The Democratic National Committee plans to nominate President Joe Biden as their 2024 presidential candidate virtually — before the party’s national convention in Chicago this August.
On Tuesday, DNC members will vote on rule changes allowing them to officially nominate Biden through a virtual process ahead of the convention’s August 19th start date. This would effectively lock Biden in as the Democratic nominee before any in-person gatherings or events.
The move is reportedly to prevent angry or disgruntled Democratic Party members from trying to replace Biden, a historically unpopular candidate, at the national convention.
The DNC had initially cited an early August 7th filing cutoff in Ohio as necessitating a pre-convention nomination.
However, Ohio’s Republican governor signed legislation on Sunday pushing that deadline back to September 1st.
Despite the extended timeline, a DNC aide confirmed on Monday that the committee is still “moving forward” with its planned virtual nomination of the incumbent president ahead of the Chicago convention.
Bypassing traditional convention procedures would preempt any potential protests against Biden in Chicago. The president’s persistently low approval ratings have led to some rumblings about nominating an alternative candidate.
Far-Left protesters are expected to disrupt the convention as well, a frequent occurrence at the Democratic national convention. A coalition named “March on The DNC” has already announced intentions to demonstrate near the convention over issues like Biden’s mishandling of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
DNC insider Josh Putnam stated that once Biden is virtually nominated, that decision effectively cannot be walked back barring extraordinary circumstances.
“There will be no substitutes,” he said.
Pre-nominating candidates before the full in-person event is an unusual process break from modern tradition. Conventions typically provide a high-profile opportunity to unite the party behind its nominee.
But barring any last-minute reversals, the DNC appears set to take the unprecedented step of officially nominating Biden ahead of their August gathering – a move that could mute Democratic divisions, but also strip attendees of key convention drama.