Which Democratic candidate would have the best chance against Trump? What the experts and the polls say
Chatter about replacing Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential candidate has only increased over the last week. Who stands the best chance against Donald Trump?
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump faced off in a debate in late June, and the media cycle has not ended. Though the White House has expressed a desire to put the episode behind them, the calls for President Biden to step aside and allow another Democrat to lead the ticket in November are growing louder.
While the focus has been on the president, both presumptive nominees for their parties received poor reviews for their performances. However, despite numerous known lies spouted by Trump, he was seen as the winner of the CNN-sponsored debate due to Biden speaking in a near whisper, rambling at times and using nonsensical phrases.
Even though the current president’s performance progressed through the 90-minute debate, that wasn’t enough to stop alarm bells from going off among Democratic movers and shakers. A question that has been floating around is now front and center: Can Joe Biden be replaced as the Democratic presidential candidate? And if so, who?
This year’s Democratic primary was not very competitive. With no major challenger entering the race against Joe Biden, he easily secured the votes necessary to win the nomination at the convention in August.
For another candidate to replace him, the delegates would have to rebel in mass, and that seems very unlikely and it is hard to predict how such a move would be interpreted by the Democratic base.
This means that for President Biden to be replaced, he would need to make the decision himself, and choose to step aside.
At that point, he would need to determine whether he should put his support behind his Vice President, Kamala Harris, or allow an open convention. The advantage of naming Harris is that she would be able to spend the $92 million that has already been donated to the Biden-Harris ticket. There are worries, however, that she is even more unpopular than Biden. Nevertheless, some supporters believe these numbers could be turned around before election day, as a recent poll showed her down relative to Donald Trump but with better numbers than President Biden. Harris also performed better with independent voters than Biden, and whereas Biden would lose this group (based on the poll), Harris could win.
CNN, who published the poll, reported on increased “chatter” among Democratic leaders as the president has “dug in” on his decision to stay in the race. Some have a clear preference of Harris, but understand that replacing President Biden brings with it considerable risks.
Democrats that have a chance against Trump
One voice that many Democratic strategists don’t often consider is that of Texas Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican and Trump supporter. Senator Cruz thinks that the Democrats have an ace up their sleeve. He said after the debate on his podcast ‘Verdict’ that because of Biden’s “disastrous” performance, he believes “the odds have now skyrocketed.” “I believe the odds are north of 80% that the Democrat Party will remove Joe Biden from ticket and replace him…. with Michelle Obama,” he said.
This isn’t the first time he has put this idea on his podcast. In September last year, he considered the scenario of the former First Lady parachuting in at the August convention as “perhaps the most likely and most dangerous”. He viewed it as a “serious danger.” He isn’t the first to think she could easily win the presidency if she ran in 2024. Sports commentator Stephen A. Smith said on Kevin Garnett’s podcast, KG Certified, that she would win “hands down.”
However, he acknowledged a fact that Michelle Obama has made clear many times in the past. “Now, that obviously is not gonna happen. She doesn’t seem to have an interest,” he added. As a matter of fact, she has said on several occasions that she has no intention to run for president.
Other names being tossed around
Other names that have been mentioned as potential replacements for Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee include governors Gavin Newsom of California, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and JB Pritzker of Illinois among others. All of these candidates have said that they are still backing President Biden.
As well as some high-profile US senators who have previously tossed their hats into the 2020 primary race, including Amy Klobuchar and Cory Booker, as well as Sherrod Brown.