Democrats have no Biden backup plan for 2024 despite age concerns.

It would be a problematic intraparty struggle if the Democratic Party suddenly needed to replace President Joe Biden as its standard-bearer, and the Democratic Party does not have a Plan B in place if President Joe Biden decides to stop his campaign for re-election in 2024 for whatever reason.

Even though Biden’s approval ratings are currently low and several Democrats have questioned his age, he has remained steadfast in his decision to run for a second term in office. In April, he announced that he would run again, eliminating the possibility of significant Democratic primary challenges.

Even if other Democratic candidates were to enter the race at this time, it would be difficult to determine how to proceed because the deadlines for getting on the primary ballot in states considered to be crucial, such as Nevada, South Carolina, and Georgia, have already passed.

Based on his track record in government, relatives of Joe Biden claim that the Democratic Party does not require a backup strategy to defeat the likely nominee of the Republican Party, Donald Trump, whom Biden defeated in the 2020 election.

Suppose the president, who is 81 years old, were to withdraw from the race. There are a few conceivable outcomes in that case: the Democrats may select a new nominee at their convention in August of next year or even later, according to the party’s rules.

Even though they have made it very apparent that they want Biden to be successful, numerous current and former officials who spoke with Reuters acknowledged that the party might be in for a period of turmoil if the oldest president in the history of the United States of America experiences a health problem or steps aside for other reasons during the White House battle.

She would benefit from their joint campaign infrastructure if she ran for president in his absence, but other Democrats would likely swoop into the race as well. Vice President Kamala Harris, Biden’s running mate, would suffer from her popularity issues. Still, she would not automatically replace him as the leading candidate if he stepped down from his position.

There is no other plan. If he suddenly decided not to run, everyone you know would go immediately. “No one is afraid of the Vice President,” a senior Democrat told Reuters.

If Biden were to withdraw from the campaign while the Democratic primaries were still in progress, other candidates could enter the race, depending on the conditions each state has for filing.

It typically takes several months to organize a presidential campaign and acquire the necessary funds to run for office. In the next few weeks, deadlines to get on the ballot in states considered significant, such as California, Illinois, and Michigan, are drawing near.

Despite some apprehension, Democratic officials are unified in their support of the president, according to those officials; otherwise, prominent challengers would have already entered the contest without them.

“Joe Biden will be the Democratic nominee, and he will defeat whichever MAGA extremist the Republicans put forward,” said Daniel Wessel, a spokeswoman for the Biden campaign. Wessel was alluding to the phrase “Make America Great Again,” which former President Donald Trump used.

Not only is Trump, who is 77 years old and the leading candidate for the Republican nomination, facing questions about his age, but he is also facing a litany of allegations, including the mishandling of confidential data and interference in the 2020 election, which he ultimately lost to Biden. Is he denying any wrongdoing?

In the Republican primary election, other candidates are contesting Donald Trump. This provides the party with built-in options in the improbable case that Trump decides to withdraw from the campaign.

To the dismay of the White House, the age of Joe Biden has emerged as a distinguishing characteristic of the campaign for the year 2024.

According to David Axelrod, a former White House advisor during the administration of Barack Obama, Biden needed to consider whether it was prudent to run again. This was after polls in November revealed that he was falling behind Trump in crucial swing states.

If he continues to run for office, the Democratic Party will select him as their nominee. Whether or not that is prudent, whether or not it is in his best interest or the country’s best interest, is the question that he needs to answer. Axelrod created a post on X, which was once known as Twitter.

In February, Biden underwent a medical test, which reported that he was healthy and “fit for duty.”

Biden has long believed that he is the Democrat most likely to defeat Trump; however, a survey by Reuters and Ipsos on November 7 revealed that his approval rating was 39%, the lowest since April.

In the Democratic Party, the primary elections begin in February and continue until June. During August, they host their conference in Chicago.

Following a straightforward primary process, it is anticipated that Biden would earn his party’s candidacy. His announced Democratic competitors, Marianne Williamson, a writer, and Dean Phillips, a representative from the United States, are significantly behind him in the polls.

If he withdraws from the race after the conclusion of the primaries in June 2024, delegates will be released to vote for another candidate in Chicago.

Any withdrawal before the convention would almost surely result in a wide range of presidential candidates, including Harris and California Governor Gavin Newsom, engaging in a game of chess to persuade more than 4,000 Democratic delegates to grant them the job.

If this were to occur, it would herald a return to a when convention delegates picked their nominee rather than just rubber-stamped it.

“If he drops out before the convention, we will have an old-fashioned convention where the delegates essentially get to make up their mind (on whom to vote for), regardless of who they were elected to represent,” said Elaine Kamarck, an elections expert, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, and a member of the Democratic National Committee. Kamarck is also a member of the Democratic National Committee.

That can incite conflict inside the party, placing Democrats in a position similar to that of Republicans, in which candidates spend time and money fighting against one another.

Things become more problematic if Biden withdraws from the race after the convention. According to Kamarck, the author of the book “Primary Politics,” the 435 members of the Democratic National Committee would then convene in a special session to choose a successor.

The practice of replacing a nominee has been known to occur in the past.

Senator George Eagleton, competing for the Democratic presidential nomination at the time, resigned from his position as George McGovern’s vice presidential running partner in 1972. This decision was made when it became public knowledge that Eagleton had been receiving treatment for depression.

To fill the vacancy, the Democratic National Committee held an emergency meeting and chose Sargent Shriver to accept the position. McGovern did not win the election.

In his role as a “surrogate” for Vice President Joe Biden, Newsom has been particularly active in throwing high-profile jabs at Ron DeSantis, the Republican presidential candidate and the governor of Florida. In response to a request for comment, Newsom’s office did not respond.

“A bunch of the surrogate activity we see out there – like Newsom all over helping Biden – is partially to remind Democratic voters they are out there as an option,” the most senior Democrat commented.