Updated July 22, 2024 at 10:20 AM ET
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President Biden announced Sunday that he will not continue his 2024 reelection bid, after a flood of Democrats called on him to exit the race amid dismal poll numbers.
The pressure campaign began after Biden's disastrous debate performance at the end of June, with many Democrats calling on Biden to "pass the torch" to a younger candidate.
Biden has thrown his support behind his vice president, Kamala Harris, to be the new nominee. Some Democrats have said they want an open process — though many prominent elected leaders in the party have already endorsed Harris, too.
The bombshell decision came just 107 days before Election Day, and just weeks before the Democratic National Convention, where a candidate will be formally chosen. Until then, Harris is not guaranteed the job.
Here are some of the nominee names being floated — though some of them have already said they're backing Harris for the job.
Vice President Kamala Harris
Already number two on the ticket, many Democratic leaders have said Harris is the obvious, and only, choice to replace Biden. Harris, 59, has a national profile and name recognition that other contenders wouldn’t have time to build before November.
She’s been a consistently high fundraiser for Biden and the party. She has also been traveling more for the campaign, with events aimed at engaging with voters of color, younger voters and women — especially on issues of reproductive rights, a focal point for the Biden campaign since the Supreme Court’s Dobbs ruling in 2022.
Harris, like Biden, has struggled with low approval ratings. Early on as vice president, she stumbled in her handling of the root causes of migration. But she has built up her foreign policy chops.
“I am honored to have the president’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination," Harris said after Biden dropped out. "Over the past year, I have traveled across the country, talking with Americans about the clear choice in this momentous election. And that is what I will continue to do in the days and weeks ahead."
California Gov. Gavin Newsom
A former mayor of San Francisco, Newsom, 56, is in his second term as governor — surviving a recall election in 2021. He is known for his progressive policies, including prisoner rehabilitation, public safe drug-use clinics for overdose patients and new legal strategies to promote gun control.
Newsom has long been an adversary to conservatives, debating Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis last year in a primetime debate on Fox News. He has worked to raise his profile with trips around the country, as well as to Israel and China.
There have been some scandals in his political career dating back before his first gubernatorial run in 2008, but he remains a top party leader who has remained loyal to Biden, and helping raise money for the campaign. After the presidential debate in Atlanta, Newsom was in the spin room for the Biden campaign, defending the president.
He quickly endorsed Harris on social media, saying "no one is better to prosecute the case" against Trump.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer
Whitmer, a co-chair of the Biden campaign, gained national attention during the COVID-19 pandemic with strict lockdown guidelines. Three men were later convicted for supporting a plot to kidnap her because of her COVID policies.
As governor of a critical swing state, Whitmer has championed gun safety legislation, electric car manufacturing and abortion rights. Whitmer, 52, has repeatedly pledged her support for Biden in 2024. Her political memoir, “True Gretch,” was released this month, and may boost her national profile further.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore
Moore, 45, is the only sitting Black governor, and the third ever to be elected in the United States. He has been described as a “rising star” in the Democratic Party.
Moore recently gained national attention for pardoning 175,000 low-level marijuana convictions in his state. He and Biden shared a close working relationship after Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed earlier this year.
Moore was pressed into action in the aftermath of Biden’s debate, doing a series of interviews to defend the president while on a tour across Wisconsin to try to energize Black voters. And in the weeks before Biden dropped out, he said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” that he was not intending to to seek the DNC nomination.
Today, I am proud to voice my full support and offer my full endorsement to Vice President @KamalaHarris to be the Democratic Nominee for President of the United States. pic.twitter.com/rnsl34PWN6
— Gov. Wes Moore (@iamwesmoore) July 22, 2024
He endorsed Harris on Monday in a post on X.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg
Buttigieg, 42, is the former mayor of South Bend, Ind,, and a one-time candidate for chair of the Democratic National Committee. He became more well-known after he ran for president in 2020.
In the Biden administration, Buttigieg has gone after airlines and railways. But he has also taken on culture war issues like LGBTQ rights. Buttigieg is the first openly gay man confirmed to a cabinet position.
He threw his support behind Harris on social media, saying she was "the right person to take up the torch" and that he would do "all that I can to help her win this election."
The contrast in this race could not be clearer and the road to victory in November runs right through Pennsylvania – where this collective work began.
— Josh Shapiro (@JoshShapiroPA) July 21, 2024
I will do everything I can to help elect @KamalaHarris as the 47th President of the United States. pic.twitter.com/sqCkiAmCV7
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro
Shapiro, 51, attracted attention during his 2022 gubernatorial race against Doug Mastriano, a right-wing, Trump-backed candidate who promoted Trump’s lies about election fraud in 2020.
He released a statement on X on Sunday endorsing Vice President Harris to be the party's nominee. In the statement, Shapiro called Harris "a patriot worth of our support."
"The best path forward for the Democratic Party is to quickly unite behind Vice President Harris and refocus on winning the presidency," the statement reads. "I will do everything I can to help elect Kamala Harris as the 47th President of the United States."
Shapiro, who previously served as the state’s attorney general and is popular in the critical swing state, has been discussed as a potential running mate if Harris is the nominee.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker
Pritzker, 59, has been governor since 2019, and is currently serving his second term. He is a progressive — and a billionaire — who has aggressively attacked Trump over his legal woes.
Pritzker released a statement Monday throwing his support behind Harris.
"Vice President Harris has proven, at every point in her career, that she possesses the skills, strength, and character to lead this country and the vision to better the lives of all Americans From protecting women's rights to defending American workers and strengthening the middle class, Vice President Harris is a champion of the American values we hold dear," the statement reads. "She represents our Party’s best chance to defeat Donald Trump in November, and I will work my heart out to help her do that."
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