It’s official: President Joe Biden has made it clear he won’t be his party’s nominee for the 2024 election. Not only that, he officially endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to succeed him — as did scores of top Democrats, almost immediately.
So, it’s all but decided, right? An orderly transition from Biden to Harris, one which avoids a messy confrontation at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next month. It’s the perfect scenario, right?
Except for one big problem. Well, two, the two most powerful people in Democratic politics that aren’t the president or vice president. Neither one — former President Barack Obama or House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi — would take Biden’s step and endorse Harris for the nomination after Biden’s withdrawal, an unusual measure considering the seemingly orchestrated nature of the move.
Not only that, but reports leading up to Biden’s decision, including one earlier on Sunday, indicated that many party insiders — including Pelosi — favored an open convention process to determine the nominee.
By now, those who are interested have read or heard excerpts from President Biden’s letter, in which he says he feels “it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.”
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024
As you’ve also probably heard, Biden quickly endorsed Harris:
My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term. My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best… pic.twitter.com/x8DnvuImJV
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024
“My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President,” he wrote. “And it’s been the best decision I’ve made. Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this.”
Will Kamala Harris be the Democratic nominee?
Other Democrats with presidential ambitions quickly followed suit. As of shortly after 9 p.m. ET on Sunday — and more may follow, although it would be unusual for being late on a weekend — California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, among others, had endorsed Harris, The Wall Street Journal reported.
So, nominee Harris, right? As the great Lee Corso might say, not so fast, my friend.
In a post on Medium, former President Obama offered praise for his former vice president — but declined to endorse Harris.
Joe Biden has been one of America’s most consequential presidents, as well as a dear friend and partner to me. Today, we’ve also been reminded – again – that he’s a patriot of the highest order.
Here’s my full statement: https://t.co/Bs2ZumFXxe
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 21, 2024
“I also know Joe has never backed down from a fight. For him to look at the political landscape and decide that he should pass the torch to a new nominee is surely one of the toughest in his life,” Obama wrote.
“But I know he wouldn’t make this decision unless he believed it was right for America. It’s a testament to Joe Biden’s love of country — and a historic example of a genuine public servant once again putting the interests of the American people ahead of his own that future generations of leaders will do well to follow.
“We will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead. But I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges,” he continued.
“I believe that Joe Biden’s vision of a generous, prosperous, and united America that provides opportunity for everyone will be on full display at the Democratic Convention in August. And I expect that every single one of us are prepared to carry that message of hope and progress forward into November and beyond.”
The language is notable because “navigating uncharted waters” and “creat[ing] a process” is language that explicitly ignores the fact that Biden basically charted those waters and created the process — if, of course, President Obama were on board with it. The post was made after Biden’s endorsement, as well, so there isn’t that excuse to fall back upon — and, as of 9:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, that post above is the last one made to Obama’s X account.
Moreover, The New York Times reported Friday that Biden, who is self-isolating with COVID-19 in Delaware, was reportedly stewing at “what he sees as an orchestrated campaign to drive him out of the race and bitter toward some of those he once considered close, including his onetime running mate Barack Obama.” Perhaps he wasn’t just seeing it that way.
Pelosi, too, made no mention of Vice President Harris in her statement on social media:
President Joe Biden is a patriotic American who has always put our country first. His legacy of vision, values and leadership make him one of the most consequential Presidents in American history.
With love and gratitude to President Biden for always believing in the promise of…
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) July 21, 2024
“President Joe Biden is a patriotic American who has always put our country first,” she wrote.
“His legacy of vision, values and leadership make him one of the most consequential Presidents in American history.
“With love and gratitude to President Biden for always believing in the promise of America and giving people the opportunity to reach their fulfillment. God blessed America with Joe Biden’s greatness and goodness.”
There had been several reports that Pelosi favored an open convention race if Biden stepped aside — including one earlier on Sunday from the Times.
In that report, the Times noted that Pelosi, “who has been privately warning that Mr. Biden cannot beat former President Donald J. Trump, had told fellow members of her California delegation that she favored an open competition if the president did not run. While she considers herself a friend of Ms. Harris, Ms. Pelosi argued that the vice president would be strengthened by a contest.”
And, according to the Times, one Democratic insider said most of the party felt the same way, as well.
“Most Democrats think it should be an open process,” former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota said Saturday.
“What I would say is the best thing is for Kamala Harris is to win a contested convention fight because it would legitimize her candidacy. If it’s a backroom deal, you haven’t earned it and people want you to earn it. And once you earn it you get a huge bounce.”
However, this was all before Joe Biden gave Harris his official endorsement and vote of confidence. And, as the Times noted after Biden’s decision to step aside, if Kamala becomes the “consensus candidate … potential competitors with White House ambitions will have a big decision to make: challenge her, in a risky maneuver that could lead to damaging intraparty divisions, or stand aside in the name of Democratic unity.”
If neither Obama nor Pelosi is willing to follow Biden’s suit, however, Harris isn’t a consensus candidate — at least not immediately. Thus, don’t believe the hype: This is far from a decided thing, particularly once the relief over Biden’s decision fades and the realities of Kamala’s political baggage, legislative record, and dubious electability suddenly start rearing their ugly heads.
