Democracy Dies in Darkness

Biden wasn’t the nominee, so replacing him isn’t illegal

There is no existing Democratic nominee, so there’s neither a procedural nor a legal problem if it isn’t Joe Biden.

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President Biden departs from the White House on March 13. (Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post)
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As rumblings on the left for President Biden to end his reelection bid grew louder, Republicans became more overt in trying to keep the incumbent as their opponent. Former president Donald Trump’s campaign manager described the calls for Biden to stand aside as a “coup.”

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House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), during an interview Sunday, suggested that such a move would somehow be illegal.

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Philip Bump is a Post columnist based in New York. He writes the newsletter How To Read This Chart and is the author of The Aftermath: The Last Days of the Baby Boom and the Future of Power in America.Twitter
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