Will the Democratic Party Coalesce Behind Harris?

President Joe Biden confirmed rumors Sunday when he announced he will not be running for reelection after weeks of intense pressure from within the Democratic party. Biden’s decision to drop out of the race is a massive shake-up less than four months ahead of the presidential election in November. 

“While it has been my intention to seek re-election, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and focus entirely on fulfilling my duties as president for the remainder of my term,” Biden said in a statement. 

Shortly after announcing his withdrawal, Biden endorsed his vice president, Kamala Harris, to take over the top of the ticket. Harris suggested she would seek the nomination, saying, “Together, we will fight. And together, we will win.” 

The question becomes: Will the Democratic party coalesce behind Harris, allowing for a relatively smooth transition from Biden to Harris as the party’s standard bearer? Or will they invite more chaos in by opening up the race?

The first option is the likeliest, as Harris is a figure with both national name recognition and access to Biden’s campaign team and dollars. Harris has already seen endorsements from Democratic big hitters like Bill and Hillary Clinton, as well as many congressional Democrats, including those whose names are being tossed around as possible vice-presidential candidates, like Pete Buttigieg and Gavin Newsom.

Still, some influential Democrats have thus far withheld their endorsements of Harris (or any other candidate). Three of Washington’s highest-ranking Democrats – Sen. Chuck Schumer, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, and Rep. Nancy Pelosi – have been mum on the Harris question. Former President Barack Obama also failed to come out in support of Harris, instead saying he was confident Democratic leaders would “create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges.” 

It is not clear how such a nominating process would work – never has a sitting American president dropped out of a race so late in the election cycle. Democrats plan to formally nominate their candidate the first week of August in a virtual vote ahead of the Democratic National Convention, meaning they have just weeks to decide who should replace Biden on the ticket.

If Harris’ fellow Democrats did choose to challenge her for the nomination, there are different possibilities for what that might look like. There have been murmurings of a "mini-primary," in which candidates would debate one another, and voters would vote in snap elections. Candidates could also hit the road and try to gain support directly from state delegations, as delegates who were originally pledged to Biden are now free to vote for whomever they choose.

There are some who think an open primary process would be the more democratic option. Marianne Williamson, who ran against Biden in 2020 and 2024, called for a “genuinely democratic process at an open convention,” arguing that “all candidates must be heard and their agendas explored.”

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the independent candidate who originally ran as a Democrat against Biden, said that it would be entirely undemocratic to have Harris as the nominee. In a press conference Sunday, Kennedy said that Democrats are attempting to create only “the illusion of a democracy” and claimed “it is a cabal that’s choosing” the party leader, “the same way that the Soviet Union does.”

The Democratic establishment is unlikely to agree with these characterizations and will instead focus on putting forth the candidate who has the best chance of beating former President Donald Trump in November, a man who the Democratic party has repeatedly called a “threat to democracy.” If the powers that be believe Harris has the best chance of beating Trump, it is Harris voters will have.