DNC Document Shows Party Is Authorized To Swap Out Presidential Candidate After Receiving the Nomination

By Adrian Norman  |  November 17, 2023

In recent months, questions have surfaced as to whether the Democratic Party would, or is able to, remove President Joe Biden as a candidate in the 2024 election and replace him with someone else.

A Democratic National Committee (DNC) document outlining the rules for the party’s National Convention may provide the answer to that question.

As stated in the DNC’s Call for the 2024 Democratic National Convention Issued by the Democratic Party of the United States, when faced with the issue of filling a vacancy on a national ticket:

In the event of death, resignation or disability of a nominee of the Party for President or Vice President after the adjournment of the National Convention, the National Chairperson of the Democratic National Committee shall confer with the Democratic leadership of the United States Congress and the Democratic Governors Association and shall report to the Democratic National Committee, which is authorized to fill the vacancy or vacancies.

The document is similar to those used in prior nominating conventions and has been brought to light given assertions that California Gov. Gavin Newsom is running a “shadow campaign” for president.

Biden, who throughout his tenure as commander-in-chief has been prone to public gaffes, seemed to lend support to the idea of his own replacement this week during remarks made at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference.

“I want to talk about Gov. Newsom,” Biden said Wednesday during a reception for APEC leaders. “I want to thank him. He’s been one hell of a governor, man. As a matter of fact, he can be anything he wants. He can have the job I’m looking for.”

Democratic strategists and Biden’s team have consistently maintained that Biden will be the nominee on the ballot, downplaying any reports or concerns about a replacement. And the language present in the DNC convention rules does not spell out a provision for forcibly removing a candidate from the ticket.

However, several factors are fueling speculation that party insiders are plotting to coerce Biden into voluntarily stepping down before the general election.

One is Newsom’s increased visibility on the national and international stages. Last month, the California governor held a meeting with China’s head of state Xi Jinping, marking only the second time a U.S. governor met with China’s president since 2017. Newsom embarked on a weeklong tour of China to promote his climate change agenda.

Additionally, Newsom is set to have a debate with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican candidate who has consistently polled in second place but has slid behind other candidates in recent weeks.

The debate caps off a year of what would normally be considered a full-on campaign, following Newsom’s international junkets and his team running political attack ads as if he is already the nominee.

Another factor leading many to suspect a Newsom — or other individual’s — entry into the 2024 race are Biden’s cratering poll numbers and members of his own party calling on him to step down.

David Axelrod, who served as senior advisor to former President Barack Obama, said last week that Biden should drop out of the race.

Left-leaning publication The Atlantic ran an article entitled “Step Aside, Joe Biden”.

Numerous similar statements have been made as more polls show Biden trailing GOP frontrunner Donald Trump in nearly all battleground states, Biden trailing all top three GOP candidates, and Biden’s approval rating at just 37 percent, signaling his deep unpopularity.

Biden has been hemorrhaging support from a critical demographic — black voters — and is now seen in such a negative light for his handling of the economy and foreign policy that even the notoriously anti-Trump actor Michael Rappaport issued a public statement saying he would now consider voting for Trump over Biden in the 2024 election.

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