Who is replacing Joe Biden? Kamala Harris most likely Democratic presidential nominee
President Joe Biden has ended his reelection campaign less than a month before the Democratic National Convention. Who will replace Biden, and how does this change the 2024 presidential election?
Here's what we know.
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Who is replacing Joe Biden?
Vice President Kamala Harris appears to be the leading candidate to replace President Joe Biden as the Democratic Party’s nominee in the 2024 election.
Biden emphatically endorsed Harris to be the Democratic presidential nominee in a social media post Sunday shortly after announcing his decision to step out of the 2024 race.
“My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” Biden wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made.”
"Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year,” he added.
If formally nominated, Harris, 59, would become the first Black woman at the top of a major party presidential ticket. She has served as Biden’s vice president for more than three years and, before that, represented California in the U.S. Senate.
Read more: Who will replace Biden? Kamala Harris is the immediate frontrunner to replace him
Who are the 2024 Democratic Party presidential candidates?
Despite Joe Biden's endorsement of Kamala Harris, other names have the potential to appear on the ticket.
Others who could throw their name into the ring include Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
The Democratic Party will not officially name its presidential nominee until its convention in August.
Is Michelle Obama a presidential candidate?
Former first lady Michelle Obama would beat former President Donald Trump in a hypothetical match-up, according to a poll published earlier this month.
Fifty-five percent of registered voters also said they have a favorable attitude toward Obama, compared to 42% toward Trump. The Reuters/Ipsos poll, conducted among 892 registered voters, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
Despite these results, Michelle Obama has never expressed interest in running for the position her husband held for eight years.
What is an open convention?
Now that current President Joe Biden has exited the presidential race, the 2024 Democratic Convention will be an open convention.
Typically, the Republican and Democratic National Conventions are ceremonies for the presidential candidates who won the most votes during the primaries. Without Biden as the clear presidential nominee for the Democratic Party, the DNC will likely become a competition among the other candidates. Delegates at the convention will vote to decide a single nominee to represent the party.
At the Republication National Convention held in Milwaukee last week, former President Donald Trump secured his presidential nomination and announced JD Vance as his vice presidential running mate.
— USA TODAY contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Did Biden endorse Kamala Harris? What to know about Democratic nominee
