You sent us questions about Biden and the presidential race. We answered them.

David Knowles
·Senior Editor
Updated ·4-min read
President Biden speaks to active-duty military service members and their families during a Fourth of July celebration at the White House on Thursday.
President Biden speaks to active-duty military service members and their families during a Fourth of July celebration at the White House on Thursday. (Susan Walsh/AP Photo)

In the wake of President Biden’s debate performance last week and his continued assertion that he will not drop out of the race, Yahoo News asked readers to send in their questions about his future and the election more generally.

We received hundreds of responses so far and we will continue to monitor and print those that contain questions we are able to answer, so keep them coming!

Here’s a sampling of five commonly asked queries that have been submitted so far, including the way readers asked to be identified, and our responses:

I'd like to know what the process will be in the event that Biden steps back. Will candidates vie for the existing delegates? Will states revise their delegates? —Anonymous, no age provided

The Democratic National Convention, where delegates vote to officially nominate the party’s presidential nominee, begins on Aug. 19. Biden has amassed nearly 4,000 delegates through primary voting and caucuses, well over the 1,976 needed to secure the nomination. Under party rules, those delegates are expected to remain committed to voting for the candidate they were awarded to, but they aren’t required to do so.

“All delegates to the National Convention pledged to a presidential candidate shall in all good conscience reflect the sentiments of those who elected them,” the rules state.

If Biden decides to drop out of the race, delegates would be free to vote at an open convention for the candidate of their choosing, especially since there would not be time to hold new state primaries or caucuses.

Should Biden drop out of the race, it will be up to the DNC to set the rules for how to pick his replacement prior to the convention.

Could Michelle Obama be the Democratic presidential nominee if she was willing to be? — Anonymous, 61

While an Ipsos/Reuters poll released this week found former first lady Michelle Obama beating former President Donald Trump in a hypothetical matchup in 2024 by a margin of 50%-39%, Obama has repeatedly said she has no interest in running. That said, there would be nothing preventing her from tossing her hat in the ring if she chose to do so, assuming Biden were to withdraw.

How do we pick a reasonable running mate for Kamala Harris since she is the obvious first choice for president? —Stran, no age provided

Most experts agree that if Biden were to step aside, Vice President Kamala Harris would be the clear favorite to succeed him and become the Democrats’ nominee. A key factor is that because Biden’s campaign is registered with the Federal Election Commission in both of the candidate’s names, Harris would be entitled to use the money they have raised in the event that Biden withdraws from the race, the Associated Press reported.

The optics of opposing Harris are also important. As Yahoo News’ Andrew Romano and Dylan Stableford wrote, “bypassing the president's No. 2 in favor of a lesser-known alternative could spark the kind of internal conflict that Democrats can ill afford with only six weeks remaining before their convention.”

If Biden does drop out of the race and endorses Harris, several top Democrats have begun floating the names of Democratic governors they hope Harris will pick as her running mate. Those are said to include North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Ultimately, if Harris does become the nominee, it would be up to her to pick a running mate.

Will the ABC News interview [with Biden] be edited? —Robert, Oaks Bluff, Ma., no age provided

Biden’s high-stakes interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos will be aired unedited, in its entirety, the network says. This week, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said “it is essential” for Biden to sit for “interviews with serious journalists” in order to reassure voters disturbed by his faltering debate performance. Yahoo News will live blog Friday’s interview.

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