Some New Twists in the Election After Biden Drops Out

In the hours since Joe Biden conceded defeat in the 2024 election to Donald Trump, there have been a lot of weird things happening. For starters, Kamala Harris is now working to secure support for her presidential bid. Some Democrats, like the Clintons, have endorsed her. Others, like the Obamas, have instead expressed support for some kind of process to select a new ticket.

Manchin 2024?

Perhaps the weirdest thing is that Sen. Joe Manchin (I-W.V.) is now considering reregistering as a Democrat and running for the party’s presidential nomination.

CNN’s Jake Tapper was first to break this development:

Sources close to Sen Joe Manchin, independent of WV, say he’s considering re-registering as a Democrat and throwing his hat into the ring

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) July 21, 2024

This was confirmed by Sam Stein of The Bulwark & MSNBC:

Confirmed: Manchin is considering re-registering as a Democrat to run against Kamala Harris for the presidential nomination.

— Sam Stein (@samstein) July 21, 2024

I really don’t believe that Manchin is a viable Democratic candidate, but if he does announce his candidacy it might make it easier for other Democrats (who might actually have a chance) to jump in as well.

Related: A Full-Blown Civil War Looms for Democrats

Newsom makes his move

Shortly after the news broke that Biden was dropping out, California Gov. Gavin Newsom made a curious move.

JUST IN: Gov. Newsom cancels his appearance at U.S. Ninth Circuit judicial conference scheduled in Sacramento tomorrow.

No reason provided by organizers of the event, waiting to hear back from his office.

— Ashley Zavala (@ZavalaA) July 21, 2024

Since he was widely seen for over a year now as positioning himself to jump in if Biden dropped out, it looked like he’d been activated and was ready to announce his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Not so fast. He has decided to endorse Harris rather than challenge her for the nomination.

Tough. Fearless. Tenacious.

With our democracy at stake and our future on the line, no one is better to prosecute the case against Donald Trump’s dark vision and guide our country in a healthier direction than America’s Vice President, @KamalaHarris.

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) July 21, 2024

I’m not going to lie, I was expecting him to challenge her for the nomination. It’s been obvious that he wants to run for president. This move signals to me that he expects Kamala Harris (or any other Democrat) to lose, and wants a clean slate in 2028.

Never Kamala

Joe Biden may have endorsed Kamala, but don’t expect a coronation. A major Biden donor says he won’t fundraise for Harris if she’s the nominee. In an interview with ABC News, John Morgan, a prominent Florida lawyer, said that he feels she’s too far left and would lose in November. Morgan supported Biden but resigned from the Biden National Finance Committee after Biden endorsed Harris. He believes—correctly—that Trump supporters would prefer Harris as the opponent.

“If Trump World could pick anybody to run against, I think they pick her,” he said. “If she’s a nominee, Mar a Lago has a real big party that night.”

Morgan reportedly described himself as a “Biden/Manchin type Dem,” which tells me that if Manchin runs, he’s got a big donor in his corner.