On Politics: Biden is out, and Democrats have a whole new set of questions.
Biden is out, and Democrats have a whole new set of questions.
It's over. At 1:46 p.m., with the minute hand of the clock pointed to the number of his presidency, President Biden somberly ended his untenable re-election campaign and sought to give his downtrodden party something he could no longer provide: a sense of hope. "It is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down," he wrote in a letter posted to X, "and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as president for the remainder of my term." It was an earthshaking political moment many Democrats had been clamoring for — so I'm struck by how quietly it came, and with how little fanfare. Biden's choice, made while he is at his Delaware beach house after testing positive for Covid-19, did not leak. He told some of his senior staff only a minute before he told the world, my colleague Katie Rogers reported. He did not make a speech to the public, though he said he will later this week. His campaign's transformation, though, starts now. About half an hour after he withdrew, Biden endorsed his vice president, Kamala Harris. A little after 4 p.m., she made it official herself. "My intention," Harris said in a statement distributed by the Biden for President campaign, "is to earn and win this nomination." In an all-staff call, the campaign's leaders said they were now all working for Harris for President, according to my colleague Reid Epstein. "We're all going to do it the same," said Julie Chavez Rodriguez, the campaign manager. The stunning turn of events has plunged the presidential campaign into — if you can imagine it — even more uncertainty. No sitting president has dropped out this close to an election, with the general election just 107 days away. There is no secret, behind-the-scenes plan that we know of to line up the party immediately behind a new nominee. Nobody knows exactly where this goes from here. Biden is betting that his stepping aside will bring new energy and unity to a divided party that had all but given up on him. But underneath the nuts-and-bolts questions about just how Democrats will go about selecting a new nominee is a larger dilemma about what kind of party it wants to be right now. Should Democrats join Biden in, essentially, anointing Harris as their nominee? Or would doing so open the party up to criticisms, already being stoked by Republicans, that it has sidestepped a more competitive process? Here's what we know so far about four questions I know are on your minds. So, is Kamala Harris going to be the nominee?Harris is well positioned to be. But it's too soon to be certain. It's up to the 4,600 delegates to the Democratic National Convention to pick a presidential nominee, and there is lots of attention right now on the rules and mechanics of what those delegates can and will do. I am no expert on the internecine maze of rules governing this process. But one thing I know is that, right now, the bigger question is this: Is anybody other than Harris going to run? There has been lots of talk about an "open convention." . But the central issue is whether or not there will be a contested convention, where more than one serious candidate seeks the presidential nomination. OK. Is anybody else running?At this early hour, no high-profile Democrat has jumped in to challenge Harris, and there are reasons to believe that at least some of the party's brightest stars plan to sit this out. Some, like Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, have already said they would not run against Harris; on Sunday night, he endorsed her. Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania also endorsed Harris on Sunday. But it is also worth noting that some other governors seen as potential contenders did not immediately endorse Harris on Sunday. Who is supporting Harris?Big names across the party are lining up behind the vice president, hoping that a display of unity will give them a running start to an abbreviated campaign. Biden's endorsement is by far the most important. Former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, quickly endorsed Harris, too, promising to do "whatever we can to support her." Key leaders on Capitol Hill have also rallied behind Harris. They include Senator Patty Murray of Washington — the president pro tempore of the Senate, who is third in line to the presidency — as well as leaders of important blocs of Democrats in the House. The chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, the centrist New Democrats and the Congressional Black Caucus all backed Harris on Sunday, according to my colleague Luke Broadwater. Some Democrats want to encourage a competitive process. Representative Lloyd Doggett of Texas said the process of choosing a nominee should be open to "all talented individuals" who want to be considered. But, as Luke pointed out, the idea of bypassing Harris has already angered some Democrats, particularly those who had remained supportive of Biden. What do party leaders want?The Democratic Party's most powerful leaders have held off endorsing Harris right away — suggesting that, for now at least, they want to avoid something that looks too much like a speedy coronation. Former President Barack Obama said he believed party leaders will "be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges." My colleague Peter Baker reported that Obama was adopting the same position of neutrality he had during the 2020 primary campaign. Senator Chuck Schumer, the majority leader, and Representative Hakeem Jeffries, the minority leader, both of New York, did not mention endorsing Harris in their statements about Biden's choice to bow out. Nor did Representative Nancy Pelosi, the former House speaker, who wields considerable power over her party. Pelosi has previously told her colleagues she favors a "competitive" process because she believes that would strengthen Harris before the general election, my colleagues Annie Karni and Robert Jimison reported. The debate over endorsements and the process to come is moot, however, unless somebody actually runs against Harris. Read past editions of the newsletter here. If you're enjoying what you're reading, please consider recommending it to others. They can sign up here. Have feedback? Ideas for coverage? We'd love to hear from you. Email us at onpolitics@nytimes.com.
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