(The Center Square) – With President Joe Biden’s Sunday announcement that he is dropping his reelection bid and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to take his place, Washington state’s Democrats look to be jumping on the Harris bandwagon.
The Washington State Democratic Party endorsed Harris immediately after Biden announced on social media that he was standing down, but party Chair Shasti Conrad said the organization is giving state delegates some time to process what has happened.
“To make sure they had a chance to check in with their constituents,” Conrad explained during a Monday morning phone call, “and then we’ll see where we are in the next couple of days and whether or not we make a formal statement about their support.”
She added, “I think everybody will get there, but we’ll see if somebody else throws their hat into the ring.”
Conrad told The Center Square she learned Biden would be stepping aside moments before the news broke publicly.
“He was making a tough decision, which was really about benefiting all of us and putting our party in position so that we can win in November,” she observed.
Conrad expressed enthusiasm about the prospect of a presidential ticket headed by Harris.
“When we saw his support and endorsement of Vice President Harris, I was just overwhelmed with excitement at the possibility of electing the first woman of color president," she said.
Then Conrad started making phone calls.
“We definitely did have conversations with our delegates yesterday, and what we found was there was overwhelming support for Vice President Harris,” Conrad said. “It’s not automatic; our elected delegates were pledged to Biden, other than a few who are uncommitted , but it’s not automatic.”
Washington State Republican Party Chair Jim Walsh agreed, saying he expects state delegates who pledged to Biden to support Harris.
“But that doesn’t really help Harris one way or the other,” Walsh told The Center Square during a Monday morning phone interview.
“If someone else were to make a bid to get the nomination, they would run, one would assume, from a different perspective,” he said. “Maybe someone from the Midwest, the South, or the East Coast who is running on a more moderate platform, rather than Harris’ far-left platform.”
Walsh, a state representative from Aberdeen, pointed out that with the general election a little more than three months away, selecting a new presidential nominee will be a significant challenge.
“I don’t know whether it’s a practical reality that someone could do that,” Walsh said, pointing out that fundraising could be a major challenge.
“The FEC [ Federal Election Commission ] rules allow Harris to access money raised for the Biden-Harris ticket,” he said. “Another candidate nominated would not have ready access to that money.”
“Another candidate would have to give that money back and then reaccept it under a new campaign entity,” Walsh explained, speculating Democrats could try to work around that somehow.
The presumptive candidate herself may be an issue, according to Walsh.
“The problem Harris has is that she’s less popular than even President Biden,” he said. “She has a media presence that is not helpful, and she’s going to really have to work on that. She comes across as nervous and has a kind of nervous laugh that she falls back on even in friendly media interviews, and it doesn’t convey confidence.”
Does replacing Biden with Harris, assuming that’s how things shake out, help or hurt former President Donald Trump, who is now officially the Republican nominee for president?
“There are Democrats, potential nominees, who would be more difficult for Trump,” Walsh said. “I don’t think Harris will be any more difficult for Trump because she has to carry all the failures of the Biden administration.”
Walsh admitted, “I would have preferred Biden because it was more orderly. The voters supported Biden, and I think what they are doing now smacks of anti-Democratic oligarchy; smoke-filled rooms with elites making choices rather than people voting."
The state Republican chair wished Biden well.
“God’s grace to Biden and his family,” Walsh said. “He is clearly in decline, and I certainly don’t wish this on anyone. I just think the process becomes really messy for the Democrats now.”
On Wednesday, the Democratic National Convention’s Rules Committee will meet to consider and review draft rules for a framework to select a new nominee.
On Thursday, Washington’s national delegates will meet to consider endorsing a candidate.
The Democratic National Convention in Chicago takes place on Aug. 19 through Aug. 22.
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