Virtual Biden nomination sucks drama out of Democratic convention
By
Haisten Willis
May 30, 2024 6:00 am
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Democrats‘ announcement that President Joe Biden will be named their nominee for president virtually has deflated what little drama could have been expected at the Democratic National Convention.
Biden easily racked up the delegates needed to become the party’s standard-bearer by March, but the continued protest votes against him in Democratic primaries and his perceived weakness as a general election candidate left open the door to the remote possibility of a surprise challenge and even brokered convention when the party meets in Chicago in August.
On Tuesday, the Democratic National Committee opted to nominate Biden virtually in the coming weeks to ensure he makes it on the ballot in Ohio, a state with a filing deadline two weeks before the convention, but the knock-on effect of its decision is that the event will now be purely ceremonial.
Democrats had brushed off the possibility of a brokered convention in the days leading up to the DNC announcement. The president trails former President Donald Trump in most swing-state polls, in part due to concerns over his age but also an enthusiasm gap by progressive voters upset with his handling of Israel’s war in Gaza.
“No, no. No one is talking about contingency plans for President Biden,” former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) said. “President Biden is going to be our nominee.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) said of the notion that Biden could be replaced.
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https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/white-house/3021086/virtual-biden-nomination-sucks-drama-democratic-convention/
