--- title: If Biden Steps Aside, Harris Should Be Included Not Anointed description: After Biden's debate performance, public discourse continues about the best path forward for the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee. canonical: https://time.com/6995467/joe-biden-kamala-harris-democratic-party-presidential-nominee/ author: Jeffrey Sonnenfeld article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2024-07-06T16:05:31.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-01-19T16:45:56.000Z article:section: Ideas og:title: If Biden Steps Aside, Harris Should Be Included Not Anointed og:description: There continues to be public discussions about the best path forward for the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee. og:url: https://time.com/6995467/joe-biden-kamala-harris-democratic-party-presidential-nominee/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd31a3a73ddcf90f1/698a587c0116824542985f97/GettyImages-2159971779.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: President Biden Hosts Fourth Of July Celebration At White House og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: If Biden Steps Aside, Harris Should Be Included Not Anointed twitter:description: There continues to be public discussions about the best path forward for the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd31a3a73ddcf90f1/698a587c0116824542985f97/GettyImages-2159971779.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # If Joe Biden Steps Aside, Kamala Harris Should Be Included But Not Anointed > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=50c28df5-092d-4fad-8e20-218fe0f8da20&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Biden Tells Hill Democrats He ‘Declines’ to Step Aside [Watch (HLS stream): Biden Tells Hill Democrats He ‘Declines’ to Step Aside](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/5fw45oWN.m3u8) (3:20)  _Published 2024-07-08. President Joe Biden, in a letter to congressional Democrats, stood firm against calls for him to drop his candidacy and called for an “end” to the intraparty drama that has torn apart Democrats since his dismal public debate performance._ by [Jeffrey Sonnenfeld](https://time.com/author/jeffrey-sonnenfeld/) and [Stephen Henriques](https://time.com/author/stephen-henriques/) Stephen Henriques is a senior fellow of the Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute. Updated: Jan 19, 2026 4:45 PM UTCPublished: Jul 6, 2024 4:05 PM UTC President Joe Biden, in a letter to congressional Democrats, stood firm against calls for him to drop his candidacy and called for an “end” to the intraparty drama that has torn apart Democrats since his dismal public debate performance. by [Jeffrey Sonnenfeld](https://time.com/author/jeffrey-sonnenfeld/) and [Stephen Henriques](https://time.com/author/stephen-henriques/) Stephen Henriques is a senior fellow of the Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute. Updated: Jan 19, 2026 4:45 PM UTCPublished: Jul 6, 2024 4:05 PM UTC The dismal debate performance by President Biden and subsequent misfires in his response has led to much speculation by an anxious public over the best path forward for the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee. Strategies have ranged from advisors encouraging Biden to weather the storm while others in the party are calling for the president to immediately step aside and appoint a stronger candidate to take his place. Vice President Kamala Harris is a name that some have begun to promote as the presumptive replacement nominee. [Some influential Democrats](https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nbcnews.com%2Fpolitics%2F2024-election%2Fkamala-harris-defends-biden-allies-stand-ready-rcna160099&data=05%7C02%7Cjeffrey.sonnenfeld%40yale.edu%7Cdcafd2498bd44a7a784008dc9d49e61e%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C638558187942470649%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=e1rFk5Zuk9fhm%2BHSjc%2Frm6%2BVpF6cwZCUSQ4BxLAMYso%3D&reserved=0) have even gone so far as stating that it would be disrespectful to “pass over” Harris for the presidential nomination should Biden withdraw from the general election. The argument implies that Harris has earned a spot on top of the next ticket and is the [most qualified](https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsweek.com%2Fdemocrats-kamala-harris-problem-biden-1920002&data=05%7C02%7Cjeffrey.sonnenfeld%40yale.edu%7Cdcafd2498bd44a7a784008dc9d49e61e%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C638558187942482802%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=dWeGdpy6smbFHY%2Fi8L3jBjt1unRm1xU0Ps1Kjmmo4jw%3D&reserved=0) candidate-in-waiting because of her role in what is often described as a thankless job. Hubert Humphrey complained that the job implied a political marriage with the president which requires strict loyalty Harris has shown that loyalty in addition to having served as a successful US senator as well as a strong Attorney General and District Attorney for California. The history of this office shows there is no job promotion certainty. Voters do not select candidates solely based on their political titles. Reviewing the performance of vice presidents in prior presidential elections may cause some to rethink assumptions that one individual deserves to skip ahead in the line. Despite prior political party support and the advantage of already having been sworn into national office, the VP credential is not a contracted career path unless the president resigns or dies in office. Of the [fifty-one](https://www.senate.gov/about/officers-staff/vice-president/vice-presidents.htm) vice presidents in our nation’s history, [nineteen](https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2015/10/21/9574065/vice-presidents-president-history) have made a bid for the top job. [Thirteen](https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2015/10/21/9574065/vice-presidents-president-history) have been nominated to represent their party. Only [six](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/05/23/us/politics/presidential-experience.html) vice presidents, including Joe Biden, have obtained enough votes from the electoral college to be named president. Prior to the Twelfth Amendment of 1804, each member of the Electoral College cast two votes with no distinction between president and vice president. The candidate with the most votes won the presidency. The candidate with the second most was given the vice presidency. Aaron Burr came in second to Thomas Jefferson and became vice president. While Vice President Harris could very well be the next best option in place of President Biden, the American people, and the delegates who will represent them in the Democratic National Convention, deserve to hear the platform of a Harris for President campaign as well as other qualified would-be candidates such as: * Governor Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, * Governor Jay Pritzker of Illinois * Governor Gavin Newsom of California, * Governor Wes Moore of Maryland, * Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, * Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg * Governor Andy Beshear of Kentucky. Polling has cast some doubt on the strength of Harris’s own presidential campaign. A [poll by CNN](https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3.documentcloud.org%2Fdocuments%2F24787646%2Fcnn-poll.pdf&data=05%7C02%7Cjeffrey.sonnenfeld%40yale.edu%7Cdcafd2498bd44a7a784008dc9d49e61e%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C638558187942495880%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=nGNY%2FXyetO1NW3nLmpN0DvUcbfaH%2FKVqL3%2BQQ29C8O4%3D&reserved=0) found Trump leading Harris by 2 percentage points – 47 percent to 45\. RealClear Polling data shows Trump leading Harris in negative net favorability ratings – [Trump](https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolling.com%2Fpolls%2Ffavorability%2Fdonald-trump&data=05%7C02%7Cjeffrey.sonnenfeld%40yale.edu%7Cdcafd2498bd44a7a784008dc9d49e61e%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C638558187942501169%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=sUekWvPILnyMGzU4CTTLC4csgGlLU%2F0%2FsuATItcYxIc%3D&reserved=0) at -11.4 versus [Harris](https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.realclearpolling.com%2Fpolls%2Ffavorability%2Fkamala-harris&data=05%7C02%7Cjeffrey.sonnenfeld%40yale.edu%7Cdcafd2498bd44a7a784008dc9d49e61e%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C638558187942506363%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Mn%2FqS0xmSdQtfWUegjr%2B9zlN9sndQbKlmT8ZWg%2BpWe0%3D&reserved=0) at -16.3. An open convention or “rapid primary” will surely prove to be disruptive to the Democratic Party during a critical moment in our nation’s history. However, Democratic leadership anointing a candidate would likely do the same. It would be monumental in its own right – as the first modern presidential election where voters of a major party were not provided an opportunity to nominate their preferred candidate. The Democratic Convention has always been a raucous caucus. As social commentator Will Rogers intoned a century ago: “I don’t belong to an organized political party – I am a Democrat.” Michael Smerconish captures this sentiment in [a fresh online poll](https://www.smerconish.com/daily-poll/thank-you-for-voting/) where 72 percent of survey participants agreed that Harris would be a stronger presidential nominee if she were to go through a competitive process. As President Biden has run down the clock in his flailing effort to prove his fitness for office, he erodes the Democratic Party’s needed time to showcase its portfolio of vibrant leaders as skilled contenders for defeating Donald Trump. IBM’s visionary Tom Watson Jr. once told me, “I get as much pride in the success of my successors as I do from the triumphant transformation of IBM under my own watch.” Biden could enjoy this same parallel pride if he opens the pathway for succession. ## Transcript [00:00] I have probably heard had a little debate last week. [00:04] Kant's Hare is my best performance. We love. [00:08] But ever since then, there's been a lot of speculation. [00:11] What's Joe gonna do? Is he gonna stay in the race? [00:16] Is he gonna drop out? What's he gonna do? Well, here's my answer. [00:20] I am running and gonna win again. [00:23] By the way, if you wonder whether Trump has it altogether. [00:26] Did you ever hear how he explained 4 July? [00:29] When he was present? No, I'm serious. This is true. [00:32] There's explanation how America won the Revolutionary War? [00:36] I'm not making this up. He said in his fourth of July speech five years ago. [00:41] He said, George Washington's Army [00:44] won the Revolution by taking control of the airports from the British. [00:51] To talk about me, miss Speaking, [00:53] I keep seeing all those stories about I'm being too old. [00:56] Let me say something. I was too old. [01:00] I wasn't too old I wasn't too old to create over 15 million new jobs. [01:05] To make sure 21 million Americans are insured under the Affordable Care Act. [01:11] To be big farmer, the first f ever do that, [01:15] lower the cost in $35 for C. Was there too old to relieve student [01:22] definitely 5 million Americans in gross in [01:25] C. To old to [01:29] put the first Black woman on the Supreme Court of the United States of America. [01:32] Trump is a convicted felon. [01:36] Found guilty, 34 felonies. [01:40] Up. [01:40] Trying to hide Hush money payments to a porn star. [01:44] Another jury found Trump sexually assaulted a woman in a public place, [01:48] and has been fined $90,000,000 for defene her. $90 million. [01:54] I've only been bank up about 20 times, but I don't know. [01:57] This so called great businessman owes over $400,000,000 [02:02] in fines after being convicted in New York State of business fraud, already convicted. [02:08] But Trump's biggest lie of all he had nothing to do with the insurrection of January 6. [02:14] We all saw with our own eyes. [02:16] We saw he sent thousands to attack the Capitol. [02:20] We saw police being attacked, capitol being ransacked. [02:24] The mob hunting for Nancy Pelosi. [02:28] Gallows set up to hang Mike Pence. Let me ask you something. [02:36] After a Trump did on January 6, [02:39] why would anyone ever let him be near the O val office again? [02:44] Ultimately, the American Presidency is about character. [02:48] The character of the president who holds the job. [02:51] Yes. Because with the immunity he's talked the Supreme Court just talked about. [02:56] It gets down to that. Gets down to that. It's about honesty. [03:01] It's about the President's decency. [03:04] Yeah. [03:04] Integrity. Do they respect people? [03:07] Or do they incite violence in hate? [03:10] Can they honor the oath of the Constitution and hold their oath of office? [03:14] Well, I don't think it's an exaggeration yes. [03:16] Trump has failed on every one of these character tests. 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