Should President Biden step down, only 124 Georgia delegates would get to vote on his replacement.
When just shy of 285,000 Georgia Democrats cast their vote in the March 14th Presidential Primary, there were only two options, Joe Biden and Marianne Williamson. Over 275,000 of those voters chose to renominate President Biden as their party’s nominee.
That was before President’s Biden took the stage in Atlanta and gave what commentators called a disastrous debate performance. Now, with poll numbers plummeting and upwards of 70% of Americans believing the President mentally unfit for reelection, calls for Biden to step down as the nominee may make for the most interesting major party convention in a generation.
Should Biden choose to withdraw from the Presidential campaign, delegates to the Democratic National Convention held in Chicago in late August would likely have a variety of names to choose from. Representing the interests of those 285,000 Democrat voters would be 124 delegates selected by the party, not by individual voters.
Even though Representative James Clyburn (D – S.C.) has unveiled an option for a “mini-primary” to replace the 81-year-old President, there is very little information about how to conduct a brokered convention while giving the voice to the millions of primary voters who initially chose President Biden.
Currently, Democratic Governors are rallying behind the embattled campaign. Yet, the fact that Rep. Clyburn – a Biden campaign Co-Chair – is openly discussing a plan to replace Biden with Vice President Kamala Harris illustrates the national pressure building from Democrat Leaders to force Biden off the ticket.
“He has the opportunity to encourage a new generation of leaders from whom a nominee can be chosen to unite our country through an open, democratic process,” said Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) in a written statement. “My decision to make these strong reservations public is not done lightly nor does it in any way diminish my respect for all that President Biden has achieved.”
Becoming a delegate to a national political convention rarely has to do with policy or voter choice. Many delegates are selected because of their role as local or state party leaders, fundraisers, or activists. Serving as a delegate is often more about socializing and building enthusiasm for a candidate than making any substantial decisions. Should Biden step aside, this niche group of party insiders will have the weight of actually representing their voters for the first time in roughly 70 years.
