The question on Democrats' minds: How to replace Biden?

WASHINGTON — An alarmingly poor debate performance by President Joe Biden is raising new questions about whether Democrats have alternatives to retaining the 81-year-old incumbent as their candidate in the November presidential election.

Biden has already won sufficient support in primaries to secure the Democratic nomination for the presidency. The party has little time left to change course before it’s scheduled to name its nominee in advance of Aug. 7 and begin its national convention Aug. 19 in Chicago.

Suffering from what aides said was a cold and what he said was jet lag, Biden spoke hoarsely and in a halting and sometimes disjointed manner in the June 27 debate, a performance that renewed concerns about his ability to serve a second four-year term. By contrast, his opponent, former President Donald Trump, 78, was energetic, though his statements were riddled with falsehoods.

Five days later, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas became the first Democrat in Congress to call on Biden to withdraw from the race; several others distanced themselves from the president.

Here’s how the discussions about Biden’s future could play out.

What if Biden withdraws from the race before he’s nominated?

He said he won’t, both after the debate and the next day at a rally, where he said he was up to serving another term.

But there is a precedent. President Lyndon Johnson, a Democrat, decided not to seek nomination for a second full term in 1968, as protests against the Vietnam War mounted. In an Oval Office speech, Johnson made the surprise announcement that “I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your president.” Instead, the Democrats nominated Hubert Humphrey, who was defeated by Richard Nixon.

Johnson’s decision came at the end of March — at a time when the process for determining the major parties’ presidential nominees wasn’t nearly as front-loaded as it is today. Unlike Biden, Johnson hadn’t yet secured enough delegates to nail down the nomination.

Can Biden be removed from the ticket?

...continued

swipe to next page