Chicago – July 16, 2024
House Democrats are expressing concerns about President Joe Biden’s ability to defeat Donald Trump in the upcoming election. They are drafting a letter to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) urging it to halt a vote planned for next week that would expedite Biden’s confirmation as the party’s presidential nominee. This vote was initially scheduled because Ohio’s previous law required Biden to be nominated by early August to appear on the ballot.
The letter, expected to be signed by several House Democrats, argues that the accelerated vote is no longer necessary. Ohio has since changed its law, giving Democrats more time to nominate Biden at their convention in mid-August formally. The new deadline is 65 days before the election instead of 90 days.
The letter states, “There is no legal justification for this extraordinary and unprecedented action which would effectively accelerate the nomination process by nearly a month.” Democrats had planned a virtual roll call to ensure Biden met the old deadline. The letter criticizes this plan as unnecessary and suggests it would stifle debate and prematurely shut down any possibility of changing the Democratic ticket. They advocate for waiting until the convention to nominate Biden formally.
