns that at 81 years old, the president might not be able to rise to the occasion.
NewsNation’s Joe Khalil said there’s concern among many Democrats, who seem to fall into two different categories.
The first category, encompassing everyone except elected members of Congress, say the debate was a clear reason to talk about whether the party should replace Biden as its nominee.
The other category, which includes some elected members of Congress, say they have concerns but suggest staying the course. According to them, Biden has a good record so far and delivered on his promises.
“It was not a good night for the president, but it’s not the end of the campaign,” said Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss.
Some members of Congress say they’re “terrified” about what another four years of Trump might look like.
But other party leaders can’t remove Biden from the ticket. Rather, any Democrat who wants to replace the president would need to do so through an open nominating process on the Democratic National Convention floor, Politico reported, citing official convention rules.
While the convention isn’t until mid-August, the party must nominate a candidate by Aug. 7 — some 40 days from now — in order for them to appear on the Ohio ballot. Democrats had already made plans to host a virtual roll call prior to the convention to meet the Ohio requirement, which would also put Biden on the ballot in all 50 states.
Biden, however, has no intention of dropping out of the 2024 race after Thursday’s debate showed the candidate’s repeated verbal stumbling, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to NewsNation.
The source also confirmed the Biden campaign has not discussed avoiding the second debate scheduled for September.
NewsNation reporters Kellie Meyer and Joe Khalil contributed to this report.