Democrats mull Biden’s replacement in campaign

When President Joe Biden said on Sunday he was dropping his bid for reelection, he endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris in his stead. Harris soon followed up, thanking the president and stating her intention to seek the Democratic Party’s nomination.

And yet, the nomination process isn’t over. The Democratic National Convention is still nearly a month away.

Who else could run for president? CNN reported Sunday that Sen. Joe Manchin, an independent from West Virginia, was considering re-registering as a Democrat and running for president.

Manchin previously held a variety of political offices in West Virginia from state delegate to governor going back to 1982. The state voted for GOP presidential candidates only twice from 1960 to 1997. He was suggested as a possible third-party candidate with Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah as his vice presidential running mate early in the race. Manchin, however, ruled out running for the presidency in February.

Manchin himself dropped several other names of likely candidates during an appearance on CBS's Face The Nation on Sunday before Biden’s announcement:

• He mentioned Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear as a rising star whom the Democratic Party should observe. Manchin said he favored governors because they tended to be less partisan and more experienced at uniting their states across party lines. Beshear wrote on social media that Biden’s decision was in the best interest of the United States and the Democratic Party. He didn’t endorse anyone or discuss the convention or nomination process.

• Manchin also mentioned Josh Shapiro, governor of Pennsylvania, as a possible replacement for BidenShapiro endorsed Harris on Sunday evening, urging the Democratic Party to unite quickly behind the vice president. Other Democratic state governors such as Gavin Newsom of California and Roy Cooper of North Carolina also endorsed Harris Sunday night.

What are the plans for the convention? Democratic National Convention chairwoman Minyon Moore said in a statement that plans for the convention in Chicago Aug. 19-22 remained the same. She praised Biden and Harris’ past performance without discussing the nomination process going ahead. The convention will welcome delegates and guests to rally behind the party’s nominees for president and vice president and ensure Trump’s defeat, she said.

For more coverage:

• Read Leo Briceno’s report in The Stew about why and how Democrats managed to let Biden’s dysfunction slide for so long.
• Read Josh Schumacher’s breaking news report about Biden stepping down.
• Read R. Albert Mohler Jr.’s opinion column about the questions that loom large as President Biden leaves the presidential race.
• Read Leo Briceno’s story for WORLD Magazine about how Manchin’s switch to independent party affiliation could presage another run for office.