US President Joe Biden's shaky performance at the debate with former President Donald Trump has prompted some Democrats to question whether he should be replaced as their candidate for the 2024 election.
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Elaine Kamarck, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution think tank, a Democratic National Committee member, and author of the book Primary Politics spoke to Reuters about the presidential nominating process.
WHAT OPTIONS DO DEMOCRATS HAVE?
Biden will not be nominated officially until later this year, so there is still time to make a change and a handful of scenarios to enact one: Biden could decide himself to step aside before he is nominated; he could be challenged by others who try to win over the delegates he has accrued; or he could withdraw after the Democratic convention in Chicago in August, leaving the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to elect someone to run against Trump in his place.
SO WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
Biden would have to agree to step down or face a challenger this late in the process who would try to force him to do so. So far Biden has shown no indications of wanting to step aside and no opponents have challenged him directly.
In fact some of his top potential replacements - Vice President Kamala Harris and California Governor Gavin Newsom - spoke passionately in his defence after the debate.
WHAT HAPPENS IF BIDEN STEPS DOWN?
Biden has spent the last several months accruing nearly 4,000 Democratic delegates by winning primary elections in US states and territories.
Those delegates would normally vote for him, but the rules do not bind or force them to do so; delegates can vote with their conscience, which means they could throw their vote to someone else.
If Biden "releases" his delegates by stepping aside, there could be a competition among other Democratic candidates to become the nominee.
WHO WOULD REPLACE BIDEN?
Several candidates could step into the fray, but there is no obvious number one.
Vice President Harris has had her own problems after a rocky start in the job and poor polling numbers. The US Constitution dictates that the vice president becomes president if the president dies or becomes incapacitated, but it does not weigh in on an inter-party process for choosing a nominee.
California Governor Newsom, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker have all been floated as possible replacements, but they are Biden supporters who are working to help get him elected now.
HOW WOULD A NOMINEE BE CHOSEN?
Candidates would have to get signatures from 600 convention delegates to be nominated. There are expected to be some 4,672 delegates in 2024, according to Ballotpedia.
If no one gets a majority of the delegates, then there would be a "brokered convention" in which the delegates act as free agents and negotiate with the party leadership to come up with a nominee.
WHAT HAPPENS IF BIDEN STEPS DOWN AFTER THE CONVENTION?
If Biden steps down after the August convention, the 435 members of the DNC would choose a new candidate. The members would meet in a special session to select a nominee.
The DNC is divided equally between men and women as well as various constituency groups including labour leaders, LGBTQ representatives, and racial minorities. Of the total, 75 are appointed by the chair, while the rest are elected in their respective states.
WHO COULD NOMINATE AN ALTERNATIVE IN THAT CASE?
To nominate a candidate to replace Biden on the ballot, that person would have to have the support of a minimum number of DNC members -- perhaps around 60, though the exact number would be determined by the DNC's rules committee.
Multiple candidates could be nominated before the list is whittled down.
Australian Associated Press
