By The newspaper
21 Jul 2024, 19:50 PM EDT
US President Joe Biden announced on Sunday that he will not seek re-election, ending his campaign for the November presidential election. Although Biden has expressed support for Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor, the Democratic nomination is not guaranteed for her and will depend on the final decision of the party delegates.
Candidate selection process
In the American electoral system, presidential candidates are formally nominated during their respective party conventions. For example, Donald Trump was recently nominated as the Republican candidate during his party’s convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) had planned a virtual vote in early August to determine the nominee ahead of the convention scheduled for August 19-22 in Chicago, Illinois. However, some sectors of the party believe that such an electronic vote could lack the necessary transparency, and are advocating that the candidate be chosen directly at the convention.
During the Democratic primaries held between January and June of this year, Biden obtained 87% of the votes. However, in these primaries, voters choose about 4,000 delegates who, at the convention, vote to select the party’s candidate.
The role of delegates
Even though the campaign was billed as “Biden-Harris,” delegates will not automatically transfer to Harris. Delegates pledged to vote for Biden, but this pledge can be revoked.
Biden has the option to formally release the delegates, allowing them to vote at their own discretion. This means that delegates could support other candidates if they believe they have a better chance of beating Trump in November.
This situation opens the possibility of a “brokered convention,” a scenario that has not occurred in more than 70 years. The last time it happened was in 1952, when Adlai Stevenson II and Dwight D. Eisenhower won their nominations at such conventions.
Open Convention: Possible Scenarios
If there are multiple candidates with significant support among delegates, an open convention could turn into an intense contest. Although Harris is the front-runner and has Biden’s backing, she will face competition from other candidates within the party.
Figures such as Nancy Pelosi have privately indicated that they prefer a competitive, open primary process. Rep. Jim Clyburn also suggested that a “mini-primary” would strengthen Harris’s candidacy and help select her potential vice president.
At a brokered convention, candidates negotiate directly with delegates and seek support across party groups. This process can include multiple rounds of voting until a candidate secures the necessary majority of 1,968 delegates to secure the nomination.
With information from EFE.
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