With United States (US) President Joseph Biden ending his re-election campaign and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris, Democrats must now implement an unprecedented turnaround so late in the election cycle.
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The Democrats are scheduled to hold their convention in Chicago, August 19-22. What was supposed to be just a formal "crowning" of Biden as the candidate is now becoming an open contest where nearly 4.700 delegates will be responsible for choosing a new candidate to face Republican Donald Trump in the fall.
The path forward is neither easy nor obvious, although Biden has endorsed Harris. There are questions about logistics, money and political ramifications.
Can Biden refocus his delegates?
Biden won every caucus and caucus earlier this year except for the territory of American Samoa. At least 3.896 delegates pledged their support.
Current party rules do not allow Biden to transfer delegates to another candidate, but politically - his support is very influential.
What could happen at the convention?
After Biden's withdrawal, the Democrats are technically starting an open convention. The immediate burden on Harris is to shore up the support of nearly 4.000 delegates from states, territories and the District of Columbia, Washington, D.C., as well as more than 700 so-called superdelegates, including party leaders, certain elected officials and former presidents and vice presidents.
Will Kamala Haris have opponents?
Even before Biden announced his decision, Democrats had mentioned California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as potential candidates alongside Harris. And yet, some Democrats publicly, and many privately, argued that it was a logical choice to put the first woman, the first black woman and the first person of South Asian descent to the fore for the highest office in the country.
Given how important the black vote — and especially black women — was to Biden's nomination and his choice of Harris as vice president, it would be risky, to say the least, for Democrats to choose a white candidate instead. Democrats already faced major obstacles even before Biden's withdrawal. Newsom and Whitmer, who are both white, and any other Democrat, would have to weigh the short-term and long-term benefits of running against Kamala Harris versus preserving a favorable position for some future presidential contest.
Whether it's deserved or not, Harris hasn't had a reputation as a particularly popular or strong vice president until now. The best scenario for the Democrats is that they quickly gather her support and act as a united front. They could even go a step further with plans to hold early, virtual voting.
What happens to Biden's campaign money?
The Biden campaign currently has $91 million in cash. When you add up the donations received by various committees in the Democratic campaign, the president currently has more than 240 million dollars at his disposal. Campaign finance experts generally agree that Harris could control all of those funds since the campaign is being run in her name as well as Biden's. If the Democrats do nominate someone else, the money in party accounts would still go to the candidate, but greater restrictions would apply to the Biden-Harris account. For example, legal experts say it could become an independent political action committee but not simply transfer its money to another candidate.
How will the vice president nomination process work?
The nomination of the vice-president is always done by separate vote at the convention. In years when the campaign is more routine, the convention merely confirms the president's choice of vice president. If Harris quickly gains the support of the party, she could nominate her choice for vice president and have delegates ratify it. However, in the event of a prolonged battle, the vice-presidential post could also be open to a vote at the convention, as in the olden days.
Can Republicans remove Harris from state ballots?
Any unexpected situation in the US presidential campaign is sure to trigger a series of state and federal lawsuits in this hyper-partisan era, and some conservatives have already threatened to do so.
State laws, however, do not dictate how parties choose their presidential candidates. Some Republican politicians, such as Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, have already worked this week to ensure that their party does not deny Democrats routine access to the ballot.
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