The possibility of President Joe Biden being replaced as the Democratic presidential candidate is gaining traction.
Biden has suggested to his key aides that he might step down as a candidate. Vice President Kamala Harris, likely to succeed Biden, has agreed to meet with him.
Supporters of Harris have started preparing strategies in anticipation of Biden’s potential withdrawal from the candidacy.
Biden is still presented as the more viable alternative in the polls.
According to the New York Times (NYT) on the 3rd, Biden confided in a key aide that continuing as a presidential candidate might be challenging if he can’t prove to voters that he can serve another four-year term as president.
This marks a shift from his previous stance of vowing to “complete the race” even amidst growing calls for withdrawal following his debate debacle with former President Donald Trump on the 27th of last month.
This key aide said, “Biden is well aware that the situation would be completely different if he had to go through this again twice.”
However, the White House dismissed the NYT report as “blatantly false.”
Nevertheless, CNN also reported that Biden had a similar conversation with another aide about his difficult situation, indicating he is fully aware of the current situation.
At 81, Biden has been under pressure to withdraw from the candidacy due to his inability to counter Trump’s sharp attacks in the debate, despite Trump being 78.
Supporters of Harris have quietly started to prepare strategies in case Biden withdraws from the candidacy.
According to CNBC, sources say that discussions among Harris supporters have begun via phone calls and text messages.
These supporters had financially backed Harris during the 2020 Democratic presidential primary.
One key topic of discussion is whether Harris will take over the management of the Biden-Harris campaign funds, which are currently handled by the Biden camp, if Biden steps down.
While Harris is the most likely alternative if Biden withdraws, it is still uncertain if this will be confirmed at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) meeting in Chicago.
Biden is known to have promised Democratic governors a Democratic presidential primary if he withdraws.
According to the Financial Times (FT), in response to the rapidly evolving situation, Biden has agreed to meet with Harris and Democratic governors.
FT sources indicate that before the meeting, Biden had phone conversations with Hakeem Jeffries, House Democratic Representative, and Chuck Schumer, Senate Democratic Representative.
Reports say that Biden will have lunch with Harris and meet with JB Pritzker, Governor of Illinois, and Gavin Newsom, Governor of California, in the evening.
He also plans to have a video call with Roy Cooper, Governor of North Carolina, and Josh Shapiro, Governor of Pennsylvania.
The chances of Harris winning the election have surpassed Biden’s following the Biden-Trump debate.
A CBS News poll released on the 3rd showed Trump leading Biden by 2 percentage points in nationwide support. A month ago, the same poll showed Biden leading Trump.
A CNN poll on the 2nd revealed Biden’s approval rating plummeting to an all-time low. In a hypothetical matchup, Harris appeared to be a better choice than Biden.
Harris, who had been relatively invisible as Vice President, has seen a sharp rise in her approval rating as the possibility of Biden stepping down emerged.
According to RealClearPolitics, the betting market on the 3rd predicted a higher chance of Harris winning the November 5 election than Biden. However, both were less likely to beat Trump.
Biden’s chances in a hypothetical matchup against Trump were over 30% before the debate but plummeted to the low 10% range after the debate.
On the other hand, Harris’s chances have been surging this month. However, they are still just slightly over the mid-10% range.
Nevertheless, if Harris is confirmed as the candidate, her chances of winning the election are likely to increase.
