Tip News
Posts
Biden Is Out. Will It Be Harris Or Open Convention?

Biden Is Out. Will It Be Harris Or Open Convention?

Your unbiased daily news brief

James Kratch
July 22, 2024

Good Monday morning. It was another momentous weekend in American politics. Today’s Top Tips will focus on President Joe Biden’s decision to end his re-election bid, Vice President Kamala Harris’ potential ascension atop the Democratic ticket and how this may all play out in the days and weeks ahead.

In Today’s Brief

Secret Service: Hearing today
Russia: Reporter sentenced
Sheila Jackson Lee: Dies at 74
Tech outage: Airline havoc
Twisters: Historic opening

... and more

First time reading? Sign up here

Top Tips

1) Bowing out

President Joe Biden abandoned his re-election bid yesterday, 24 days after his poor debate performance and 107 before Election Day.

The news: Biden announced his exit from the race in a letter posted to his X account at 1:46 p.m. ET. "I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down," he wrote in part. The decision came after weeks of calls and pressure among Democrats for him to step aside amid questions about his age and mental acuity. But it was still somewhat unexpected. Biden, 81, and his campaign remained defiant into the weekend, and he reportedly gave no notice to staffers.
Next steps: Biden said he intends to finish his term and will address the nation later this week. The president remained at his Delaware home as of last night after testing positive for COVID-19 (a White House official told CNN his decision was not health-related). Biden's decision was praised by fellow Democrats, who also trumpeted his achievements in office and throughout his lengthy political career.
The endorsement: Biden thanked Vice President Kamala Harris in his letter, but did not support her as the new Democratic presidential nominee. That backing came in a separate X post published at 2:13 p.m. ET.
GOP pushback: Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said Biden should resign the presidency, arguing if he is not fit to run he is not fit to hold the office. Other Republican lawmakers offered similar comments, including Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, the party's VP candidate. Former President Donald Trump's campaign said Biden is a "national security threat."

2) Her time?

Vice President Harris is the clear favorite to take the baton from Biden, but her ascension to the top of the Democratic ticket is not a given.

The pledge: Harris said she was honored to receive Biden's nomination and planned to "earn and win" the Democratic nomination. The Biden-Harris campaign subsequently amended its Federal Election Commission filings to declare Harris as a presidential candidate (and give her control of its on-hand cash, which was close to $100M as of last month).
Wagons circled: Harris received a wave of Democratic endorsements after Biden dropped out. Among the most notable: Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn, prominent donors Alex and George Soros, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, the latter two being potential rivals at an open Democratic National Convention.
That said ... Former President Barack Obama did not endorse Harris. Nor did former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer or House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Worth noting: Retiring West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, who left the Democratic Party in May to become an independent, is reportedly considering a return to the party to challenge Harris.
Potential veepstakes: Shapiro was mentioned as a potential running mate for Harris. Other early names: Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper.
Recent polls: The most recent Harris-Trump national poll -- conducted by CBS and released last Friday -- had Trump leading, 51% to 48%. A Reuters national poll last week had a deadlock at 44%. InsiderAdvantage published battleground state polls last week with Trump running ahead of Harris in Arizona, Nevada and Pennsylvania.

3) How this will work

The Democrats have a quick coronation -- or a chaotic few weeks -- ahead.

Party line: Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison said the party will "undertake a transparent and orderly process to move forward as a united Democratic Party" and select a new presidential nominee.
The process: DNC rules call for about 4.7K delegates to nominate a presidential candidate at the party's national convention, which will be held in Chicago from Aug. 19-22. There are two types of delegates -- pledged delegates, whichare typically grassroots members of the party, and superdelegates, who are high-ranking party membets. The latter cannot vote until the second ballot at a convention.
The math: Biden had about 3.9K pledged delegates in his corner before exiting the race. Those voters are not obligated to vote for Harris. But the president's endorsement could sway them and Harris had reportedly begun a whip effort to lock down their support.
Early decision: If Harris amasses enough support in the coming days to make her candidacy inevitable, the DNC could formally nominate her via virtual roll call before the convention. Party leaders initially planned to nominate Biden in that fashion amid concern about ballot eligibility in Ohio, but then tried to use it as a tool to tamp down dissent about his candidacy.
If not ... Democrats could be looking at the first open nominating process since their infamous 1968 convention, also in Chicago. Harris could face numerous potential challengers. And even if she emerges victorious after a floor fight, it could mean her running mate is the result of a brokered ticket, rather than her own pick.

Quick Tips

U.S. News

Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle will testify before the House Oversight Committee today regarding the assassination attempt on former President Trump. The USSS said it did deny past requests for additional security measures made by the Trump campaign (More)
A historic Texas church built in 1890 was destroyed by fire. A blaze broke out in First Baptist Dallas' secondary chapel on Friday; there were no deaths or injuries (More)
Two people have died due to a nationwide listeria outbreak linked to deli meats. Close to 30 people have been hospitalized; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said cases have been reported in a dozen states (More)

World News

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was convicted of espionage charges in Russia, receiving a 16-year prison sentence. The U.S. government has said the charges are baseless; some experts say his expedited secret trial is a sign the Kremlin will soon try to make a prisoner swap deal (More)
Nguyen Phu Trong, the Secretary General of Vietnam's Communist Party, died at 80. The nation's GDP doubled during his 13-year reign amid closer ties with the West, China and Russia, but the nation's one-party government has been racked by scandal in recent months (More)
Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev reiterated his support to liberate French overseas colonies. The Caucasus nation is feuding with the French over its support of rival Armenia, which has begun to gravitate toward Europe due to a souring relationship with Russia (More)

Campaign News

Texas Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee died at 74 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. The 15-term Democratic lawmaker was the chief sponsor of the 2021 bill that made Juneteenth a national holiday; her seat could be left open for months based on Texas special election law (More)
Former President Trump called Project 2025 "seriously extreme" at a campaign rally on Saturday in Michigan. It was his first appearance on the trail with running mate J.D. Vance (More)
A Florida judge will allow Trump's libel lawsuit against the Pulitzer Prize Board to proceed. The former president alleges he was defamed when the board reaffirmed its decision to award New York Times reports on his alleged ties to Russia (More)

Business & Markets

Major indexes closed down on Friday. The Dow Jones dropped almost 400 points while the S&P 500 had its worst week in months (Dow -0.93%, S&P 500 -0.71%, Nasdaq -0.81%).
Over 1K U.S. flights were canceled yesterday as the fallout from Friday's global tech outage caused by a botched CrowdStrike software update continues. Another 5K flights were delayed; Microsoft said 8.5M devices running Windows were impacted in the issue (More)
Nippon Steel has hired former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to help with its effort to acquire U.S. Steel. The Japanese company's $15B takeover proposal has met bipartisan resistance and regulatory scrutiny; Pompeo does not have a specific title with the company (More)

Entertainment & Sports

Twisters had an $81M opening weekend at domestic box offices, the biggest ever for a natural disaster film. The movie has underperformed in international markets, though (More)
Xander Schauffele won The British Open, edging runner-up Justin Rose by two strokes. It was the professional golfer's second major tournament title this year; he also won the PGA Championship (More)
NBC has greenlit Suits: LA. The spinoff will exist in the same universe as Suits, but will not feature any characters from the popular legal drama at the outset; no release date has been set (More)

Quick Hitters

Fun Stuff: There are many adorable pet videos on the internet. But this footage of a puppy chilling in a tiny jacuzzi might be one of the best ones.
Take Note: What gives you a better cardiovascular workout, running or swimming? It all depends on the person, according to fitness experts.
Cash In: A recent survey found that 33% of Americans believe they have an idea that can make them rich. Call it the Shark Tank effect.
Bad Idea: In the 1980s, a toy maker created a model car powered by a real hamster. It did not go over well for myriad reasons.
Life Hack: A good night's sleep may be just two minutes away -- at most -- for new parents. These are the pediatric sleep expert-approved keys to getting a newborn to rest.

Watch This

A look at where the housing market has truly exploded.

Looking Ahead …

China plans to open the entirety of the Ming Dynasty tombs to the public by 2030. Thirteen former Chinese emperors are buried in a vast complex on the outskirts of Beijing. Three of the mausoleums are already open along with the complex grounds.

Question of the Day

Will Kamala Harris be the Democratic nominee?

Let us know what you think ...

Last week’s results:

Trivia: What was patented by Eli Whitney in 1794?

Whitney patented the cotton gin. Over 90% of TN readers got this one right!