7 Democrats who could replace Biden if he drops his 2024 reelection bid

• President Joe Biden's reelection bid has the strong backing of most elected Democrats.

• But many Democrats are concerned over Biden's underwhelming debate performance against Donald Trump.

• In the unlikely event that Biden left the race, an array of Democrats would be in the mix to lead the party.

President Joe Biden's widely panned debate performance has reignited the conversation over whether he should step aside before the November election.

David Axelrod, a onetime White House senior advisor under President Barack Obama, immediately sounded the alarm at the conclusion of Biden's 90-minute faceoff with Trump.

"I think there was a sense of shock actually on how he came out at the beginning of this debate," Axelrod said on CNN.

Axelrod added: "There are going to be discussions about whether he should continue."

Biden has one of the most unusual backgrounds of any president in US history: He's been a fixture in Washington for more than 50 years as a Delaware senator, vice president, and now president. And if he's reelected to a second term this fall, he'd be 82 years old at the time of his inauguration in January 2025 and 86 at the end of a second term — a prospect that concerns many voters.

Through it all, Biden has defended his reelection bid, arguing that his age is an asset and pointing to accomplishments such as the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the Inflation Reduction Act and touting the low national unemployment numbers.

Technically, Democrats could select another candidate to take on Trump. A new nominee would have to be chosen at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this August.

Still, Biden is unlikely to leave the race. As of now, he remains the only Democrat to have defeated Trump. It may be theoretically possible to choose a new nominee, but the long-term implications of such a move could make the chaotic 1968 convention look quaint.

But who could be a Biden successor if such a scenario were to occur?

Vice President Kamala Harris

Harris, by many measures, would be a natural successor to Biden.

As vice president, she's worked closely with Biden on things as varied as voting rights and foreign policy. She was previously a San Francisco district attorney, California attorney general, and California senator and is a historic figure in her own right as the first Black, Indian American, and female vice president.

And she has become the face of the administration's challenge to the raft of GOP-crafted abortion restrictions following the Supreme Court's 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

But Harris previously launched a 2020 presidential bid that seemed promising but fell flat with voters over time. (She eventually ended her campaign before the start of the primaries and caucuses.)

As vice president, Harris has been heavily praised by Biden. But her office struggled with turnover and reports of dysfunction earlier in her term. She has also had to contend with less-than-ideal approval ratings, which have raised concerns among some Democrats about her electability as the party also looks to 2028 — when she'd be a potential frontrunner, given her positive marks with Black voters and young voters.

Gov. Gavin Newsom of California

Gov. Gavin Newsom, a former San Francisco mayor who was also California's lieutenant governor, leads the most populated state in the country and, in recent years, has become one of Biden's most prominent Democratic surrogates.

In the immediate aftermath of the debate, Newsom dismissed calls within some Democratic quarters for Biden to forgo his reelection bid, calling such talk "unnecessary."

"You don't turn your back because of one performance," Newsom said on MSNBC where he was representing the Biden campaign. "What kind of party does that?"

Newsom then described Biden's tenure in office as a "masterclass," pointing to jobs gains made on the administration's watch.

California is often used as a foil by national Republicans to contrast with the conservative policies of states such as Florida and Texas. But Newsom has been outspoken in not only promoting the Golden State but touting Democratic policy stances and legislative wins — and he's not afraid to take his arguments straight to the GOP.

As governor, Newsom has taken on more moderate stances in recent years on issues involving labor and tackling homelessness in his state.

Newsom's political trajectory could collide with that of Harris, his fellow Bay Area native, but they've long maintained a strong working relationship, and the governor has been highly complimentary of her work with Biden.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, the two-term governor of battleground Michigan, is accustomed to tough political fights. And over the course of her governorship, she has won a lot of those battles: Democrats in recent years have performed strongly in the Wolverine State, holding every top statewide office and flipping control of the state legislature in the 2022 midterm elections.

When Whitmer ran for reelection in 2022 against the Republican Tudor Dixon, she won by nearly 11 points, reflective of her broad appeal with the electorate in a state where the margins are often tight.

This fall, Michigan is expected to be one of the closest states in the country in the presidential race. And Whitmer, a former state lawmaker and ex-prosecutor, is set to be a critical voice for the Biden campaign across Michigan.

The governor has encouraged Biden to speak more forcefully about abortion rights, an issue that has galvanized many voters — but especially women — across the country after Roe was overturned.

In a potential field without Biden, Whitmer's Midwestern background, strong alliance with organized labor, and moderate appeal could make her a strong contender. But she would also be a new face in a contest that will probably feature Trump on the GOP side.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who's served in the Senate since 2007, ran for president in 2020 and made a surprisingly strong finish in the New Hampshire primary — even outperforming Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts at the time.

But her campaign wasn't able to get the sort of momentum it needed in the South Carolina primary for her to continue her bid, and she exited the race.

Still, Klobuchar would be a candidate to watch in an open field, as she boosted her national presence in the primary and could point to a long-standing record of bipartisan accomplishments representing Minnesota in the Senate.

Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey

Sen. Cory Booker also ran for president in 2020, ending his campaign in January that year.

But the former Newark mayor has been a national figure for years and is seen as a likely 2028 contender.

He could easily jump-start a potential 2028 campaign in South Carolina, as he campaigned throughout the state in 2019 and 2020.

In the scenario that Democrats would have to choose a candidate other than Biden, he would probably be a part of the conversation.

Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina

Gov. Roy Cooper isn't a big name among Democratic voters outside North Carolina, at least not yet. The former state lawmaker, onetime North Carolina attorney general, and current two-term governor rose through the ranks of government and, along the way, navigated political divides that would bedevil most politicians.

In a GOP-leaning state where Democratic candidates have to compete on tricky terrain, Cooper, a moderate, has come out on top.

Democrats have not tapped a Southern governor as their presidential nominee since Bill Clinton in 1992. Looking to the future, probably in 2028, Cooper is someone who's poised to be on the minds of many in the party.

Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland

Gov. Wes Moore, an Army veteran who's also a Rhodes Scholar, was first elected to the governorship in 2022. He has focused heavily on tackling issues such as child poverty and housing affordability, two of the most vexing public-policy challenges for leaders on both the state and federal levels.

One of Moore's major pushes is to reshape how patriotism is defined in politics, as he told Business Insider during his first gubernatorial campaign that one party or movement couldn't claim the idea as their own.

"I refuse to let anybody try to wrestle that away," Moore told BI in an October 2022 interview, "or claim that they have a higher stake or some higher claim to it than I or my family or people who I served with or my community members."

The governor, seen by many as a potential 2028 contender, has been a strong political ally of both Biden and Harris.

While Moore may be relatively new to elective politics, his profile only continues to grow within the Democratic Party.

Correction: February 23, 2024 — An earlier version of this story misstated one of President Joe Biden's arguments for why he should be reelected. He has touted low national unemployment numbers, not low national employment numbers.

Editor's note: This article was first published in February 2024 and has been updated to reflect the events after the first 2024 presidential debate.

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