After Biden drops out of 2024 race, does Kamala Harris become the Democratic nominee? Not exactly

(NEXSTAR) — Joe Biden has officially dropped out of the 2024 presidential race, making him one of just a handful of presidents to end their reelection campaigns.

“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” Biden wrote in a letter posted to social media, affirming the speculation that has been building since his June debate with former President Donald Trump.

Though Biden did not endorse his vice president, Kamala Harris, in that letter, he later put his support behind her in a separate post to X.

Does that make Harris the new Democratic nominee? Not exactly.

Technically speaking, Biden was not even the formal party nominee. That nomination was set to come in August during a virtual roll call ahead of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Biden was expected to be the top of the ticket after nearly 3,900 delegates pledged to cast their ballots for him.

Harris — who is the only candidate who can directly tap into the Biden campaign’s war chest under federal campaign finance rules — stands as the party’s instant favorite to win the nomination during the DNC.

However, she isn’t the formal nominee for the party yet.

Democrats are now, technically, starting with an open convention.

What is an open convention?

During an open convention, delegates could cast their ballot for any candidate. The candidate who wins a simple majority would be the new Democratic nominee. If no candidate could get that simple majority, “superdelegates,” who could vote for the candidate of their choosing, will also vote.

Delegates, under party rules, are basically required to vote for the candidate chosen by voters. The superdelegates plus the pledged delegates would all continue to hold votes until a candidate received a winning majority.

Biden cannot pass his delegates off to Harris or any other candidate.

Will anyone run against Harris?

It’s unclear if anyone will challenge Harris for the nomination, or if Democrats will push for an open convention or a rapid primary where candidates can make their case to the public before the Democratic National Convention begins Aug. 19 in Chicago.

Instead, the immediate burden falls on Harris to solidify support across almost 4,000 delegates from the states, territories and District of Columbia, plus more than 700 so-called superdelegates that include party leaders, certain elected officials and former presidents and vice presidents.

In a statement released Sunday, Harris said she intends “to earn and win this nomination” while nothing she is “honored to have the President’s endorsement.”

Other names, like California Governor Gavin Newsom and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, were suggested as possible candidates even before Biden announced his decision.

As The Hill previously reported, several lawmakers had publicly said they would support Harris as the nominee if Biden were to step aside. And there would likely be political backlash if the party skipped over the first woman and first woman of color elected vice president in favor of another candidate.

Roughly 79% of Democrats, when asked who they would support if Biden stepped aside, said they approved of Harris landing atop the ticket, according to a poll released Thursday.

What happens now?

Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison says following President Joe Biden’s abandoning his reelection bid that “the work that we must do now, while unprecedented, is clear.”

“In the coming days, the party will undertake a transparent and orderly process to move forward,” Harrison said in a statement, with “a candidate who can defeat Donald Trump in November.”

“This process will be governed by established rules and procedures of the party,” Harrison added. “Our delegates are prepared to take seriously their responsibility in swiftly delivering a candidate to the American people.”

His statement also noted: “In short order, the American people will hear from the Democratic Party on next steps and the path forward for the nomination process.”

Alix Martichoux, Sara Filips, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.