Effort to replace Biden may be 'game over,' despite lingering pushes

The debate around whether President Biden should withdraw from the presidential race was put on pause in the immediate aftermath of the attempted assassination on former President Trump. 

Democrats have quieted the public pressure on Biden, resigned to the fact that the president will be the nominee, with close to 100 days remaining before Election Day.

Still, while the party remains at odds about Biden continuing in the race, many felt like blowing up the ticket at this late stage of the campaign would be a risky bet and wouldn’t necessarily help the Democratic Party prevail in November. 

“It’s over,” said one prominent Democratic strategist. “There’s been no meaningful movement in a week." 

“There is little to no time left. People are focused elsewhere. It’s a collective action problem and we have no solution,” the strategist added. “Game over.”

Interviews with key Democratic operatives show there is little desire to continue to raise concern about Biden’s mental acuity, with many saying the intraparty food fight is unhelpful. Trump, they say, is winning the race, and Democrats need to start aligning quickly.

To that point, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) leadership was moving ahead with plans to nominate Biden weeks before the Democratic convention in August. The move ensures that once Biden receives votes from the majority of nearly 4,000 delegates, it would become increasingly difficult to remove him from the ticket. 

But reports of the plans quickly angered some Democrats, who urged the DNC not to proceed accordingly. Lawmakers said they have “serious concerns” about the accelerated virtual nomination plan because of the disagreements over Biden’s candidacy. 

"As Democratic members of Congress, we represent the spectrum of views on this question. Some of us have called on President Biden to step aside, others have urged him to stay in the race, and still others have deep concerns about the status of the President’s campaign but have yet to take a position on what should happen," a letter drafted by the Democratic lawmakers says.

"All of us, however, agree that stifling debate and prematurely shutting down any possible change in the Democratic ticket through an unnecessary and unprecedented 'virtual roll call' in the days ahead is a terrible idea. It could deeply undermine the morale and unity of Democrats — from delegates, volunteers, grassroots organizers and donors to ordinary voters — at the worst possible time."

There was still hope among some Democrats that something could still be done to push Biden out of the race. Some strategists point to the work former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has undertaken in recent days, speaking to members — and even former President Obama.

She has also been seen huddling in the hall with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.). But Democrats familiar with that flurry of activity say it’s slowed to a trickle.

“There are still burning embers. The question is, ‘Will they flare?” said Democratic strategist Jamal Simmons. 

A week ago, Democrats couldn’t have a conversation without the subject coming up. Since the attempted assassination of Trump and amid the Republican National Convention, it seems as though the discussion of a withdrawal has shifted.

Biden has also stepped up in recent days.

Following his disastrous debate, Democrats asked for the president to do more campaign appearances, interviews, and other unscripted moments, and he has delivered. He held a fiery rally in Michigan last Friday, where attendees chanted, “Don’t you quit.” A day earlier, Biden held a press conference, his first in months, where he took questions about his mental acuity. 

And since Trump’s brush with death, Biden has telegraphed that he is a stable hand, delivering a prime-time address to the nation from the Oval Office and even calling the former president, a man with whom he wouldn’t shake hands three weeks earlier at the presidential debate. 

It has all been part of a broader strategy by Biden to play out the clock. 

And to date, “Time is on the president’s side,” Simmons said. 

But while most have expressed a desire to support another Democratic candidate, there has also been a resignation among lawmakers, strategists, donors and other operatives.

“I think he’s our guy because there’s no alternative,” said one major Democratic donor. 

The donor described a feeling of helplessness that has washed over Democrats in recent weeks and even more so in the past few days. “Our party is fractured. Theirs is united." 

“Right now, we’re losing,” the donor added. “And I think Biden does what Biden wants because we’re rudderless.”

In a New York Times op-ed over the weekend, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who opposed Biden during the 2020 primary and disagrees with many of his policies, made the case for the party to get behind the president. 

“Enough! Mr. Biden may not be the ideal candidate, but he will be the candidate and should be the candidate,” Sanders wrote. “And with an effective campaign that speaks to the needs of working families, he will not only defeat Mr. Trump but beat him badly. It’s time for Democrats to stop the bickering and nit-picking.” 

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) told Semafor earlier this week that Democrats should wrap up the debate on Biden by the end of the week. 

“We undermine our own candidate, whoever he or she is, if we don’t stand ready as soon as the gavel hits on the closing of the Republican convention to just go out after them,” Cleaver said. “If we are not organized and ready to go with Joe Biden or someone by the end of that Republican convention, I think we’re in trouble.” 

The donor agreed that Democrats should come to a resolution quickly to regain some momentum.   

“Look, if he exited tomorrow, no one would be upset,” the donor said. “But there aren’t any other good options.”