“The discussion in that meeting of the California delegation, which includes 40 members, took place in the Capitol on July 10, at least partly focused on the complicated next steps for the Democratic Party if Biden left the ticket. And they specifically talked about the potential political downsides of party elites quickly crowning the vice president as the next nominee, according to four people familiar with the discussion, granted anonymity to discuss private conversations,” the report said.
But the reason that the former speaker and many in the party want a competition and not a coronation is to avoid the appearance of elites selecting the nominee after around 14 million Democrats voted for Biden and the elites are attempting to push him off the ballot.
“Nancy was leading that charge that it needed to be an open process,” a source said on the condition of anonymity.
“Should he make that decision, there will have to be quick steps. I don’t think we can do a coronation, but obviously the vice president would be the leading candidate,” California Democrat Rep. Zoe Lofgrena said as she suggested a “mini primary” with events that she proposed be hosted by former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.
It is believed by many that if there were a mini primary there would be no viable Democrats who would challenge her for fear of being ostracized.
“I think she is the best person,” Ohio Democrat Rep. Greg Landsman said. “How that plays out? I don’t know. I know that people are worried and have legitimate concerns. It’s unknown and there’s uncertainty in that. And I get it. I’m right there, too, but I think this is the right thing.”
But there are other Democrats who are concerned that the vice president’s chances may be the same, or worse, than the president’s.
“I’ve talked to some Democrats. They don’t want Kamala Harris,” a member who spoke on the condition of anonymity said. “Either way, I think it looks difficult in November. Unless you get somebody who really will unite everybody together. But if you get another candidate, what happens to Kamala?”
Some Democrats have not needed anonymity to pressure Biden to step aside. Montana Sen. John Tester is among them.
“Montanans have put their trust in me to do what is right and it is a responsibility I take seriously. I have worked with President Biden when it has made Montana stronger, and I’ve never been afraid to stand up to him when he is wrong. And while I appreciate his commitment to public service and our country, I believe President Biden should not seek re-election to another term,” he said.
His comments were met with a response from Cedric Richmond, a co-chair of Biden’s re-election campaign when he appeared on MSNBC.
“I like Sen. Tester. I think he’s one of our great fighters in the Democratic Party,” he said. “But on this, I will tell you, I think he’s wrong, and I think that we should be focused on re-electing the president and the vice president, and our senators and our Congress people should be running their race to get re-elected.”
“There’s a lifetime between now and Election Day, and if we focus on what we should, we’ll come out on top,” he said.