5 Candidates Who Could Replace Biden as Democratic Presidential Nominee in 2024

Who will replace President Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee in the 2024 election?

Biden, the first former president of Syracuse University, announced Sunday that he is dropping out of the presidential race and will not seek re-election. Biden’s decision, which comes after criticism about his age following a poor performance in a debate against Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump, means next month’s Democratic National Convention will be an open battle for the party’s ticket in November.

“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while my intention was to be re-elected, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country to step down and focus exclusively on fulfilling the duties of my president for the remainder of my term,” Biden, 81, said in a statement.

The favorite to replace Biden is the same person who would replace him if he were to resign as president tomorrow: Vice President Kamala Harris.

“Today I want to give my full support and endorsement to Kamala to be our party’s nominee this year,” Biden said in support of Harris. “Democrats — it’s time to come together and defeat Trump.”

But Biden’s support alone will not determine the Democrats’ presidential nominee.

Who else could challenge Trump for the White House? Here are five possible candidates:

Kamala Harris

According to the Associated Press, VP Harris is the early frontrunner for several reasons: Biden has endorsed her, she has access to Biden’s campaign funds, and she could make history as the first Black woman to be nominated. In the 2020 election, voters elected Biden with Harris on the ticket, meaning they also voted for Harris as the top choice to replace Biden in the nation’s highest office.

Forbes reports that Harris is trailing other Democrats as a potential replacement for Biden, but the most recent polls — conducted after Biden’s debate with Trump and after Trump’s attempted assassination — show Harris’ numbers not much better than Biden’s. A CBS News/YouGov poll conducted last week showed Trump beating Harris by three points (51%-48%), but also showed Harris leading Biden by five points (52%-47%) among likely voters.

Gavin Newsom

NBC reports that California Gov. Gavin Newsom has been consistently mentioned as a leading candidate to replace Biden in the Democratic presidential race. Newsom may not be as nationally known as Harris, but he represents a large state and has shown greater ambitions in clashes with GOP leaders.

JB Pritzker

Right now, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is perhaps best known nationally as the man George Clooney endorsed. The Oscar-winning filmmaker and major Democratic donor recently urged Biden to withdraw in a New York Times op-ed that also named Pritzker as Clooney’s pick to replace Biden.

According to NBC, Pritzker has endorsed Biden and Harris, has actively raised money for Democrats in several states as he builds his profile, and is currently America’s richest elected official and hasn’t been shy about spending on his own campaign. With an estimated fortune of $3.5 billion, the latter could be “particularly intriguing” for voters to consider in a race against Trump.

Gretchen Whitmer

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a two-term winner from a state at stake, co-chaired the Biden-Harris campaign and has previously clashed with Trump nationally. The New York Times reports she is also considered a favorite for the 2028 race, but the governor has repeatedly said she would not consider running if Biden were to step down.

“I don’t like seeing my name in articles like this because I’m completely focused on governing and campaigning for the ticket,” Whitmer said earlier this year.

Josh Shapiro

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, elected in 2022 after previously serving as the state’s attorney general, reportedly has a 64 percent approval rating in a key swing state. By comparison, that same poll found just 41 percent of Democrats backing Biden.

NBC notes that Shapiro maintained his support for Biden after the presidential debate. He acknowledged that Biden had delivered a poor performance, but said that doesn’t change the fact that Trump was a bad president.

Others?

Biden dropping out of the race could mean that there are other possible candidates, either to replace Biden at the top of the ticket or to become Harris’ running mate (should she win the nomination). Names that have been mentioned include Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, plus former Democratic presidential candidates such as current Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota.