A campaign to replace President Joe Biden with either Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Vice President Kamala Harris, or California Gov. Gavin Newsom may be well underway, even if the commander-in-chief says he is not going anywhere.
The mainstream press and Democrat congressmen have created much of the political cover for such a campaign, with The New York Times editorial board and other outlets calling on Biden to bow out of the race and prominent Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) calling on Biden to hang it up after the 81-year-old president’s disastrous debate appearance against former President Donald Trump.
This was followed by a leaked call between several ranking House Democrats and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), during which the congressmen expressed their support for Biden stepping aside.
Although no one has formally announced a campaign to replace Biden, Whitmer has been engaged in some unusual messaging. The Michigan governor recently put out a profanity-laced ad talking about “fight[ing] like hell” and being “damn tired but damn proud of what we did [in this election].”
In a tweet with the ad, Whitmer also said, “Anyone who claims I would say that we can’t win Michigan is full of s**t.”
The ad, which mainly focused on electing Democrats broadly, comes months before ballots will be cast and just days after the media drumbeat has almost uniformly gone against Biden.
This is a lot of fight coming from someone not up for re-election this year, especially since she seems to be putting most of the attention on herself rather than Biden. Moreover, while Biden-Harris signs and shirts are featured in many shots, neither candidate can be physically seen or heard from.
Vice President Kamala Harris made a filmed appearance at the BET Awards with actress Taraji P. Henson.
In a scripted exchange, Harris tells Henson, “[Y]eah, girl, you know I am out here in these streets.”
While discussing Henson’s concerns about the Supreme Court and other issues, Harris references popular rap lyrics and reassures the actress, stating, “These extremists, as they say, they [sic] not like us.”
“They [sic] not,” Henson concurs.
The segment concludes on a note promoting gay marriage, anti-gun measures, and abortion.
Again, Biden is absent. Neither his name nor image is invoked, despite the administration usually insisting upon calling itself the “Biden-Harris administration.” Only a brief tag, mandated by the Federal Election Commission, mentions the president: “Paid For By Biden Harris.”
Spotlighting another potential candidate to replace Biden, the Los Angeles Times has begun talking about Newson’s “legacy,” heavily implying that the governor’s tenure is coming to an end.
Like Whitmer, Newsom was re-elected in 2022. He is not even halfway through his second term. Although term-limited, he is not slated to leave office until after the 2026 elections.
Yet, Newsom appears to be seeking something more significant, launching a podcast and, in a move reminiscent of former President Barack Obama before the 2008 election, has recently announced a forthcoming book.
Newsom recently popped up at sold-out campaign events in New Hampshire under similar pretenses to Whitmer’s campaign ad: electing Democrats. A digital flyer for the event says it is hosted by the NH House Democratic Victory Campaign Committee and the NH Senate Democratic Caucus and is being held to “elect hard-working Democratic candidates up and down the ballot.”
However, in the advertisement that prominently features a picture of Newsom, Biden is never mentioned.
Many of the Democratic National Convention’s (DNC) largest donors have signaled their interest in pushing Biden out, even if that means starving the party of money.
“If God Almighty is the only one who can convince the president to gracefully step aside, we all need to go to our churches, temples, and mosques and get to praying,” Damon Lindelof, a donor and Hollywood producer, said to ABC News before encouraging other donors to withhold funding unless Biden drops out.
“Biden is unfortunately in denial about his mental state. He needs to step aside to let a vigorous Democratic leader beat Trump,” Reed Hastings, Netflix co-founder, said in a statement to the news outlet.
Some donors say they know who that “vigorous Democratic leader” could be. Allegedly, Whitmer and Newsom are the donor favorites, while Harris is a woman with a campaign and a title but no financial support.
The day after the debate between Biden and Trump, Dougie Kass, a longtime Democrat donor, posted on X, “What I am hearing regarding Joe Biden. Ron Klain and Barack Obama are having a sitdown with the President today. Jill Biden is insistent that Joe runs. Kamala is furious that she is not being considered as a replacement (Whitmer and Newsom are). Interestingly, my neighbor in East Hampton is hosting the Bidens tomorrow. It will be an important tell if the fundraiser is cancelled.”
While that fundraiser did end up occurring, there are reports that donors in the Hamptons are divided on Biden; additionally, several mega-donors in California are reportedly withholding funding until Biden drops out.
Trump seems to believe that Harris will replace Biden rather than Newsom or Whitmer. In a leaked video shot on a golf course, Trump said he thought “[Biden] is quitting.”
The former president also said Harris would replace Biden as nominee: “I think she is going to be better— [but] she’s so bad.”
Should Biden remain the Democratic nominee, polls indicate that the November general election outcome would be unfavorable to Democrats.
Before the debate, Trump led all seven swing states: Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Georgia, North Carolina, Arizona, and Nevada. This trend has only continued.
Trump and Biden are now tied in Virginia polls. The day after the debates, the 45th president’s first rally was in Chesapeake, Virginia, with Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
A leaked internal poll conducted by the DNC after the disastrous debate revealed that Biden could be defeated in states once thought to be safe, including states Biden won by double digits in 2020. States favoring Trump in a Biden-Trump face-off included Colorado, Maine, New Hampshire, New Mexico, and Nebraska’s second congressional district.
The poll also showed that 40% of Democrats and 55% of swing voters thought Biden should drop out.
Nevertheless, Biden has doubled and tripled down on seeking another presidential term.
“I am firmly committed to staying in this race,” Biden said in a Monday letter to congressional Democrats.
“I wouldn’t be running if I did not absolutely believe I was the best person to beat Donald Trump in 2024,” he added.