If Biden bows out, these Democrats could step up in the presidential election

Business Insider

Joe Biden's age has fueled concerns about a second term. Here are seven key Democrats who could step in if Biden exits the 2024 presidential race.

Transcript

00:00President Biden has been dogged by low approval ratings in recent years and

00:04also with some concerns with voters regarding his age. Some Democrats are

00:08saying well hey could we possibly run someone else who may have a better shot

00:12at defeating former President Donald Trump. So who could potentially step up

00:17to be a alternative should Biden leave the race? Business Insider identified

00:21seven potential alternatives. My name is John Dorman and I am a senior politics

00:25reporter at Business Insider. A potential alternative to Biden could be

00:30New Jersey Senator Cory Booker. Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey is really one

00:35of the more interesting figures in the Democratic Party. He really rose to fame

00:38when he ran for mayor of Newark. I was a young lawyer but thinking I was gonna

00:43you know just continue to represent people who couldn't afford lawyers in a

00:47tough neighborhood in the inner city. But the community there, community leaders

00:51really pushed me to get into politics. He was running against an entrenched

00:55Democratic machine and he won. He had an interesting profile. He grew up in

00:59suburban New Jersey outside of Newark. He went to Stanford University. He went to

01:03Yale Law School. He was really seen as the future of the party really early on

01:08about a lot of figures. He was New Jersey's first black senator and he

01:11served there since then. The power of connection is always what sort of fires

01:16me up. Cory Booker ran for president in 2020.

01:19When he jumped in he was a top-tier candidate. I'm uniquely qualified to get

01:23rid of Donald Trump. Are we gonna allow somebody to divide us, to degrade us, to

01:26demean us? Or are we gonna come together as a country to a sense of common

01:30purpose and common cause again? But he also kind of struggled in many ways in a

01:35crowded field similar to Kamala Harris and a lot of other candidates. So he

01:39ended his campaign and so far he's been a really strong supporter of the Biden

01:42administration. If he were to potentially step in for Biden there are several

01:46things that would go well for him. He has really high name recognition throughout

01:50the country. He really went viral for his questioning of Ketanji Brown-Jackson.

01:55I'm sorry, you're a person that is so much more than your race and

02:00gender. You're a Christian. You're a mom. You're an intellect. You love books.

02:05But for me, I'm sorry. It's hard for me not to look at you and not see my mom.

02:09Some things that probably would be detrimental to him is that even with

02:14that sort of recognition you would have to run a campaign in just a few months.

02:18It takes a lot to run a national race and stepping in as the presidential

02:21candidate is a big leap. A potential alternative from a key Midwestern state

02:26is Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan is

02:30a really unique candidate. She was someone who was a former state lawmaker.

02:34When Gretchen Whitmer won the state in 2018 after eight years of Republican

02:39control, it was a big deal. Since then her profile has exploded.

02:43We, together, are going to fight for our reproductive rights, not give them away.

02:49One of the things for Gretchen Whitmer that attracted a lot of national

02:52attention was a kidnapping plot. A group of militiamen conspired to kidnap her

02:57in 2020. They were upset about coronavirus restrictions in the state.

03:01The FBI announced the plot and the men were subsequently arrested.

03:05Attorney General Dana Nessel was joined by officials from the Department of

03:09Justice and the FBI to announce state and federal charges against 13 members

03:15of two militia groups who were preparing to kidnap and possibly kill me.

03:20One thing that really benefits Gretchen Whitmer is the fact that Michigan is a

03:23key to Democratic chances this year. It's a must-win state for Biden.

03:27Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota is another really interesting figure in the

03:31party. She ran for the Senate in 2006 and she won in a landslide and pretty much

03:37since then she's won her elections pretty easily. She ran for president in

03:412020 and she famously had a speech that she was giving during the snow. A lot of

03:46people may remember that.

03:47We don't let a little snow stop us. We don't let a little cold stop us.

03:53Like, are you guys even cold?

03:57She's someone who really overperformed expectations in the

04:00New Hampshire primary and that really kind of kept her campaign going.

04:04We are so close. I woke up this morning and found out that in one of the

04:08national polling, Emerson polls here in New Hampshire, we'd gone up to number

04:13three since the debate.

04:16But when she faltered in South Carolina, shortly afterwards she ended her

04:19campaign. Since then she's been a really big supporter of the administration.

04:24Today, I am ending my campaign and endorsing Joe Biden.

04:31If she were somehow the nominee to replace Biden, there's lots of things

04:35that would be going well for her. She has a moderate profile. She's not someone

04:39that really throws lobs or is incendiary. She has a really great relationship with

04:42Republicans.

04:43I have brought people with me who are moderate Republicans and

04:47independents in every single election. I have won in the reddest of red

04:51congressional districts and with some ease.

04:55She's a proven vote getter in her state, especially with independents. She's

04:59popular with Democrats there. She's a very broad based appeal. Some things

05:03that would be going against her is mostly just recognition. She doesn't have

05:07the name I.D. as, you know, a Kamala Harris. A high profile Democratic figure

05:12who could be an option is California Governor Gavin Newsom. Gavin Newsom is

05:17one of the highest profile Democrats in the country. He represents California,

05:21of course.

05:21In almost every single category of goal setting, California has exceeded the

05:29goals.

05:30Gavin Newsom has been one of the biggest advocates of tackling climate change.

05:35I'm a little bit exhausted that we have to continue to bait this issue. This is a

05:42climate damn emergency. This is real.

05:45He's someone who has debated Ron DeSantis, former Republican presidential

05:49candidate. He's willing to really go into the ring with a lot of conservatives. He

05:54knows how to go against Republicans. He's not somebody that's willing to back down.

05:58He also can do it in a way that isn't off-putting to swing voters. He's someone

06:02who can speak about reproductive rights, who can speak about climate change, who

06:06can speak about education, who can speak about health care in a way that people

06:10can connect to it.

06:11Some of the things that may hurt Gavin Newsom on a national level is also the

06:15things that some people say are beneficial for him. Some people may not

06:18think that him being as combative with Republicans is a good thing. Some people

06:22may think that that turns off swing voters. There's some voters who may not

06:25want to vote for a candidate from California. There were some Democrats who

06:29were pushing him, saying, hey, you should run. He came out and refuted it and said,

06:32hey, I'm just here promoting democratic values. Joe Biden is very well-suited and

06:37is a strong person who can do that.

06:40I know Joe Biden. I know what he's accomplished in the last three and a half years.

06:43I know what he's capable of.

06:45One alternative could be Governor Roy Cooper of North Carolina. Governor Roy

06:49Cooper is one of the most successful Democrats probably in modern North

06:54Carolina history. He started as a state lawmaker. He became attorney general,

06:58where he served for 16 years. And then he ran for governor and he won.

07:02Medicaid expansion in North Carolina has been a long and winding road.

07:08And it goes back to President Obama, who called to congratulate us, by the way.

07:13He's from that moderate cloth, the Democratic Party. But he's able to

07:16communicate very well with rural Democrats, with Democrats in suburban

07:19areas, independents, and Democrats in urban areas as well.

07:23I hear from people in our state who say, I'm tired of being on the late

07:27night comedy shows. I want our state to head in the right direction.

07:35I want my state back. Do you? I know you do.

07:39The pros of him potentially being a Democratic presidential candidate in

07:432028 would be the fact that he's able to really win over a lot of the swing

07:48and independent voters that Democrats need to win in swing states.

07:52The last thing we need is a reckless president of the United States.

07:57If he were to somehow step in for Biden, something that would hurt him would

08:01just be the lack of name identification.

08:04Governor Westmore of Maryland is another really compelling figure.

08:08He is an Army veteran. He was elected in 2022.

08:12He's someone who was a first-time candidate, and he ran for office

08:16basically running on a lot of really core Democratic issues.

08:19One of the things that he's really tried to instill with a lot of

08:22Democratic voters is that patriotism isn't just for one particular party,

08:26one particular group. It's something that's a shared value among Americans.

08:30We do not have to choose between being a safe state and a just one.

08:37Maryland can and we will be both.

08:41Since he took office in 2023, Governor Westmore has been really focused

08:46on housing affordability in Maryland.

08:48He's also been focused on eliminating the child poverty in the state.

08:52Governor Westmore's national profile really heightened during the tragic

08:56bridge collapse on the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.

08:59He was on the news giving press conferences daily.

09:03It's imperative that we get the Port of Baltimore back up and going.

09:06And it's not just about how are we supporting Maryland.

09:08This is about how we support the American economy.

09:10For a lot of people, that was their first view of Westmore and a lot of issues

09:15that were going on in Maryland because of that bridge collapse.

09:18Governor Westmore is a very strong ally of President Biden and Vice President Harris.

09:23And by the way, our vice president is lights out.

09:26The work that she is doing around gun violence right now is spectacular.

09:29It is first in the country kind of work.

09:31When some people suggested that he could be a potential candidate,

09:34he said, no, I'm supporting the administration.

09:36Perhaps the most recognizable potential alternative is Vice President Kamala Harris.

09:41Kamala Harris would be a natural successor.

09:44Kamala Harris is the first Indian-American vice president.

09:47She's the first Black American vice president.

09:49And she's also, of course, the first female vice president.

09:52She was a former district attorney of San Francisco.

09:54She was a former state attorney general of California.

09:57Justice should not depend on how you look, on the color of your skin,

10:03on how much money you make.

10:05It shouldn't depend on where you were born or the language your grandmother speaks

10:11or what political party you belong to.

10:14She was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2016.

10:18She ran for president in 2020.

10:20We need a new commander in chief.

10:25And she was, in many ways, a top-tier candidate.

10:27Kamala Harris's 2020 campaign started off with really lofty expectations.

10:32She had a lot of support from female voters.

10:34She was getting some steam from Black voters.

10:36And a lot of people were really excited about her candidacy,

10:38thinking that she could be the first female president.

10:41A lot of people thought she could have a broad-based campaign

10:43that could really rival Joe Biden.

10:45That now-viral moment when Kamala Harris confronted Joe Biden

10:49about desegregation efforts in the 1970s,

10:51that was also something that really got her higher up in the polls.

10:55It was hurtful to hear you talk about the reputations

11:00of two United States senators who built their reputations

11:05and career on the segregation of race in this country.

11:09But it was just really hard for her to break out,

11:12being that there were other center-left candidates who were running.

11:14She left the race, and then she was tapped by Joe Biden

11:18to be his vice-presidential running mate.

11:20And when they won, she made history in that respect.

11:22She's also a candidate who has a lot of connections

11:25with Black voters, with female voters.

11:27She's currently really the face of the administration's

11:30push for reproductive rights.

11:32She's gone all across the country campaigning against

11:34not only Republican policies on that issue,

11:36but against the Supreme Court decision which overturned Roe v. Wade.

11:40Donald Trump's friends in the United States Congress

11:44are trying to pass a national ban.

11:47If she were to somehow take over for Biden,

11:49everybody knows who she is,

11:51so she wouldn't need a natural introduction.

11:53But there are some things that are going against her.

11:55She also would still be tied to the administration.

11:58A lot of people are going to want a fresh face.

12:02President Joe Biden is committed to running for a second term.

12:05It's something that he's always wanted.

12:06It's very unlikely that he would drop out at this particular point,

12:10but it's not unprecedented for a president not to run for re-election.

12:15In 1952, Harry Truman decided not to run for re-election.

12:19I have served my country long and I think efficiently and honestly.

12:24I shall not accept a re-nomination.

12:27I do not feel that it is my duty

12:30to spend another four years in the White House.

12:33In 1968, President Lyndon Johnson declined to run for re-election.

12:37He was really weighed down by the Vietnam War

12:40and his polling ratings had declined.

12:42I shall not speak.

12:45And I will not accept

12:48the nomination of my party for another term as your president.

12:52In the unlikely situation that President Biden left the race

12:57before the Democratic National Convention,

12:58a new nominee would have to be selected

13:01at the convention in August in Chicago.

13:03It would be a very, very chaotic process.

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