What happens if President Biden drops out of the race? Here’s what could happen next

WASHINGTON — The Democratic National Convention is just weeks aways and President Biden is still expected to accept the nomination.

But as pressure mounts for him to step aside, the process of choosing another Democratic nominee isn’t as simple as removing President Biden from the top of the ticket.

His primary and caucus wins earlier this year secured him the support of nearly 3,900 delegates.

The DNC says he’s the only person who qualifies for the nomination and its rules state that delegates should follow their states’ voters’ preferences.

But during his most recent press conference on July 11, President Biden said delegates are free to do whatever they want.

“If all of a sudden, I showed up at the convention and everybody said we want somebody else - that’s the Democratic process. It’s not going to happen,” said the President.

Biden-Harris Campaign Chair Jen O'Malley Dillon: Every person believes we have to defeat Donald Trump. We are united in that. We know how high the stakes are. We saw that on stage last night in Trump's speech at the Republican National Convention. There's a clear contrast between… pic.twitter.com/YFZNyVgBJp
— Biden-Harris HQ (@BidenHQ) July 19, 2024

But what happens if President Biden drops out before the convention?

Political science professor Casey Burgat said there are several possible scenarios.

“We haven’t seen this play out in a long time and Democratic politics or Republican politics for that matter,” said Casey Burgat, assistant professor at George Washington University.

Burgat said while Vice President Kamala Harris is already on the ticket, she won’t automatically become the next presidential nominee.

Delegates could choose her or anyone else.

“She was not on the ballot, it was only a singular person, you were voting for a presidential nominee, and then that authority to pick the running mate goes to the president and confirmed by that convention,” said Burgat.

Burgat said delegates will make the case for a nominee and then vote.

“And the first one to a majority will be the presumptive nominee, or in fact, the official nominee heading into November,” he said.

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The Biden campaign said President Biden is staying in the race.

President Biden released a statement Friday saying he looks forward to getting back on the campaign trail “making the case for my own record and the vision that I have for America.”

Many of his events were cancelled this week after President Biden tested positive for COVID-19.

There’s a separate process if President Biden were to step down after accepting the nomination next month.

In that case, Burgat said the Democratic National Party would consult with Democratic congressional and gubernational leaders to select a new nominee.

“So if we’re thinking this is a backroom deal right now headed into Chicago, if President Biden drops out, it will literally be party elders selecting their nominee without any sort of down ballot approval process from voters or even delegates,” said Burgat.

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