Democrats plan to nominate Biden in pre-convention vote as party remains divided
The Democratic Party plans to formally nominate President Biden as the party's 2024 nominee in a vote prior to their convention, according to a Wednesday letter.
The letter, sent to the Democratic National Convention Rules Committee from committee co-chairs Leah Daughtry and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, details plans to hold a virtual roll call for delegates, saying it is necessary to avoid potential litigation in Ohio and elsewhere. News of the vote comes as Democrats remain deeply divided over whether Biden should serve as the party's nominee. The party will hold a rules meeting regarding the convention on Friday.
"Our discussion on Friday of how the Convention will operate will include discussion of a virtual voting element, which will end before the in-person Convention," says the letter, which was obtained by Fox News Digital.
The letter confirms that virtual voting will begin no sooner than Aug. 1. It must conclude by Aug. 7 to avoid ballot access issues in Ohio. Frank LaRose, the Ohio secretary of state, repeatedly warned the Democratic Party that its plans to nominate Biden at the Aug. 19 convention violated Ohio law. The state's election laws require a presidential candidate to be certified at least 90 days before Election Day.
"Having enough time to finalize our nominees and make sure they are on ballots around the country is critical. That is the driving reason for conducting a virtual voting process," the letter states.
"No matter what may be reported, our goal is not to fast-track," Daughtry and Walz added. "Our goals are to uphold our tradition of transparency, our commitment to an effective nominating process that delivers a nominee on all state ballots, and ultimately to set our nominees on a path to victory in November."
The compressed schedule puts even more pressure on the growing number of Democrats who are hoping to pressure Biden to drop out of the race. So far, 20 Democrat lawmakers have publicly called for him to withdraw.
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Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., was the latest lawmaker to defect, issuing a statement to the Los Angeles Times praising Biden as "one of the most consequential presidents in our nation’s history."
"But our nation is at a crossroads," he said. "A second Trump presidency will undermine the very foundation of our democracy, and I have serious concerns about whether the president can defeat Donald Trump in November."
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"While the choice to withdraw from the campaign is President Biden’s alone, I believe it is time for him to pass the torch. And in doing so, secure his legacy of leadership by allowing us to defeat Donald Trump in the upcoming election," he added.
Biden has insisted he is staying in the race, though the number of Democrat lawmakers calling for him to drop out is growing almost daily.