Who will the Democrats choose to replace Joe Biden? The four potential candidates.
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Joe Biden has finally withdrawn from the presidential race after weeks of swirling pressure. So who will the Democrat's presidential nominee be come November?
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In brief…
- Calls for Biden to withdraw from the presidential race had been growing louder over the last month
- Biden endorsed vice president Kamala Harris as he announced his withdrawal from the contest
- But there are several other candidates tipped to throw their hats in the ring
Joe Biden pulls out of the presidential race: 'It was unwinnable'
The 46th president of the US had been facing a wave of calls to be replaced ever since a gaffe-ridden performance in first TV debate of the campaign.
He finally caved to mounting pressure on Sunday, endorsing his vice president Kamala Harris as his potential replacement.
But now, time is running out for the Democrats to decide who they will put forward to contest against Donald Trump. Here are the options...
Kamala Harris
The vice president has received Biden's endorsement, telling the Democrats that picking Harris was the "best decision" he's made.
She has already received a flurry of endorsements from top Democrats, which could suggest she is emerging as a clear favourite.
But Jon Sopel says: "A lot of Democrats have reservations about Kamala Harris too.
"What I don't know and what is going to be fascinating to see is the extent to which there is orchestration behind Kamala Harris to be the Democratic Party nominee”
Josh Shapiro
Shapiro is the Governor of Pennsylvania, a key swing state which could decide the election if it comes down to the wire.
He won office in 2022 by beating a Trump-backed opponent in the Keystone State, and was recently applauded from both Republicans and Democrats for his handling of the assassination attempt on Trump, which of course happened in his state.
But rather than contest from the presidential nominee, some have touted him as Harris' potential running mate.
Gretchen Whitmer
There has been some speculation that the governor of Michigan could replace the current president in the November contest.
The 52-year-old has already made it onto the shortlist for Biden’s VP pick back in 2020.
Trump has previously said he would like to run against Whitmer, after claiming she had done a "terrible job" as Governor of Michigan.
Pete Buttigieg
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is popular among Democrat voters and is a close Biden ally.
The 42-year-old has also run for president once before in 2020, and there are rumours he could throw his hat in the ring again.
But has this come too late? Here's what The News Agents say.
Lewis Goodall says: "He [Biden] hinted at the idea potentially of being a one-term president.
"He and his team may have made the right decision now, but there is no doubt that the Democrat Party would have been far, better off if they'd made this decision six months ago, if they'd allowed there to be a competitive, an open primary process in which Harris could have competed.”
Goodall adds that the Republicans are going to try and make this into a "crisis of confidence" not just about Biden, but about the Democratic Party itself.
"It as been a deeply wounding period for the Democrats. And it's the tightrope now to use it, to launch and to get new momentum to try and come out of the other side. But it's going to be really hard”, says Goodall.
Listen to the latest episode of The News Agents here: Special Episode: President Biden quits 2024 race
