As President Joe Biden faces mounting pressure to drop out of the 2024 presidential race while isolating in Delaware with Covid-19, the former House speaker Nancy Pelosi is looking to prevent the vice president from automatically taking the nomination.
The California representative hopes to avoid Kamala Harris automatically becoming the Democratic candidate if Mr Biden drops out, Politico and The New York Times report. Earlier this week, reports emerged that the influential Democrat told Mr Biden privately he can't beat Donald Trump in November.
Ms Pelosi is not against a Harris-led ticket, according to the Times. Instead, Ms Pelosi is advocating for an open nomination process at next month's Democratic National Convention, arguing that Harris - or any other potential candidate - would be strengthened by earning the title, the Times reports.
Representative Zoe Lofgren, a California Democrat, made a similar argument on Friday. "Should he make that decision, there will have to be quick steps," Lofgren said on MSNBC. "I don't think we can do a coronation, but obviously the vice president would be the leading candidate."
This story is from the July 21, 2024 edition of The Independent.
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This story is from the July 21, 2024 edition of The Independent.
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