What’s next for the Democratic Party after Biden bows out?

CLEVELAND (WJW) – President Joe Biden’s decision to drop out of the race with 106 days left until Election Day leaves Democrats in a predicament to find an adequate nominee to carry the party forward.

“Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year,” President Biden said via X. “Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this.”

Biden drops out of the 2024 race: Now what happens?

The clear choice for Dems is Harris, who would become the first Black and South Asian American woman to earn a Presidential nomination for a major political party.

But something like this has never happened this late in the game. The closest comparison is when Lyndon Johnson announced he would not seek another term in March of 1968.

“It would have been much better for the Democrats if President Biden had stepped down long ago because it looked like this was this was the direction that things were heading,” Case Western Reserve University Associate Professor of Political Science Justin Buchler said. “And President Biden did not give the Democratic Party a lot of time in order to respond to this decision. They don’t have a lot of time because the convention is coming up. The convention is when the party has to nominate its candidate formally and they’re really up against the clock on this.”

Buchler said this is going to be an uphill climb for Democrats given the circumstances and short timeline, something he described as a procedural nightmare at the upcoming Democratic National Convention. That’s where the next Democratic nominee will be chosen.

Trump reacts to Biden’s decision to drop out of race

“Democrats are prepared and united in our resolve to win in November,” DNC Chair Jaime Harrison said. “As we move forward to formally select our Party’s nominee, our values as Democrats remain the same – lowering costs, restoring freedom, protecting the rights of all people, and saving our democracy from the threat of dictatorship. We have and will continue to make this case to the American people.”

It’s expected that Dems will back Harris, but a few other names, such as California Governor Gavin Newsom, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer or Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, are being floated out there, but Buchler does think that Harris is the clear and obvious choice to lead the Democratic Party at this stage.

“Would have been very difficult for the Democratic Party to bypass her first because she’s the sitting vice president. And second, given the identity politics of the Democratic Party, they’re not going to pass over an African American woman.”

“On behalf of the American people, I thank Joe Biden for his extraordinary leadership as President of the United States and for his decades of service to our country,” Harris posted to X. “I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination. I will do everything in my power to unite the Democratic Party—and unite our nation—to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme Project 2025 agenda.”

Celebrities react to Joe Biden exiting the 2024 presidential race

If Harris isn’t chosen, it could muddy the waters behind campaign funding, estimated at $240 million, according to the Associated Press. Since the campaign account is registered with the Federal Election Commission in the name of both Biden and Harris, those funds could be used for Harris’ own Presidential Campaign.

Democratic donors do not have an automatic right to be refunded due to the candidate switch, only if the campaign agrees.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW.