NEW DELHI: US President Joe Biden’s announcement of bowing out of the Presidential race for the upcoming US elections is what most Democrats were hoping and egging for, and when Biden finally made the announcement on Sunday – many heaved a sigh of relief.
Biden’s (un)forgettable performance in the debate against former President Donald Trump (the official Presidential candidate for the Republican party) is what set the tone high for his stepping down. Biden also happens to the first US President to pull out so late in an election race and the first to bow out following concerns over his mental acuity and health.
"My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus on my duties as President for the remainder of my term. My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President, and its been the best decision I have made. Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats- it is time to come together and beat Trump. Lets do this," said Biden on Sunday.
Kamala Harris thanked President Biden for the nomination and since she is a pro- it will be easy for her to debate and take Trump head on. But will she be able to surpass his followers? Only time will tell.
"On behalf of the American people, I thank Joe Biden for his extraordinary leadership as President of the US and for his decades of service to our country. I am honoured to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination," Harris said on Sunday.
Vice President Kamala Harris has emerged as a top contender to replace Biden in the contest but it is still to be seen whether she will be the Presidential nomination or still be the Vice-Presidential nomination.
How will Biden’s decision impact US elections?
Biden’s performance not just during the Presidential debate but also during events where he introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as President Putin and Kamala Harris as Trump had led his party members to talk him into opting out, as it would translate into a landslide victory for Trump.
In a letter to the nation, Biden wrote, "while it has been my intention to see re-election, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term."
As of now Trump is the frontrunner in the Presidential elections according to most surveys. According to an EPIC-MRA survey for Detroit Free Press Trump led every region of the state, including metro Detroit where Biden had defeated Trump in 2020 (56 per cent to 40 per cent).
Does Harris have strong chances to be the Democratic Presidential nominee?
Kamala Harris has secured the back of some of Democrats biggest donors, who seem committed to rally behind her. These include Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer, House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries and former House speaker Nancy Pelosi.
LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, George and Alex Soros and several Wall Street donors have announced their support for Harris within hours of Biden’s announcement.
"Kamala Harris is the right person at the right time," wrote Hoffman who had given more than $8.6 million to boost the Biden-Harris ticket.
Harris’s bid for the nomination will be decided at the Democratic National Convention in August. California governor Gavin Newsom has backed Harris.
However, former President Barack Obama statement following Biden’s decision on Sunday, had no mention of Harris.
How will a nominee be chosen?
According to Ballotpedia, there are expected to be some 4,672 delegates in 2024, including 3,933 pledged delegates and 739 so-called superdelegates — senior party members.
In order to secure the nomination, a candidate would need to get a majority – that is, more votes than all the others combined.
That’s what Harris’ allies are trying to do right now — secure the pledged support of 1,969 delegates, and shut down any competition.
If no one achieves that, then there would be a “brokered convention” where the delegates act as free agents and negotiate with the party leadership. Rules would be established and there would be roll-call votes for names placed into nomination.
The last brokered convention when Democrats failed to nominate a candidate on the first ballot was in 1952.
What do the US elections mean for India?
India US relations have hit a bump in the past few months. It was the US indictment against Indian national Nikhil Gupta, who is currently imporisoned in the US after being extradited from Prague. Gupta has been alleged to be the main accused in a murder-to-hire killing of US citizen who is a Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Besides, the US is peeved at India not taking a stance against Russia and PM Modi’s recent Moscow trip also didn’t go down well with them and the West.
New Delhi is keeping a close watch on the US elections. Hypothetically if Trump was to win things would settle a bit as he would try and end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, however, if a Democrat was to return to power there would be a continuity of the current US stance on India – which isn’t bad and downgraded but has a lot of scope for being strengthened and enhanced.