How Will Democrats Select Their Nominee?

With President Joe Biden stepping aside from the 2024 presidential race, the Democratic Party faces a unique and urgent challenge in selecting its new nominee.  In 2024, candidates will need to work behind the scenes to secure the support of...

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With President Joe Biden stepping aside from the 2024 presidential race, the Democratic Party faces a unique and urgent challenge in selecting its new nominee. 

In 2024, candidates will need to work behind the scenes to secure the support of a majority of delegates from leadership at the state and party level.

The 2024 DNC Nomination Process

When Biden relinquished his candidacy, he effectively released his 3,896 delegates who were pledged to vote for him. 

DNC rules prevent Biden from passing his delegates directly to another candidate. Instead, the unbinding of the delegates allows them to cast their votes for a new nominee. Biden’s delegates will be free to support other candidates who did not compete in the primary for the DNC’s nomination.

As candidates compete for delegates, they will participate in public and private campaigning efforts. Currently, Vice President Kamala Harris is the only realistic candidate seeking the nomination. (Author Marianne Williamson has also declared her intention to seek the nomination.)

After voting, if no single candidate receives a majority of delegates, then there will be a second round of voting. More than 700 Democratic Party elites, known as “superdelegates” can vote in the following rounds until a majority is achieved. 

Has This Happened Before?

In 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson unexpectedly withdrew his candidacy. After receiving Johnson’s endorsement, his vice president, Hubert Humphrey, secured the nomination without participating in the primaries.

Humphrey worked behind the scenes and won the support of a majority of delegates by convincing Democrat insiders and delegates controlled by state party leaders.

Although his support was suspected, Americans found he officially earned the nomination when delegates formally voted at the convention.

This approach was widely criticized, being viewed by many as undemocratic and bypassing the will of the primary voters.

The contested convention left the Democratic Party fragmented. Many Americans were dissatisfied with the convention’s outcome. One candidate, Sen. Eugene McCarthy, even waited months to endorse Humphrey. 

Consequently, President Richard Nixon defeated Humphrey and won the 1968 election.

The Nomination Timeline

The Democratic National Convention is scheduled for Aug. 19 to 22, but the official nominee is expected to be selected before Aug. 7 to meet Ohio’s certification deadline.

If the DNC has not officially nominated its candidate before this date, the candidate will not appear on Ohio’s ballot. 

In recent U.S. history, there has not been a major party nominee who failed to make it on the ballot in every state. 

Failing to appear on the ballot in Ohio could signal severe disorder within the party’s leadership and dissuade voters from confidently supporting the party.

The deadline cannot legally be extended, meaning the DNC has 16 days to nominate its candidate.

Virtual Nomination Ceremony

To meet Ohio’s deadline, the DNC will hold a virtual nomination ceremony online before the in-person convention begins. 

As it stands, it is unclear how much transparency the DNC’s nomination process will involve. 

In 1968, it was suspected that Humphrey may win the nomination, but this was not confirmed until the votes were officially cast at the convention. This year, it is possible for the DNC to announce the official nominee with a virtual livestream nomination ceremony.

Last week in a letter, the DNC said, “[N]o voting will begin before August 1” and the idea of a virtual nomination was also contested.

After Biden’s withdrawal, DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison said, “[W]hile unprecedented… in short order, the American people will hear from the Democratic Party on next steps and the path forward for the nomination process.”

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