Who would be a good replacement for Biden now that he has dropped out? These are the options

Calls for President Joe Biden to step down as the Democratic Party’s 2024 Presidential Nominee had been growing since Biden’s terrible performance against Donald Trump in their historic June 27th debate. But now that Biden is leaving the race, that leaves the country with one big question.

Now that Biden isn't seeking reelection, who would be the best person to replace him? Let’s put aside how this would happen with such little time left before the Democratic National Convention and look solely at who is in the running. 

Kamala Harris and Michelle Obama are two candidates who have been bandied about by the media and they both have their advantages. Harris could continue the policy put forth by Biden in his first term. But there’s another big reason some want Harris in 2024. 

If Vice President Harris became the 2024 Democratic Presidential Nominee, then she would retain access to Biden’s donation war chest according to Reuters. However, this would also be true if she were to remain on any new ticket as the VP running mate. 

Michelle Obama is an interesting option since polling from early July showed that she was one of the only possible candidates that would defeat Trump in a general election, beating the former president by 11 points with 50% of the vote to Trump’s 39%. 

While Harris and Obama may be the most prominent names being put forth to take the reins of the Democratic Party now that Biden dropped out, there are other big names that they might have to contend with for the nomination. So who are they?

In a recent poll from Bluelab Analytics, the market research company found that there were four Democrats who outpaced Biden by roughly 5 points in 7 of the nation’s critical swing states, regions that are crucial for reaching 270 electoral votes to win the election.

The four democrats noted by Bluelabs included Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, Maryland Governor Wes Moore, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer according to The Hill’s review of the poll. Who are these Democrats?

The most notable candidate on the previous list is Governor Gretchen Whitmer. She has been making headlines as a possible presidential candidate since calls for Biden to drop out of the race began, and she is a strong choice. 

Barron’s Joe Light noted that Whitmer has “five-plus years leading the government of a swing state that is critical to both Biden and Trump’s electoral chances” and added she defeated her Republican challenger by 10 percentage points in 2022. 

Senator Mark Kelly has been rumored to be a possible running mate for Harris after Biden drops out according to Axios. Kelly “could bring a lot of advantages to a national ticket,” he’s a former astronaut and combat veteran from a key swing state. 

Whether or not Kelly would try to wrestle to top the Democratic ticket is unknown but he would make a far better candidate than Josh Shapiro of Wes Moore — both of whom have much less national name recognition than Kelly or Whitmer. 

“Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has seen high approval ratings since he was elected in 2022 in a swing state Mr Trump narrowly carried in 2016,” BBC News noted, but it may not be enough even with the press from his Pennsylvania bridge rebuild. 

“Wes Moore found himself in the spotlight in recent months following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore,” BBC News also pointed out, but few U.S. news outlets have made the case for Moore as the man to lead the Democrats to victory. 

A few other names that BBC News proposed as possible candidates included Senators Raphael Warnock, Amy Klobuchar, and Cory Booker, as well as two-term Governor of Kentucky Andy Beshear. However, there is one more that has surpassed these options. 

California Governor Gavin Newsom might be one of the best options to challenge the former president in 2024, and he comes with a lot of advantages according to Joe Light, who noted the governor also has a lot of baggage as well.  

“His advantage is that he already has experience running big campaigns in a state with a population nearly four times the size of Michigan. He has even participated in a debate this cycle—a December contest against the Republican presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis on Fox News,” Light wrote. 

“On the other hand, Newsom comes with baggage. Republicans have argued California is a ‘failed state’ with high taxes, housing costs, and homelessness,” Light added. What will happen, however, depends on the party and its decisions at the Chicago Democratic Convention on August 19-22. 

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