DNC denies early convention roll call linked to calls to replace Biden

The Democratic National Committee has dismissed speculation it is nominating President Joe Biden as the party's 2024 standard-bearer through a virtual roll call before its convention in order to counter calls to replace the president at the top of its ticket.

Both Biden campaign and DNC spokespeople were quick to clarify that the roll call, which will be held weeks before the Democratic National Convention next month in Chicago, was previously scheduled in response to a ballot access legal dispute with Ohio's Republican-controlled legislature.

Bloomberg had reported that the roll call, which might be held on July 21, is to ensure Biden is on ballots around the country in November's general election against former President Donald Trump "while helping to stamp out intra-party chatter of replacing him after his poor debate performance."

"This is false," DNC Communications Director Rosemary Boeglin wrote on social media Monday. "We've said for weeks that the DNC would hold a virtual roll call in the lead-up to our in-person convention as a result of the OH GOP's bad-faith attempts to keep Joe Biden off of their general election ballot."

The DNC announced the virtual roll call in May after Ohio's legislature decided against changing its ballot access laws to accommodate the Democrats' late convention.

“Joe Biden will be on the ballot in Ohio and all 50 states, and Ohio Republicans agree," DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison wrote in a statement. "But when the time has come for action, they have failed to act every time, so Democrats will land this plane on our own."

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"Through a virtual roll call, we will ensure that Republicans can’t chip away at our democracy through incompetence or partisan tricks and that Ohioans can exercise their right to vote for the presidential candidate of their choice," he said.

Democrats are calling on the party to reconsider its nominee after Biden appeared to lose his train of thought during last week's opening debate against Trump.