Democrats plan to delay an online vote to nominate President Biden ahead of the party’s Aug. 19 convention in Chicago as party lawmakers increase calls to replace him on the 2024 ticket.
Democratic National Convention officials had planned to begin a multi-day, online vote to nominate Mr. Biden beginning as early as Sunday, but will delay starting the vote until the first week of August.
The new date would still lock in Mr. Biden, 81, as the party’s nominee ahead of the convention, which would break with the tradition of having the 4,000 delegates nominate their candidate in person.
The weeklong delay was announced as a top Democrat, Rep. Adam B. Schiff of California, added his name to the list of party lawmakers calling for Mr. Biden to withdraw from the ticket. It also came amid protests from House Democrats who urged DNC officials to ditch the online nominating plan in favor of the in-person format.
A letter signed by roughly 20 Democrats demanded the DNC halt the plan to nominate Mr. Biden virtually, calling it “a terrible idea,” and “unnecessary and unprecedented.”
Party officials defended the online plan, blaming Ohio’s Aug. 7 filing deadline for presidential candidates to appear on the ballot, which would have made the nomination at the Chicago convention too late for Mr. Biden.
SEE ALSO: Rep. Adam Schiff, running for Senate, says Biden should drop out
Ohio lawmakers changed the candidate filing deadline to Sept. 1, but the DNC in a June meeting nonetheless advanced the online nomination plan, claiming it was necessary in case the GOP-led state tried to block the extended ballot deadline in court.
Party Chairman Jaime Harrison defended the move on social media Tuesday, arguing Ohio Republicans could pull a last-minute move to block the date change, preventing Mr. Biden from appearing on the ballot.
The new date will not be enacted into law until a day before the ballot deadline.
“So are we supposed to rely upon the good will of those same people?! Please. Don’t gaslight me!” Mr. Harrison said on X.
Mr. Harrison said the party is committed to completing the online nominating process by Aug. 5, “to give us time to comply by August 7.”
An online nomination will all but thwart any effort to have delegates vote to replace Mr. Biden at the convention.
SEE ALSO: Most Democrats say Biden should quit ticket, AP poll finds
The delegates are largely loyal to Mr. Biden anyway, so a replacement was considered unlikely unless Mr. Biden voluntarily steps aside.
A significant number of party lawmakers are hoping to coerce Mr. Biden into withdrawing from the ticket, and soon.
Polls show he’s losing consistently to former President Donald Trump in the battleground states needed to win the election, and where Senate and House candidates rely on the top of the ticket to help them win.
Mr. Biden’s poll numbers have deteriorated following a troubling debate performance and new scrutiny of his cognitive struggles.
Polls show the majority of voters believe he should withdraw, including Democrats.
Mr. Schiff, who is running for Senate, warned if Mr. Biden is the nominee, he will lose and take down House and Senate Democratic candidates along with him.
“While the choice to withdraw from the campaign is President Biden’s alone, I believe it is time for him to pass the torch,” Mr. Schiff said. “And in doing so, secure his legacy of leadership by allowing us to defeat Donald Trump in the upcoming election.”
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.
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