The Democratic National Committee (DNC) announced Wednesday that it will hold a virtual roll call vote to nominate President Joe Biden as the party’s 2024 presidential candidate in the first week of August, despite facing pushback from some lawmakers who want Biden to withdraw from the race.
The decision, which comes as a new poll shows nearly two-thirds of Democrats want the 81-year-old president to step aside, aims to ensure Biden’s name appears on the ballot in Ohio, which has a Republican-led state government. However, the move has angered some Democrats, with around 20 House members publicly urging Biden to withdraw.
In a letter to DNC Rules Committee members obtained by the Associated Press, DNC co-chairs Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Leah Daughtry stated that virtual voting will not begin before August 1, contrary to earlier reports suggesting an even earlier start date. The DNC Rules Committee is scheduled to meet Friday to discuss the plans.
“We will not be implementing a rushed virtual voting process,” the letter said. However, party leaders argue they need to complete the virtual nomination by August 7, the deadline set by Ohio for nominations to be submitted.
Ohio’s governor has signed a law giving Biden more time, but since that law doesn’t take effect until September, the process remains uncertain, according to U.S. media reports.
“I don’t trust them in Ohio to do this,” Governor Walz told reporters on Wednesday.
The Biden campaign has urged the media not to focus on “process stories” while Republicans are “lying to the American people about virtually every single issue.” However, the plan has drawn criticism from lawmakers who accuse the party of trying to rush through Biden’s candidacy without proper debate.
A poll by the Associated Press and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 65% of Democrats want Biden to withdraw from the race, citing concerns about his fitness for office after his performance in a recent television debate against former President Donald Trump.
The DNC’s decision to hold a virtual nomination before the party’s convention in Chicago starting August 19 has angered some Democrats, with several lawmakers planning to sign a letter against the plan, according to U.S. media reports.
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