Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., and then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., speak with comedian Jon Stewart in 2022 in Washington, D.C. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)
Major Democratic donors are funding a preliminary vetting process for potential vice-presidential nominees should President Biden exit the race, according to four people familiar with the process, suggesting that influential figures in the party are growing increasingly restless and concerned about the time remaining to mount a national campaign.
In recent days, people involved in the effort have contacted the teams of top Democratic figures, including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, the people said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive effort. The donors are also interested in vetting North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly.
It is unclear whether the subjects of the vetting are participating in the effort, which is independent of the Biden campaign and the Democratic National Committee. A vetting process typically includes a deep review of a potential candidate’s governing record, public statements, personal finances and other personal and private activities to help decision-makers weigh the potential risks of each selection, but the specifics of this particular effort are not known.
The Biden campaign and a spokesperson for Shapiro declined to comment. Spokespeople for Beshear and Whitmer did not respond to requests for comment.
A person familiar with Kelly’s political operation was unaware of outreach from outside donors involving any sort of vetting for the Democratic ticket. Kelly has heard from many supporters since the presidential debate urging him to seek higher office, the person said, but “what they are hearing back is, Kelly supports Biden and Harris.”
Vetting potential vice-presidential candidates usually takes months, so the group of donors, who have not been identified, decided to begin that process earlier this month. If Biden drops out, many Democrats think Vice President Harris would become the front-runner to replace him, and should she secure the nomination, she would have to select a running mate under a compressed timeline to ensure the Democratic ticket meets all state ballot deadlines. The vice president has repeatedly said she fully supports Biden as the party’s nominee.
One potential pitfall of the donor-run process is that its sponsors could be barred from directly coordinating with the Democratic presidential campaign, under election laws designed to ensure campaigns’ independence. That means the donors would likely have to share their findings in a public manner in order for the campaign to benefit from them.
Yet such vetting is usually guided by strict confidentiality, in part to ensure the privacy of the individuals involved. It is not clear how the donors might navigate that obstacle.
In recent weeks, Harris has appeared with many of the Democrats who are being viewed as potential running mates should she take over the top of the ticket. A day after the debate, Harris was in Nevada with Kelly. She has twice appeared at campaign events in North Carolina with Cooper, and she campaigned with Shapiro last weekend in Pennsylvania.
Biden, who is isolating in Rehoboth Beach, Del., after contracting covid-19, remains publicly defiant, insisting he will return to the campaign trail next week after he recovers from the virus. His campaign has responded to increasing calls for him to drop out of the presidential race by announcing new events designed to show that he has no plans to step aside. His campaign has 10 scheduled fundraisers over the last 10 days of July.
Saturday began relatively quietly for Biden, after a dramatic Friday when a dozen lawmakers called for the president to step aside, but his allies were bracing for more such calls next week and seeking to showcase his determination to continue his campaign. The renewed push by Biden’s allies sets up a potential collision between the president’s campaign and lawmakers who have urged him to leave the race by this weekend.
On Saturday, Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., added his name to a list of Democrats going public with their calls for Biden to withdraw, after expressing that sentiment privately.
“Joe, I love and respect you,” Takano said in his statement, which called for Harris to take over as the Democratic presidential candidate. “But the stakes are too high to fail. It’s time to pass the torch to Kamala.”
The Washington Post reported two weeks ago that Takano had privately called for Biden to step aside. Several more Democrats are weighing taking the step of turning their private desire for a Biden exit into a public declaration.
Some have suggested they are on the cusp of doing so next week if Biden does not signal by Monday that he is moving to drop out of the race. Biden allies are urging fellow Democrats to give the president time to reach a decision on his own, but some lawmakers say privately they may be forced to take the dramatic step of coming out against their party’s presumptive nominee months before the November election because Biden has remained defiant.
On Saturday, a group of Democratic donors planned to host a virtual fundraiser for Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., Rep. Mike Levin, D-Calif., and Rep. Hillary J. Scholten, D-Mich., all of whom have called for Biden to step aside, according to an individual involved in the effort. Some of the donors previously hosted Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., after she called for Biden to step aside.
“It’s just another indication that donors are ready and willing to support” incumbents who call for Biden to end his campaign for reelection, the donor said.
But Biden’s campaign is suggesting he will be ramping up his activity, as aides try to show that he is determined to forge ahead with his reelection drive. The president is expected to travel to Austin to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act next week. The event, originally scheduled for July 15, was postponed after the attempted assassination of Republican nominee Donald Trump.
Biden is also preparing for a critical visit to Washington by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is scheduled to address a joint session of Congress on Wednesday. The two leaders have had a tense relationship, and Netanyahu’s handling of the war in Gaza has further soured things between them.
Before his covid diagnosis last Wednesday, Biden was planning to visit multiple states in the coming week to showcase his vigor and prosecute the case against Trump. While he said in a statement Friday that he still plans to return to the campaign trail within days, his doctor said he continues to battle a hoarse voice and loose cough, symptoms that could make it difficult for him to make his case to the public.
The White House declared a “lid” on Saturday morning, indicating that Biden would not have any public activity before Sunday. The president was last seen in public Wednesday, when he traveled to his Rehoboth Beach home to isolate after testing positive.
The White House has said Biden’s symptoms are improving, and he has held calls with foreign leaders and received briefings from staff in private.
He has also been joined by a small group of longtime aides, including senior adviser Steve Ricchetti, who has been fielding some of the calls from lawmakers concerned about Biden’s candidacy.
During Biden’s isolation, the efforts to push him aside have intensified.
The flood of a dozen statements by lawmakers Friday urging Biden to drop out of the race prompted a shift in tone from the campaign, which had often met such calls with defiance and at one point dismissed Democrats with concerns as the “bed-wetting brigade.” On Friday, the campaign suggested it respects those with different opinions on the best path forward - which now includes almost 40 Democratic members of Congress - even as it disagrees with them.
“While the majority of the caucus and the diverse base of the party continues to stand with the president and his historic record of delivering for their communities, we’re clear-eyed that the urgency and stakes of beating Donald Trump means others feel differently,” a campaign spokesperson said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter. “We all share the same goal.”
If Biden steps aside, though, there is no guarantee that Harris would be the nominee. Many Democrats who fear a messy process to replace him, however, support the idea. In private conversations earlier this month, members of the Congressional Black Caucus made clear that they would immediately back Harris if Biden were to step aside.
But some Democrats worry about the appearance of immediately crowning Harris without input from rank-and-file party members. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., former House speaker, is among those in that camp, expressing her concerns to fellow members of a California Democratic House delegation during a luncheon on July 10.
Pelosi did not oppose Harris ultimately becoming the nominee, according to two people familiar with the meeting, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a private conversation. Instead, she cautioned that elected Democrats and voters might be angered by the appearance of “party elites” forcing Biden out of office only to immediately crown a nominee.
Harris is 59, while Biden is 81 and Trump is 78, so she would quickly bring a younger face to the top of the Democratic ticket. But some Democrats argue that she would benefit from a nomination process that would allow Democrats to show enthusiasm for her candidacy. Pelosi also made clear that should Harris become the nominee, California’s Democratic House delegation would use its outsize influence to build support for her.
Olorunnipa reported from Rehoboth Beach, Del. Wingett Sanchez reported from Phoenix. Marianna Sotomayor contributed to this report.
