POLL: Who will win the US Presidential election as Joe Biden drops out of race?
Who do you think will win the US Presidential election in November now that Joe Biden announced he was dropping out of the race? Vote in our poll below.
The 46th US President Joe Biden, announced on Sunday that he has withdrawn from the 2024 US Presidential election. He wrote that it was the “greatest honour” to serve, but his withdrawal was “in the best interest" of the Democratic Party and the country.
He went on to endorse his Vice President Kamala Harris to succeed him as the Democratic candidate.
Harris, 59, said that she was "honoured" to be endorsed, adding she would "earn and win this nomination" and unite the country against Trump. "We have 107 days until election day," she added. "Together, we will fight. And together, we will win."
Official nominations may not take place until the Democratic National Convention next month - so who will it be?
Harris is the first woman to serve as vice president. She has high name recognition and the highest polling among Democrats who could seriously be considered a candidate, sources within the Biden campaign told Reuters. However, her personal approval ratings could prove a barrier, as one recent poll gave Harris just a 29 percent favourability rating, with 49 percent rating her unfavourably and 22 percent saying they had no opinion or had not heard of her, according to Sky News.
Several other Democratic candidates have been tipped to run, including Michelle Obama and 2016 candidate, Hillary Clinton.
There are many Democrats who would love to see the well-known and popular first lady Michelle Obama as the party's nominee. Trump supporters have fixated on the notion of Obama swooping in to replace Biden in an attempt to diminish his political viability. An Ipsos poll found her to be the only hypothetical candidate able to definitely defeat Trump head-to-head, and she also topped the charts in favourability among registered voters.
What do you think will win the US Presidential election in November? Let us know in our poll below.
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She may not, however, even be interested in running. Earlier this year, her office told NBC News that she was not planning to run in 2024. Talking to Oprah in a Netflix special last year, Obama said: "Politics is hard... and the people who get into it... you've got to want it. It's got to be in your soul, because it is so important. It is not in my soul".
In an opinion piece, The Hill declared Hillary Clinton, former first lady and Democratic candidate in 2016 as one of "the most qualified people ever to run for office". Younger than both Biden and Trump, the piece declared that she possesses an "unparreled resume and an unmatched depth of experience", having served as secretary of state, a senator and Children's Defense Fund attorney. She also won the popular vote in 2016 by nearly 2.9 million, according to AP News.
However, critics will be quick to point out the 2016 email controversies, despite having been cleared of all charges. Clinton has also made no comments about her planning to run and follow Biden's withdrawal, she and former president Bill Clinton said they backed Harris, saying they would “fight with everything we’ve got to elect her”.
Gavin Newsom is also predicted to be in the mix. The 56-year-old is an established figure in the Democratic Party and is governor of California. He has a background in business, in restaurants and hotels before moving into politics. He also served as mayor of San Franciso and first burst into politics when he and other city officials began handing out same-sex marriage licenses, in direct violation of state law at the time.
He is seen as a strong voice within the party and a talented debater. However, his critics point to a poor record acorss a number of key issues in his state, including homelessness, drug problems, immigration issues and high taxes. He has also endorsed Harris as the candidate, calling her "tough", "fearless" and "tenacious". On X, he said: "With our democracy at stake and our future on the line, no one is better to prosecute the case against Donald Trump's dark vision and guide our country in a healthier direction than America's vice president, @KamalaHarris,"
Gretchen Whitmer is alo a possibility. She made a swift ascent in the last two decades, from graduating law school to becoming Michigan's governor. Her status was solidified in 2022 with a decisive re-election and her party's success in flipping both chambers of the state legislature, giving the Democrats full control for the first time in nearly 40 years.
However, when asked if she would consider becoming a candidate this year if Biden were to step down, she responded with a definitive, "no".
Donald Trump, meanwhile, was confirmed as the Republican nominee at the party’s convention in Milwaukee last week, five days after surviving an assassination attempt. He has currently pulled ahead in the polling. In the wake of Biden's decision, Trump declared the president "was not fit to run... and is certainly not fit to serve".
Biden has faced intense scrutiny since his unsuccessful debate performance in June. Since then, he mistakenly introduced Ukrainian President Zelensky as “President Putin” and appeared to refer to Harris as “Vice President Trump”.
Biden said he would consider withdrawing from the race if he had a health condition. On Friday, while in isolation having tested positive for Covid, he said he would return to the campaign trail the following week.
