“I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down,” Mr. Biden wrote in an open letter on Sunday afternoon. The president offered his “full support and endorsement” for Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him as the nominee. He said he will address the nation “later this week in more detail.”
Mr. Biden campaigned in 2020 as a “bridge” to the next generation of Democratic leaders. Passing the torch now — four years earlier than he had hoped — increases the odds that his party can hold the White House. But Democrats need to proceed carefully.
Ms. Harris is the heavy favorite to emerge as the party’s standard-bearer at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next month. Delegates might not want to deny the nomination to the first female vice president. That’s why many potential top-tier contenders signaled that they will not challenge her.
An open process for picking Mr. Biden’s replacement as Democratic nominee, as well as that person’s running mate, risks becoming messy It could draw attention to Democratic divisions over issues that divide Democrats such as Mr. Biden’s policy in the Middle East. The Democratic convention was already shaping up to be contentious before Mr. Biden’s exit, with the possibility of large protests outside the venue.
Yet Mr. Biden’s decision creates an opportunity for a reset, not only for his party but also for U.S. politics generally, through a competitive nomination process among future national leaders. Barack Obama was a stronger candidate in 2008, and maybe even a better president, because Hillary Clinton competed so fiercely with him during a marathon primary season. Though this sort of vetting process isn’t replicable, there is time for Democrats to scrutinize the contenders for top of the ticket.
The logistics of a compressed nominating contest would not necessarily be hard. France just held snap elections without a hitch. All the delegates and superdelegates are already selected and set to convene in Chicago. Democrats would not even have to schedule primaries: Debates among the top contenders would do.
Polls show Ms. Harris is the best known among the potential Democratic nominees, but, by the same token, she has a record in the Biden administration — including her validation of Mr. Biden’s fitness for a second term — that people have a right to examine. She did not succeed in addressing the root causes of illegal immigration, an assignment the president gave her, but she excelled as a messenger decrying the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade.
Perhaps more important, she is not the only option. Governors include Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer, North Carolina’s Roy Cooper and Kentucky’s Andy Beshear. Two Democratic governors elected in 2022 could have bright futures on the national stage: Maryland’s Wes Moore and Pennsylvania’s Josh Shapiro. There are talented Cabinet secretaries, especially Commerce’s Gina Raimondo and Transportation’s Pete Buttigieg. Senators made of presidential timber include Arizona’s Mark Kelly and Colorado’s Michael Bennet.
At each decision point, Democrats should err on the side of transparency. Even if Ms. Harris quickly locks down the nomination, her running mate should still be decided at the convention. State delegations and superdelegates could play a vital role during nationally televised proceedings that would grip the country and shine the spotlight on Democrats.
Even though he’s not seeking another term, Mr. Biden can still help his party campaign against GOP nominee Donald Trump this fall. By far his most important assignment now, though, is to work on getting the country in the best possible shape for his successor. Unburdened from the rigors of the campaign trail, Mr. Biden can help bring a long-sought conclusion to the war in Gaza and the release of hostages as well as pilot the U.S. economy to a soft landing from inflation that will be made likelier if the Federal Reserve cuts interest rates.
The United States just celebrated the Fourth of July for the 248th time. Mr. Biden has been alive for nearly one-third of that history. His prudent, selfless decision to stand down improves his party’s prospects today, and, undoubtedly, retrospective assessments of his presidency tomorrow.
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