As Joe Biden spends the weekend trying to revive his besieged re-election campaign, high-ranking Democrats are weighing the odds of his potential replacement.
Even Biden’s most ardent supporters have begun to call on the president to dropout of the race following his disastrous debate against Donald Trump that saw him stumbling over his words and losing his train of thought.
Biden has insisted he is still the Democrat’s best bet at beating Trump, but there is still time to replace him as the party’s nominee – and the names of possible replacements are being floated.
The Democratic National Committee’s official procedures for the convention, adopted in 2022, give the committee the authority to choose a new candidate if either member of the ticket dies or withdraws.
Joe Biden is set to discuss his political future with is family after critics have called on him to dropout of the race following his disastrous debate against Donald Trump
The party’s presidential candidate is formally nominated Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August where delegates remain bound to support him – unless Biden himself announces that he’s leaving the race.
The Convention would then assume responsibility for voting on an alternative, of which there are plenty of options.
Here are where the betting odds to win the presidential election – meaning the amount one could win for every $100 staked on each candidate – stand for some of the most popular Biden replacements according to Oddschecker.
Gavin Newsom – Odds +1150
The governor of California, who is in the middle of his second and final term, has placed himself in spotlight of Biden’s campaign leaving many to speculate if he is eyeing up the job.
His odds have jumped to +1150, despite polling showing he would lose to a matchup against Trump.
Post presidential debate polling conducted by Data for Progress research asked more than 1,000 people who they would vote for in an election between Trump and leading Democrats.
Newsom, 56, the governor of California and a top Biden surrogate lost 44 percent to 47 percent against Trump in a hypothetical matchup
Newsom, 56, lost 44 percent to 47 percent to 78-year-old Donald Trump.
His role as one of the Biden campaign’s top surrogates has made him a target of Republicans who have repeatedly held up California as an example of Democrats’ mismanagement.
On Newsom’s track record in the Golden State is huge budget deficit and major cities such as San Francisco and Los Angeles have been devastated by crime and homelessness.
Michelle Obama – Odds +1650
The former first lady’s odds to replace Biden have intensified following the debate and she has long been rumored to be considering launching her own political career.
Oddschecker put her up +1650. However, exclusive DailyMail.com/J.L. Partners polling in March of 1,000 likely voters found that she would lose to the former president by three points in a hypothetical match-up.
The idea of Michelle Obama running for president has occasionally been touted by Democrats worried about Biden’s advance age and his ability to win a second election.
Michelle Obama’s odds to replace Biden have intensified following the debate and she has reportedly steered clear of campaigning for Joe Biden
They think her easy touch with voters, star power and, at the age of 60, relative youth could keep the White House from falling into Republican hands.
Her potential candidacy has gained traction among rightwing pundits, who talked up her potential candidacy as a way of undermining Biden’s run.
Following the presidential debate Republican Senator Ted Cruz said he thinks the former first lady could be the next presidential candidate.
‘Nine months ago, on Verdict I predicted that the Dems would replace Biden with Michelle Obama. I think that’s going to happen,’ Cruz said on X.
Michelle has steered clear of campaigning for Joe Biden over her private frustration with how the family treated friend Kathleen Buhle during her messy divorce from Hunter Biden, according to reports.
Gretchen Whitmer – Odds +3300
The 52-year-old governor of Michigan, which is a vital swing state for the 2024 election, is considered a rising star in the party.
In the post-debate polling by Data for Progress research Whitmer lost 44 percent to Trump’s 46 percent in a potential match up. However, her betting odds to with the election have risen to +3300.
Whitmer is widely popular in the swing state, which went red for Donald Trump by a tiny 0.3 percent margin and swung blue for Biden in 2020 by a 2.8 percent margin.
Whitmer is widely popular in her swing state but lost 44 percent to 46 percent for Trump in post presidential debate polling
‘That woman in Michigan’, as Trump describes her, is a former prosecutor and mother- of-two who supports stricter gun laws and the repeal of abortion bans.
In 2020, the FBI famously thwarted a plot by a right-wing militia group to kidnap Whitmer after she antagonized conservatives with her tough response to the Covid pandemic.
She has a memoir coming out next month which some cynically believe was timed perfectly for a possible presidential run.
Kamala Harris – Odds +3300
An obvious choice to replace Biden would be the Vice President Harris, 59, who reportedly has been referred to as a ‘work in progress’ by her president.
Harris is the natural successor of the presidency if Biden steps down during his term. But for years, Democrats have criticized Harris’ performance and feel she should not take over for Biden before the election.
The Data for Progress polling has Harris losing 45 percent to Trump’s 48 percent, same as her current running mate, while her odds to win the election are +3300.
Harris is said to be ‘furious’ that she is not being considered as a replacement for Biden, reported Politico.
Harris is said to be ‘furious’ that she is not being considered as a replacement for Biden
One Washington, DC political operative described to DailyMail.com the ‘Kamala conundrum’ as a result of Biden and Democrats playing the ‘dangerous game’ of identity politics to boost their numbers with the black community.
‘She could be great for the base right?’ he said. ‘But you still need independent voters who just don’t have confidence in her.’
Other Possibilities
Additional names being thrown into the ring of potential replacement candidates include up and coming party members and even former presidential hopefuls.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and New Jersey Senator Corey Booker both lost 44 percent to Trump’s 47 percent in the Data for Progress matchup.
Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker all lost 43 percent to 46 percent in a matchup against Trump.
Pritzker, a venture capitalist billionaire and heir to the Hyatt Hotel fortune has the considerable advantage of being able to sink a lot of money into a presidential campaign.
His odds, along with Shapiro’s, stand at +20000, while Booker’s is at +40000.
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