Six Democrats that could replace Joe Biden – and if it can be done before the election

A lacklustre performance by US President Joe Biden during the first televised presidential campaign debate has sent Democrats into a tailspin and raised the possibility of replacing him as the candidate.

During the CNN debate in Atlanta, the president seemed to lose his train of thought, muddle figures and at times stare blankly into space.

By contrast, a bombastic Donald Trump appeared to have more vigour during the debate, poking fun at the president at one point saying: “I don’t know what he said – I don’t think he knew what he said.”

Biden’s team have been quick to defend the 81-year-old, with his vice-president Kamala Harris saying he made “a slow start, but it was a strong finish”.

However, it has sparked conversations both on and off screen about whether it is tenable for him to run for the Democrats.

Political commentator David Axelrod, an ex-White House and campaign official for former President Barack Obama, told CNN: “He seemed a little disoriented.

“He did get stronger as the debate went on.

“But by that time, I think the panic had set in.

“There are going to be discussions about whether he should continue.”

Behind the scenes, another from the Democrat campaign told CNN: “It’s hard to argue that Biden should be our nominee.”

We take a look at who could step up to take his place and whether that’s possible with just a few months to go to the November election.

US President Joe Biden and ex-president Donald Trump go head to head in the CNN televised debate (Photo: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Getty)

Who could replace Joe Biden as Democrat nominee?

Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris is currently Joe Biden’s vice-president (Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty)

Kamala Harris has made US political history as the first woman and the first woman of colour to serve as a vice-president.

Born in Oakland, California to a Jamaican father and Indian mother, she studied political science and economics at Howard University in Washington DC before doing a second degree in law at the University of California.

A former attorney general of California, the 59-year-old became senator for the state in 2017 until 2021.

She was initially in the running to be the Democrat candidate for the 2020 presidential election but later withdrew, citing a shortage of funds and became the vice-president after Joe Biden was elected.

Gavin Newsom

California Governor Gavin Newsom has been tipped as a possible replacement for Biden (Photo: Marco Bello/Reuters)

Like Kamala Harris, Gavin Newsom hails from California and is the son of Getty Oil lawyer William Alfred Newsom III.

The father-of-four has spoken openly about his struggles with dyslexia growing up but graduated with a degree in political science from Santa Clara University and went on establish the PlumpJack Winery.

Elected mayor of San Francisco in 2003, the 56-year-old served for two terms until 2011 when he became lieutenant governor of California, then in 2019 he became Governor of California and was re-elected in 2022.

Often mentioned as a presidential hopeful, former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said he believed believed a future presidential campaign by Newsom to be a “no-brainer”.

Pete Buttigieg

US Secretary of State for Transportation Pete Buttigieg could be a contender to replace Biden (Photo: Mariam Zuhaib/AP)

Pete Buttigieg became the first openly gay man to launch a major campaign for the 2020 US presidential election.

The Harvard and Oxford graduate is a former naval officer who served in Afghanistan and rose to the rank of lieutenant in the United States Navy Reserve.

The 42-year-old became Mayor of South Bend, Indiana in 2012 and remained in that role until 2020.

He dropped out of the race for the White House in March 2020, endorsing Biden, and was appointed Secretary of State for Transportation the same year.

Gretchen Whitmer

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s name has also been thrown into the mix as a possible Biden replacement (Photo: Al Goldis/AP)

Governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer was shortlisted as a running mate for Biden in the 2020 presidential election and was considered a possible candidate for this election if Biden did not run.

The 52-year-old lawyer served as a member of the Michigan House of Representatives and then as a member of the Michigan Senate before becoming governor in 2019.

She was elected vice-chair of the Democratic National Committee in 2002 and was picked as the co-chair of Biden’s re-election campaign last year.

The mother-of-two has hinted at running for president in 2028, saying, “See you in 2029” in a speech in Washington DC in March this year.

JB Pritzker

Governor of Illinois JB Pritzker’s may also be a potential to take on the presidential campaign (Photo: Daniel Boczarski/Getty)

Businessman, philanthropist and long-time financial supporter of the Democrat party, JB Pritzker could also be a contender to replace Biden.

Raised in California, he graduated from Duke University with a degree in political science and then studied at the Northwestern University School of Law.

The 59-year-old co-founded Pritzker Group Private Capital with his brother Tony.

Currently Governor of Illinois, he is a member of the family which owns the hotel chain Hyatt and is estimated to be worth $3.6bn (£2.85m), making him the richest politician in the US.

Jared Polis

Colorado Governor Jared Polis has also been mentioned as possible to step into any vacancy left by Biden (Photo:David Zalubowski/AP)

Jared Polis became the first openly gay man to be elected to Congress in 2008 and the first to become a US state governor.

Born in Boulder , Colorado, he graduated from Princeton with a degree in politics and embarked on a successful career in business founding investor firm TechStars.

He joined the US House of Representatives in 2009 and served there until 2019 when he became Colorado Governor.

He married his longtime partner, Marlon Reis, in 2021 and the couple have two children.

Could the Democrats replace Joe Biden before the election?

There are ways to replace a nominee if they die, resign or are incapacitated but the only real way in which the Democrats could replace Biden would be if he withdrew, something he has vowed not to do in the past.

He is due to formally nominated at the Democratic National Convention on 19 August, after winning the state primaries earlier this year.

It requires a majority of the roughly 4,000 pledged delegates to win the party’s nomination.

And the the party’s 700 superdelegates, Democratic lawmakers and dignitaries, are also permitted to vote if no one wins a majority of pledged delegates on the first ballot.

The party technically does have a system for nominating a fresh candidate at the convention but no means of pushing Biden out.

Instead, he would have to agree to decline his party’s nomination to kick off the process of picking his replacement.

The chair of the party would call a special meeting of around 500 members to choose a new nominee.

It requires a majority of the roughly 4,000 pledged delegates to win the party’s nomination.