What will happen after the US Democratic president resigns?

Under pressure from his own camp, the 81-year-old Democratic president ended his presidential campaign on Sunday. An era of great uncertainty opens for the election that has already seen many twists and turns.

He had to decide to throw in the towel. Joe Biden announced on Sunday, July 21, his withdrawal from the race for the White House, after weeks of speculation about his physical and mental abilities. “I believe it is in the interest of my party and the country that I step down and focus solely on carrying out my duties as president until the end of my term.”he said in a statement. The Democratic president then announced that he was supporting the candidacy of his running mate, Kamala Harris, to replace him.

Since his disastrous performance in a debate on June 27 against Donald Trump, Joe Biden has been under pressure, especially from within his own camp. Many Democratic figures and donors had called on him to withdraw, fearing a landslide victory for the Republican candidate. What will happen now? Franceinfo takes stock of what we can expect in the coming weeks.

Several possible candidates to replace Joe Biden

As soon as he announced his withdrawal, Joe Biden gave his support to his vice-president, Kamala Harris, to replace him. This daughter of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother was the first woman and the first black person to become attorney general of California, then the first senator of South Asian origin. But while her candidacy may seem natural, her profile is not unanimous in the Democratic camp. Some doubt her ability to beat Donald Trump, while others recall the failure of her candidacy in the 2020 presidential election, Politico points out. In any case, no electoral rule provides that the running mate automatically takes the place of the incumbent candidate.

Other Democratic figures have also been mentioned. This is the case of California Governor Gavin Newsom. At 56, the former mayor of San Francisco has recently increased his trips abroad and broadcast commercials to praise his record. He has invested millions of dollars in a political action committee. Enough to fuel speculation about his next candidacy. Sunday evening, after Joe Biden’s withdrawal, he praised on X “one of the most influential and altruistic presidents” of the country’s history.

Another possible candidate: Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The 52-year-old leads a state with a large working-class population and large black and Arab communities, constituencies that Biden has struggled to appeal to. Supporters say Michigan will be one of the most contested states in November’s presidential election, making her the party’s ideal candidate.

The name of Josh Shapiro, 51, governor of Pennsylvania, is also circulating. The Democrat is at the head of one of the biggest “Swing States”. Former attorney general of this state, he denounced sexual assaults committed by Catholic priests against thousands of children, and sued the Purdue laboratory, manufacturer of the powerful opiate OxyContin.

Delegates called to choose

Even if Democrats agree on who will succeed him, the process of formally replacing Joe Biden requires another, more technical step. The president was designated as the Democratic presidential nominee after a primaries that ran from January to June. He was, in theory, supposed to be inaugurated at the party’s convention in Chicago starting August 19.

But with this withdrawal, the party delegates, 3,900 people with very varied profiles, are free to choose their candidate, without necessarily taking into account the opinion of the voters during the primaries, notes the Washington Post. It is possible that the choice will be made in a virtual vote before the convention. If a personality receives a majority of delegates, he or she is then officially designated as the party’s candidate. If not, the decision will be made at the convention.

Only candidates who have received the signatures of at least 300 delegates (including no more than 50 from the same State) can run, recalls the Washington Post. Multiple rounds are possible until a candidate wins a majority of delegates. In 1924, it took a record 103 rounds to decide the Democratic ticket of John W. Davis and Charles W. Bryan, CBS News reports.

A quick Democratic campaign to lead

Once a candidate is chosen, a major problem will remain: running a three-month express campaign to make yourself known to voters. Kamala Harris would start here with a certain advantage, since she has been Joe Biden’s vice president for nearly four years. The former senator from California, who has already received the support of several elected officials, has also been crisscrossing key states for months to campaign, particularly on abortion rights, a key issue in the presidential election.

The short-lived campaign could also be marred by legal challenges. The Heritage Foundation, an ultraconservative think tank behind the controversial 2025 Project, which is preparing Donald Trump’s return to the White House, has said it would be vigilant in the event of a “election disputes” in some states, due to Joe Biden’s withdrawal, cites Sunday The Telegraph.

Questions about the transfer of campaign funds

Joe Biden’s team raised $91 million during the campaign, but political finance experts disagree on how those funds could be redirected. Most believe the money could easily be transferred to Kamala Harris. As Biden’s running mate, the funds were also registered in her name, AP and Reuters report.

On the other hand, if Democrats choose another candidate, the transfer could be more complicated. The money could be used for the new candidate but subject to restrictions on its use. For example, it could be sent to an independent political action committee (PAC), an organization that raises and spends money during elections, but not directly to the future candidate, AP explains. That’s not an ideal solution, the New York Timesbecause money from an outside group cannot be directly controlled by the campaign, and PACs must pay higher rates for advertising, for example.